Homegrown Saintsations Make Appearance in Ocean Springs
By Warren Kulo
GulfLive.com
Saintsations Chastity Sorrels (left) and Sarah Friday -- both Coast natives -- made an appearance in downtown Ocean Springs Monday to sign autographs and pose for photos
With the New Orleans Saints sitting at 5-0 and in first place in the NFC South, it doesn’t take much these days to elicit smiles from Saints fans.
But fans were given even more reason to smile Monday afternoon in Ocean Springs as two members of the Saintsations cheerleading squad made an appearance at a downtown pub.
Best of all, both young women are homegrown.
Sarah Friday, 21, is a 2010 graduate of St. Martin High School, where she was (surprise!) a cheerleader and dance team member. Her mother, Cheryl Friday, is a teacher at St. Martin Middle School.
Alongside Friday was 27-year-old Chastity Sorrels, a Picayune native and Biloxi High School teacher now in her fourth season with the Saintsations.
The two posed for pictures and signed Saintsation calendars for fans at Kwitzky’s Dugout on Government Street. Their appearance was sponsored by Tim Wold of F.E.B. Distributing.
After high school, Friday went on to dance at Pearl River Community College and said she “wanted to continue dancing,” which led her to audition for the Saintsations in April.
Sorrels said anywhere from 100 to 350 aspiring Saintsations try out each year, with 32-36 ultimately making the squad. Tryouts last a week and in addition to proving their dancing skills, each candidate is required to pass a football knowledge test issued by the NFL.
“It’s an unbelievable experience,” Friday said of her first season. “It’s very rewarding in every way.”
The two Coast women are among six from Mississippi this season.
Once selected in April, the squad practices twice a week every week prior to and during the season — including weeks when the Saints are on the road. NFL cheerleading squads only perform at home games.
One practice is held in Baton Rouge, with the other in New Orleans — meaning the two Coast natives are on the road quite a bit.
For the married Sorrels, it makes for a hectic schedule. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in Sports Administration, she earned a Masters in Education from William Carey in 2010 — the same year she became a Saintsation.
“It was crazy that year,” she said. “That was the year after we won the Super Bowl. There must have been 350 girls trying out that year.”
She now teaches and is, naturally, the cheerleading coach at Biloxi High.
“What keeps me coming back is meeting new people, making new friends,” Sorrels said. “Plus it also gives me an opportunity to set a good example for my girls (cheerleaders).”
