A caravan from Bay City rolls into Nashville to see TTC Swimsuit Calendar cover girl Angie
Angie performs during the Titans-Patriots game
(Between this and the MLive coverage below, I think I am unofficially going to call this “Tennessee Titans Cheerleader Angie day” on UltimateCheerleaders!)
This weekend, worlds will collide, literally, on LP Field for Tennessee Titans Cheerleader Angie. Bay City, Michigan native Angie will be on the sidelines for a match between her home state Lions and her current home town Nashville’s Titans. As we learned last year during an interview during her rookie season with the TTC, Angie came to Nashville to pursue singing while also working in sales and marketing. This season, not only did Angie make the Titans Cheerleaders for season two, but she is also one of four Cheerleaders gracing the annual swimsuit calendar’s cover! So with the Lions on the schedule for Sunday, look for a family hitting the highways from Michigan to visit Nashville to see their own Angie on the sidelines, while the Titans and Lions battle on the field.
On the big night of the calendar release party, back on September 6th, as everyone was getting ready to hit the stage, Angie took time out to discuss this season’s cheer chapter with UltimateCheerleaders. It was a big week, with the calendar release party on Thursday night and the first game of the season against the Patriots the subsequent Sunday.
So does the transplanted Michigander enjoy her Nashville life? “Very much so!” Angie replies. “Actually, my parents are in from Michigan today. We have been just been talking at lunch about how it’s a different world in Nashville compared to Michigan. So it’s great to be here, and it’s great to go home. Nashville is a wonderful city. I love the people, I love the atmosphere. It’s awesome! It’s very family oriented, great for single people. So it’s the best of both worlds.”
"Behind the scenes" as Angie prepares for the calendar shoot party
So does her family notice any Nashville local phrases being added to Angie’s Midwestern vocabulary? “Oh yeah, I notice too,” replies Angie. “I throw out y’all’s all of the time, whereas up north, we say, ‘You’s guys.’ And that’s definitely been dropped since I’ve been here.”
So was trying out for a second TTC season an easy decision for Angie? “Oh, definitely!” Angie replies. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to do it twice. It was a ‘no-brainer,’ I really wanted to come back.”
But second try-outs do tend to be more stressful than rookie season. “I will tell anybody that your audition is maybe ten seconds, and it is the worst ten seconds of your life,” Angie says. “Because growing up as a singer, I am used to being in front of thousands of people, and I have no problem. Hand me a microphone and I am okay. But to be on stage with a couple of eight counts, and I am scared to death! It is literally the scariest ten seconds of your life! And you are so thankful when it is over.”
So why is trying out the second time in some ways even more stressful than the first time. “You know how awesome the experience is, and you want to be part of it again,” Angie explains. “So you essentially hype yourself up because you just want to be a part of it, and that is what makes it a little more nerve-wracking.”
Therefore, the feeling when Angie’s number was called that she made the team, “It is like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders, honestly. It is like you are holding your breath, and this year they went numerically, last year, my rookie year, it was sporadic numbers, but you are just waiting for your number to be called. And when it is, you can’t help but scream in excitement. You feel absolutely overjoyed.”
Angie at the pre-Titans/Patriots game Code Blue Pep Rally
As a veteran now, Angie notices the subtle personal changes in her second season. “You are always going to have butterflies, no matter what, and I think that is great because it keeps you on top of your game,” explains Angie. “But this year, I know a little bit more what to expect. So you still have butterflies, you still have jitters, but you also know what you are prepared for, and you know what is coming.”
For the new TTC rookies, Angie advises them to, “Just take in every moment. Every moment, because the season goes by so fast. It’s eight games, we have already done two pre-season games. Live every moment, and take still frames in your mind, because it is over fast.”
So, for the Titans Cheerleaders, since the pre-season games were under their belts, are they all settled in, or are the first “real” games a totally different experience? “I do believe pre-season games are a little bit different,” Angie says. “The crowd just seems to be a little bit different, probably because we don’t have a lot of our starters (playing). But the first day of a big game, especially against the Patriots coming up, it’s going to be insane! And I know I am a little nervous about that. But to be a rookie, and walking onto the field for the first time, it is going to blow their mind. So it is going to be neat.”
Was Angie’s first time on the field as a rookie memorable? “Oh yeah, that is one of those moments that I took a still frame. I am always going to have that moment, because you only get to do it once. And you will never forget it.”
And in her second TTC Swimsuit calendar, Angie is in December 2012 and also on the cover! Angie describes, “The shoot was amazing! Gorgeous, gorgeous hotel and resort that took care of us.”
So for that one calendar shot and that one cover pic, how many photos are taken on location? “I would love to say was done in about five,” laughs Angie. “But it was more like five thousand. Realistically, I think they take about four to five hundred shots, that’s on average, per girl.”
But even just an hour before the calendar release party, Angie had not seen any of her shots! It is all hush hush! “We do get to proof our images after the calendar is released,” explains Angie. “So at that point I will be able to go through and look at all of them. And I am looking forward to that because there are different poses and different things that you do.” It had been three months since the calendar shoot, wasn’t Angie just dying to see the photos? “I know my family is!” Angie recalled at that pre-release time. “My mom calls me every day, ‘Oh, you had practice, did you get your proofs yet? Have you seen it?!’ I am excited, but the anticipation is a bit much, but it is going to be worth it. Erick Anderson is a wonderful photographer, and anything that he does is gold. So it’s going to be great.”
Angie described her calendar location as, “Actually I was in the rocks. I can’t really say it was as adventurous as the other girls’ shots in the water. But it was an early morning shoot, had a call time of four a.m. It was a little chilly, but the water was clear, the sand was white. It’s gorgeous! So it was worth freezing in the sand waiting to go. Definitely!”
Beyond the shoot time, the location provides a new squad the chance to bond. “This year, the way that our arrangements had been set up, all of the girls were in at least a room of four, so we got to know four different girls individually,” recalls Angie. “And that is fantastic, because that is the time that you get to bond. You are always around each other; we shoot on the same day. So you all have similar schedules. And we also have a team bonding night when everyone gets together. We have fun, we play games, we joke around; it is a neat experience.”
So, compared to being with the other Cheerleaders on the field as a team, it seems like calendar release night is more like being on stage with a solo spotlight. “Obviously, a little bit,” responds Angie, “but no matter what, we are always a team. We are working together to make sure our calendar is going to be a big success , first with the photos, now with the calendar release night. Now, it is time to celebrate all of the hard work that we put into it. So tonight is our night to celebrate. And we do so as a team. Without each other, this would not be going on today.”
Angie enjoys the finale of the release party runway walks. “At the end, we do a parade of cheerleaders, so everybody can see us as a team,” describes Angie. “That’s awesome because we are all on stage at the same time, so we are unified. Then after the show is over, we sign autographs, and we get to meet our fans, which is always awesome. Every year at the Titans games, more fans become loyal fans, and we have the opportunity to meet them to tonight, so that is cool.”
The week of calendar release party, the weather transitioned from near 90’s during the event, to a pleasant 70’s for the Titans-Pats game. “I am becoming used to this heat, and with Michigan blood, this is really hard for me to handle!” laughs Angie. “But, it is a beautiful day.” As far as cooler game day temps, Angie said, “I am excited, anything over 59 from back home is great, and anything under a 100, I can work with, so 70’s will be a great day for a game.”
Angie’s parents made the trip back on calendar release night and the Pats game. But the bigger family event is this upcoming weekend, with Angie’s home state Lions visiting Nashville, so her family is visiting too! “My entire family is making the trip! I’m excited, it is the first time in eight years that they have played each other, so it is a ‘home away from home’ experience,” Angie laughs.
From last year memories that have been framed in Angie’s mind, to this season, with plenty of time for even more wonderful experiences, being a Titans Cheerleader has been a special opportunity. Asked about her highlights from last year, Angie ponders, “So many big memories! (The calendar release party) was one of them. Obviously, like I said before, the first time you walk onto the field. And the Christmas game, because you never know what the next year is going to bring. You take that last moment, when you are finishing up your very last game, and you look around, and, like I said, you sink it in, because it is over so fast.”
But a favorable calendar allows Angie’s parents to visit Nashville often this season, and more still frames are certainly on the horizon. “Not only are (my parents) going to be able to come here for games, but I will also be able to go home for the holidays. I am really anticipating a great year,” Angie explains.
No doubt the scrapbook of memories will be overflowing for Angie this season and for the rest of her years. Bright, personable, and articulate, Angie’s laugh serves as the soundtrack of her journey, handing out the gift of smiles along the way. Have a great weekend as a bit of Michigan hits the Music City!
Thanks so much to Angie for spending time on the busy night her calendar cover was released to provide an update, and thanks to Stacie Kinder and all of the wonderful Titans Cheerleader staff for all of their help! And there are more photos of Angie at this link.
