64 try out for Ben-Gals squad
Lori Kurtzman
Cincinnati Enquirer
May 15, 2011
They wanted to make the squad. No doubt that was foremost in their mind. But it seemed Ben-Gals hopefuls were thinking about something else during final cheerleading tryouts Sunday.
Junk food.
A lot of strict exercise, dance practice and dieting will do that to a person. One woman said she’d be eating cheesecake after her audition. Another said she was going straight for a cheeseburger.
“I’m going to a buffet and getting one of everything,” said Lacey Carter, an Alexandria woman hoping to make the 2011 squad.
But that would come later. First there was dancing and strutting around in a bathing suit to be done. There was makeup to apply and hair to curl.
Sixty-four women, each one looking like the queen of the prom, tried out to be Ben-Gals during Sunday’s tryouts. They put on tiny outfits and showed off killer abs onstage at the Syndicate in Newport. The audience hollered and cheered, hundreds of friends and family members hoping their girl would clinch one of the 30 spots.
“I’m the one that’s more nervous,” said Sharon Caliguri, a Colerain Township woman clutching a pink sign with a picture of her daughter, Angela. This was Angela’s second year trying out, her mom said. “She’s ready.”
Also ready? Courtney Nitz of Highland Heights, waiting in a back room for her chance to perform. Nitz, a member of the 2010 squad, was in the awkward position of having to audition for a role she’s already had – only the two team captains were guaranteed a return in 2011.
“The dance is very hard,” Nitz said, and then she hit the stage and nailed the choreographed number everyone performed to Beyonce’s “Move Your Body,” a song that does in fact get old after the 10th listen.
A panel of judges rated the women Sunday, but Carter, Caliguri and Nitz will have to wait to see whether they’ll be NFL cheerleaders in 2011. Director Charlotte Jacobs said the roster will be posted online by Thursday.
That leaves plenty of time for a cheeseburger.
