With a new squad named tonight, a last look back at the 2011 Titans Cheerleaders

Tonight in Nashville, finalists will audition to be part of the elite Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders. Like last season’s TTC, the new squad that emerges certainly will merit consideration for a title I would gladly bestow upon them. Of course, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are “America’s Sweethearts,” and both the Cowboys and Packers lay claim to “America’s Team,” but, for your consideration, the Titans Cheerleaders justly seem to be, “America’s Cheerleaders.” After all, how many of the entertainment centers of the US have NFL cheerleaders? LA, Vegas? Nope. And up in New York, the Jets’ Flight Crew is taking wing, but sidelines entertainment is still pretty new to NYC. Singers, musicians, and entertainers flock to Nashville from around the country looking for their chance to shine, and this is reflected in the talented squad that dances, cheers, and sometimes even sings at LP Field.

With the new squad on the horizon, as I reflect on last season’s Titans Cheerleaders, they represented the USA literally from coast to coast and a lot of the country in between. After a visit to Nashville last October, UltimateCheerleaders features included doctoral engineering student Jessica from Alabama, singer Angie from Bay City, Michigan, skater Molly from New Hampshire, and the singing “Danger Love Saint,” which includes Bri of Oregon and Jessi from Florida’s Atlantic coast. Even the TTC Director Stacie Kinder is from the Virginia/DC area, and Pro Bowler Brooke lives in Kentucky and commutes to games and practices.

There are so many notable women from across the US on last season’s squad, it is difficult to even choose a few. Let’s start with Anne P. Anne’s route to Nashville hit a few regional stops along the way, including one stop where she really enjoyed “The View.” Originally from Indianapolis, Anne then moved to New York, and then to Nashville to study at Belmont University. Then it was back to New York, where some interesting employers dotted her resume. “I worked for MTV and at ‘The View,’ I was actually personal assistant for Elizabeth Hasselbeck,” said Anne. “So it is fun having (Titans QB) Matt (Hasselbeck, Elizabeth’s brother-in-law) here now, or ‘Matthew’ as they call him.”

Anne ended up in television, but the music industry was her first interest, and this initially brought her to Nashville and Belmont. “I went to Belmont for Music Business, but then my sophomore year, the iPod was introduced, and already, everything was changing in the music industry,” explained Anne. “So almost from day one, I didn’t pursue a path in the music industry, I did television. I worked for MTV news documentaries. I left MTV 2007, and I was at The View until 2010.” Working in entertainment seemed Anne’s destiny, as she recalled, “I was the biggest fan of music, movies, and TV growing up. I knew I was going to work in the industry, because I was obsessed with that.”

So, I had to ask, did the hosts get ticked off at comedienne Kathy Griffin, who often like to, well, ‘discuss’ the show as part of her act? “No, they don’t,” Anne, who worked with all of the show’s hosts, said. “She is an entertainer, and that is what she does. People always ask me, ‘Was it drama behind the scenes?’ No, when they go on TV, they are there to entertain. And they come back and they are all normal like you and me.” But, nonetheless, it was a busy, challenging role, and Anne reflected, “It was a learning experience, I successfully managed five women of all different personalities, and now I feel like I could probably conquer anything because of that.” Anne still keeps in touch with her NYC friends, and Elizabeth helped in the design of Anne’s wedding dress. Anne said of Elizabeth, “She’s great, and there is another Hasselback, Nathaniel, who is Matt and Tim’s younger brother, that I am friends with. They’re excited that I am doing this because both my brother and sister are professional dancers, and I left that to go to Belmont.”

In fact, Anne’s brother is a classical ballet dancer, and her sister is a modern dancer who owns her own company in New York. Thus, with such a family of performers, there is no doubt Anne believes the arts are essential. “I am a big advocate of keeping the arts programs in schools,” Anne said. “(Indianapolis High School) North Central had an incredible performing arts program.” And in the small-world side of pro cheer, Anne said, “(Colts Cheerleader) Megan and I did show choir together, and we were summer camp counselors.”

After a few years in NYC, Anne knew it was time for a change when the lifestyle no longer struck the same chords as it once did. Anne said of her decision to move to Nashville, “I knew that once I started getting jaded by everything is when I needed to leave it. I left (‘The View’) to move here, and work in advertising at the Buntin Group. We do advertising for leisure, restaurants, vacuums, everything. So we are the largest in Tennessee. One of the largest in the South.” So how does it compare to television? “I like it,” Anne said. “It is a different world from TV.”

And Anne is happy to be in her ‘college town’ of Nashville. “It is great here,” said Anne, who went to college with fellow TTC Stephanie A. “It is different adjusting to this life, but I was ready to leave New York. Nashville is very much a melting pot, people don’t realize that. The whole entertainment industry brings a lot of people here; that is what brought me here. It’s a great town. Nashville is a great place to raise a family.” (more photos of Anne P at this link)

Another Midwesterner who followed an academic path to Nashville was Chocez, who was in her fifth year with the Titans Cheerleaders last season. Chocez’s hometown is Chicago, and she studied at Nashville’s Fisk University, where she received her Bachelor in Arts majoring in Dramatics, Speech, and Dance. After Fisk, Chocez stayed in Nashville and received her Master’s in Education, studying Curriculum and Instruction at Tennessee State University. After varied teaching positions, Chocez returned to Fisk as a Resident Director for the students that now attend her alma mater. Returning to help the students where she herself studied is a bit like 70’s sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter.” However if Chocez was the show’s star, believe me, no one would have even noticed John Travolta. And I’d still be a loyal viewer.

“I take care of the sophomore, junior, senior residence hall,” explained Chocez. “I make sure the girls are comfortable.” Chocez finds satisfaction in helping the students, as she said, “To do well, succeed, and all of their creative ideas; working with them, yes, I enjoy my job. They are so full of life, and they see things so differently, I appreciate everything they bring to the table.”

At a smaller university where one is not just a number, Chocez has great affection for her own experience at her undergraduate alma mater. “I LOVED my experience at Fisk,” Chocez beamed. “It felt like a family, you knew everybody. You knew if someone was missing, if they were sick, and needed something. And we all worked together. There are a lot of people here from somewhere else, mainly at Fisk from Chicago. So that made it great for me.”

Though happy in Nashville, Chocez’s heart is still tugged at times by her hometown. When asked if she misses Chicago, Chocez said, “I DO, I do because my family is there. I love the weather, I love the food (laughs).” Some of her Chicago favorites include Italian Fiesta Pizza, the President’s favorite pizza. Chocez’s warm personality makes her a perfect representative of her home town, her universities, and the Titans Cheerleaders (click here for more photos of Chocez).

Of course, there are some Tennesseans on the squad, but even their daily lives reach distant locales. Stephanie A is Communications Specialist for the Cracker Barrel Corporation, with their home office in Lebanon. No, not the far away Lebanon overseas; the one in Tennessee. But still, Stephanie has a national focus, as she told me, “I do all communications that go to our 605 stores. Before that I was in sales, I love it. It’s a great company to work for. It’s a lot of fun.” Could she help me get one of those cool rocking chairs? Stephanie laughed, “Yes, let me know, I will hook you up.”

Stephanie is originally from Lebanon and attended college at Belmont in Nashville. Stephanie recalled, “I’ve moved here, there, and everywhere a few times, and always seem to settle back here. And now I am married, and have a little girl, who is two and a half. So I am very much settled in this particular area. I am one of the very few (TTC’s) that is actually from this area.” But Music City seems to have a way of bringing musical people together, whether it is for cheer squads or marriage. “That is how I met my husband,” Stephanie said, “He moved here for music, he is a musician.”

Brintley is also from Tennessee. But after high school, she ventured to the far off high seas. “I started dancing when I was three,” remembered Brintley. “When I graduated high school, I went and danced on a cruise ship for ten months. When I came home, I tried out for the Titans, and then I went back on the ship, and now I am here doing Titans again.” Where did the cruises take Brintley? “We did an eastern and a western run, and it was a weeklong cruise. The Caribbean, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St. Thomas, St. Croix, Cayman Islands. It was a lot of fun.” Brintley detailed the ship’s dancers’ schedule, “We usually danced on Tuesday and Thursday night, but we had to teach dance classes on the promenade, the main strip of the ship.”

Did the cruise ever hit bad storms. “Yes!” Brintley laughed, “It was a little scary. Where we stayed was down on the bottom level, and that is actually where the passengers exit onto the islands. Water would seep through those doors, and rooms would get flooded.”

Back from the cruise life, Brintley returned home to be a banker. “I like it a lot actually,” Brintley said. “I work for a local bank in Clarksville, so we are a small community type bank.”

Another local, born and raised in the Nashville area, Erica was in her third season last year, but it was not consecutive. After two years on the Titans Cheerleaders, Erica took a couple years off. Like tonight’s tryouts, was she nervous about returning to auditions twelve months ago? “It was nerve wracking, especially when you don’t work out all of the time,” laughed Erica. “So, it took a lot of work.” Over the years, Erica has noticed such an improvement in the quality of the dancers at auditions. “Oh my goodness, especially physique-wise, I was so intimidated. It is definitely different.” A student interested in both mass media and nutrition, Erica has been dancing, cheering, and being a gymnast since she was very young. The entertainment industry connections continue, as Erica’s mom works for CBS.

And I could go on and on, like Yalea, originally from Michigan, who also works in education, teaching chemistry to grades ten through twelve. But, it is time to stop thinking back to last season, a new edition of the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders is about to be unveiled. Tonight, at 7 pm, at the Wildhorse Saloon, the Final Cheer Audition, Presented by Sun Tan City will result in the 2012 Titans Cheerleaders will be chosen in front of a live audience! Soon after, an example of the Titans Cheerleaders community side will be held May 19th, at 8 pm. Called, “Cheers to Robin,” it will be a party with the Titans Cheerleaders to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of Robin Roach Towe.

Good luck tonight to all the finalists, the newcomers and the wonderful veterans! No matter what the result, take pride in being on of the finalists of an elite squad in a talented town!

More photos of the 2011 Tennessee Titans can be found at this link