Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders Start the Season

Cheer Blog: Our Season Starts Now
By rooke AFC Hope W.
AtlantaFalcons.com
June 8, 2013

Hey, Falcons fans!

Our season starts months before we or the football team hit the field at the Georgia Dome, and it’s that time of year. After our retreat in April, where we focus on team building and chemistry to start putting the pieces of this year’s team together, we began practicing unofficially to get ready for the official rehearsals that kicked off this week.

The rookies and our line captains gathered together Tuesday to get our last-minute questions out of the way and to learn some essential sideline moves.

As a rookie, we have so much to learn, from all of the sideline routines to the kickoff sequence to the overall Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders style. It can be overwhelming but the vets are extremely helpful and encouraging. It’s an AFC thing 😉

Wednesday night was full of last-minute cleaning as the team prepared for the first official practice of the season the next night. As we arrived, we took care of some housekeeping items and then kicked off our first practice!

Each line had to perform one dance at a time for our director, Chato Hendrix, and choreographer, Jakene Ashford. It was extremely nerve wracking, and everyone was nervous. We treat practice like a rehearsal, so it is important to come prepared. Not knowing choreography is not an option.

PHOTOS: See Images From the Cheerleaders’ First Practice

Although it was a lot of material, all of our hard work seemed to have paid off. The rehearsal went extremely well. Everyone came prepared, so it was smooth sailing!

We ran through each routine and our choreographer gave suggestions to the captains on how to clean and also gave props to those who went above and beyond. As a rookie, the AFC style is very new to me. I am happy that I successfully learned so many dances and began to adapt to the style. This doesn’t mean I’m perfect. We all have a lot more work to do!

You are in for a real treat this season. Make sure you check us out once a week as we keep you updated on what goes on behind the scenes of the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders. I bet you will learn something new every time!

Cheers!
Hope W. =]]]