Behind the scenes of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader auditions

Dancers wait to enter the field before the 2016 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders final auditions held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Saturday May 21, 2016. 11th season of CMT's "Making the Team" was being filmed during the auditions. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)
Dancers wait to enter the field before the 2016 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders final auditions held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas Saturday May 21, 2016. 11th season of CMT’s “Making the Team” was being filmed during the auditions. (Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News)

Michael Hamtil/Photo Editor
Dallas Morning News
May 21, 2016

On the field, at games, and at auditions, we often see photos of the game faces and poses of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders — the ‘peak action’ they are so good at and are paid to do.

Shooting it is what we call fish in a barrel. The hair, the legs, the smiles, the bods, the moves … they are so perfect, polished and well-executed all the time that there’s usually little variation in the expected images, despite the ever-changing cast of cheerleaders.

Tryouts are another story. They offer a small glimpse of what is happening off the stage and because it’s more uncommon that is what interests me more. Not to be trite, but the best photojournalism is often about showing us more than we already know. Yes, really good photos of the commonplace are always fun to look at and any photos of Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders will always be super popular with their fans. But to journalists, getting past the surface is our real challenge. Many readers will always want to know as much as they can about the cheerleaders, and would eat it up if we were able to visually:

• follow a cheerleader through a full game day
• be with someone when they got the news of making the team
• show how much the cheerleaders do all week to prepare and stay in shape
• show what other jobs some of the cheerleaders do when they aren’t cheerleading
• do videos or portraits and interviews where the cheerleaders explain why they want so badly to do this job

Andy Jacobsohn had a chance to shoot cheerleader auditions today and he turned in an array of photos covering both performance action and context.

Here are some of his peak action images, and some that begin to touch on the unexpected. [Photo Gallery]

Japanese Cheerleader, Azusa Makes The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders

Azusa1

Special to UC.com
SidelinePrep.com
May 26, 2016

On April 9th, the final audition was held for 2016-2017 Washington Redskins squad.  Japanese native, Azusa made the team as one of eight rookies.  The Washington DC area will be her new home for the next few years as she dances on the sidelines at FedEx Field in support of the burgundy and gold.

At the age of 5, Azusa started classical studio ballet in Tokyo.  Since then, she has always loved dancing, performing and growing her technical abilities.  In her college years in Canada, she didn’t have the opportunity to dance.  She focused on her education but she missed performing and knew in the not so distant future that she would begin dancing once again.  Her college degree landed her a reputable job for a major Japanese electrical company.  Three years after she started working as a sales representative traveling to many countries like Germany, UK, Switzerland, Italy, China and Korea to conduct business, she began focusing on her love for dance again.  She auditioned for IBM BigBlue cheerleaders, an American Football cheerleading team in Japan, and made it on her first attempt.  From there her cheerleader life began.

In regards to cheerleading, Azusa said, “In the very beginning, I tried out because it looked like fun, but little by little, I was hooked.”  During the summer of 2014, she took a Redskins Cheerleader workshop in Japan, which a former Japanese Redskins Cheerleader Maki Nakayama hosted.  Then she started to think about trying out for the National Football League…with her eyes on the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.  She wanted to as well prepared for the auditions as possible, so in addition to taking numerous dance classes in Tokyo, she also applied for a spot on Sideline Prep’s Professional Cheerleader Coaching Program.  She received one-on-one and group advice from Sideline Prep, pro cheerleader alumni, and other participants in the group. This also enabled her to have the “inside scoop” on auditions on the east coast.  It was a great support system for preparing to be a pro cheerleader.

In January 2016, she attended Sideline Prep’s Pro Cheer Audition Prep Workshop where she was able to learn from and meet the top coaches in the DC area.  Then in March 2016, she flew to Washington D.C to attend prep classes and try out for the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.  As Azusa thinks back to the auditions held at the beginning of April, she said “There was a moment where I exceeded my limit but I have always believed in myself and slowly but surely, I pushed myself through.  After many hours of preparation and practice, now I’m happy to be a member of the First Ladies of the Football and can’t wait to perform at FedEx Field in front of fans!” Her journey as Redskins Cheerleader just has begun.

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Patriots cheerleader competes in Miss USA

Jessica Strohm Miss NH_1

By Angelique Fiske
Patriots.com
May 24, 2016

The offseason is a busy time for Patriots cheerleaders, but it’s even crazier for Cheerleader Jessica. After being crowned Miss New Hampshire in November, Jessica is set to compete in the Miss USA pageant beginning June 5.
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Jessica is in her second season with the Patriots cheerleading squad, and though she just began competing in pageants four years ago, she is ready to represent New Hampshire on the national stage.
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“New Hampshire has never won Miss USA, so I am there to make history,” Jessica said. “We haven’t placed in a very long time, and I’m ready to bring it home. I think New Hampshire has a lot more than people may think.”
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This history has not hindered Jessica. In fact, she has consistently pushed back and fought to achieve the goals she has set for herself.

Jessica Strohm Miss NH_2

“I really pride myself on three words: drive, dedication and determination. This plays true with the Patriots. I tried out four times before I made the squad. I push through to get what I want,” she said. “My parents will say I’m a stubborn girl and I push to get what I want … Anything can happen as long as you stay driven and focused to believe you can get what you want. It’s still surreal that I’m going, but it’s an incredible journey that my friends, family and cheer sisters are going on with me.”
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Her family with the New England Patriots, she said, has been crucial to her preparation for Miss USA. Jessica said she has received nothing but support and motivation from her fellow cheerleaders, Cheerleader Director Tracy Sormanti and the organization as a whole.
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“The Patriots and the Kraft organization have been so supportive. Tracy is one my biggest cheerleaders. Sometimes people think girls are catty and jealous,” Jessica said. “I can tell you, my cheerleader sisterhood is so supportive. I wouldn’t be as confident as I am without them.”
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Jessica said she has been tackling the mental part of the competition by getting in mindset that she has already won the crown.
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“I feel like I’m Miss USA already. For the past couple of months, I’ve presented myself as if I were Miss USA,” she said. “You have to believe it, believe in yourself and believe things are possible in order for them to happen. I’m confident but not overly confident. I’ve worked hard for this.”
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The Miss USA competition airs on Fox on June 5 at 7 p.m.