Weekend In Miami
I had a fun assignment this week—-bop on down from Tampa to Miami to cover the first day of the 2012 Dolphin Cheerleaders auditions. Being the sports fanatic that I am I arrived early enough to make an obligatory visit to the new Marlins Park. The stadium is located on the Orange Bowl site in Little Havana. The Cubbies were in town and I was able to move around the sections to view numerous seat site lines. The roof was closed for the afternoon but the glass retractable outfield walls offered a nice panoramic view of the Miami sky line—must be even nicer at night. I recommend checking it out for a game.
Marlins Vision Host, Katherine Akra, with two members of the Energy Dancers.
On Saturday I had the pleasure to cover round one thru the semi finals of the annual MDC audition process. More than 300 women signed up to showcase their talents for a desired spot on one of the more prestigious squads of the NFL. The audition process is called grueling by some but my definition would be dueling because it eventually comes down to mano-a-mano with the equally talented women on each side of you. Many people in the performers’ community consider the NFL as the pinnacle of the cheer/dance field and the competition is always great for such an elusive spot. Even the veterans have to re-audition each year—no returnees are guaranteed.
The MDC are led by Dorie Grogan, Senior Director of Entertainment and Emily Newton Snow, Cheerleader Manager who both came up thru the ranks of the DCC in Cowboy land. The MC for the audition was Kenny Walker, radio morning personality and stadium announcer for the Dolphins. Kenny humbly admits however that his true claim to fame is as the handsome (his words) husband of Dorie. His smooth styles of compliments to the candidates were helpful in calming down a few nerves during a very precision organized process.
The 9 person judges’ table included season ticket holder Rory Austin who true to his roots came dressed for a Sunday Game including head / wrist bands and team jersey. I asked him how he prioritized his selection criteria and typical of the demographics he represented they were “Looks, smile, personality and Looks”. Way to speak for the fans Rory.
The finals are Saturday and if MDC history tells us anything, rest assure that by next week the squad will consist of some 40 gorgeous, talented young ladies. James will be covering the finals—be sure to check back with us.
Jackson
PS: I’ll be back to Miami in August when both the Bucs and LA Dodgers come to town to battle the locals. I love to double dip.
Dorie Grogan, Kenny Walker and Emily Newton Snow
Monica, Victoria, Rosamary and 2012 Pro Bowler Ariana
