Former Guam SKIP dancer makes it to the big leagues

Beatrix P.
For GSPN
March 30, 2016

In this exclusive first-person perspective, San Diego Chargers cheerleader Beatrix reflects on her journey from taking ballet lessons on Guam to being a cheerleader in the NFL.

Beatrix is the fourth known NFL cheerleader from Guam, following Pia Gillan (Seahawks), Maria DeCabooter (Cardinals), and Deborah Luck (Raiders.)

I’ve been dancing and modeling since I was 4 years old. I quickly realized that ballet wasn’t my thing after seeing SKIP Entertainment perform at the Micronesia Mall. I immediately begged my mom to enroll me in jazz. Jumping forward, there was a talent show competition at my school and I won first place.

Mrs. (Teri) Knapp, the director of SKIP, happened to be one of the judges and that’s when she began to notice me. I auditioned to advance to the junior and senior production and it wasn’t long until I began touring with SKIP to compete at national and international competitions.

We won 1st place Regency Talent Competition (1999), 1st place Starpower National Talent Competition (2000), National Champions of Starlite “Battle of the Stars,” Showtime National Finals runners-up (2000), Starlite National first runners-up, and 1st place ShowStopper National Finals (2001). I’ve had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographers. In addition to performing at our annual Christmas and Spring concerts, I had the pleasure of performing for charity and fundraising events.

Aside from dancing, I was a runway model for United Colors of Benetton, Boy London and Esprit at the Acanta Mall. I also modeled various jewelry pieces for Tiffany & Co. and was the cover model of VIBE Magazine February 2002 issue. I was also featured in the Marine Drive Magazine and Business News Magazine.

I was first exposed to cheer during my freshman year at John F. Kennedy High School and cheered for the basketball and football games. In my senior year, I was requested to choreograph a dance routine for my senior class production. In 2002, I was selected for Guam’s Outstanding Women of the Year Award which was published in the Marianas Variety newspaper. After graduating as valedictorian, I moved to San Diego and attended the University of San Diego to pursue my education in accounting. I continued dancing at the USD Spring Concert and was on the USD Dance Team.

I took a break from dance to develop my career and obtain my CPA license. In the meantime, I continued to model for local designers and participated in the San Diego Thread show. I found enjoyment traveling to exotic places such as Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and Hong Kong.

During my travel to Indonesia, I had the honor of visiting an orphanage for children with special needs and was able to learn about them and personally hand out gifts to each of them. I also support and volunteered for various charities such as the American Cancer Society, San Diego Food Bank, Make-A-Wish Foundation and United Cerebral Palsy.

It wasn’t until I lost my mom to lung cancer (last year) that I decided to audition for the San Diego Charger Girls. The audition process was extremely challenging as there were over 400 beautiful and talented girls competing for a spot on the team. It was my first time auditioning and I didn’t know what to expect. The audition process was about a week long and when I heard my number announced at the finals, I was beyond happy! Of the 28 girls, I was one of the 11 rookies selected for the 2015-2016 season.

Being able to say that I am an NFL Professional Cheerleader is a huge accomplishment. All those years of dance classes my mom took me to was all worthwhile. Performing in front of over 65,000 fans is such a unique experience. It’s definitely an adrenaline rush to run out on the field with our sparkly signature uniform and pom poms to keep the fans pumped throughout the game. In addition to game days, we have rehearsals, games, promotional appearances, and charity events that can definitely fill up our schedule.

My favorite parts of the season are performing on game days at Qualcomm Stadium and producing our swimsuit calendar. I was featured as September 2016 and had so much fun being a part of it. I am very lucky to receive an overwhelming support from my friends and family near and far. Many friends who are season-ticket holders and would shout my name whenever I ran by them. It is such a rewarding feeling to experience one of my goals come to life.

Being the oldest on the team and continuous rehabbing from a back injury, I am extremely proud that I pushed myself and became the best Charger Girl I can be. Most of all, I am glad that I can dedicate this achievement to my mom who has always supported my dance career.

What they said

Teri Knapp, SKIP Director: “She was very smart in her academics as well as a smart dancer. She was also very strong. We were going into the national finals which we won. She had a sprained ankle, but made it through with lots of tape and a brace.”

Jimmie Yi, grade-school classmate: “She’s very smart with a great personality. She has a strong will and a super big traveler.”

Sherwin Paet, met as friends in San Diego: “I always knew her as a dancer from SKIP when we were in high school. We weren’t super close, but every time she came around to hang out with our crew in Mira Mesa, she was very down to earth and a person who was easy to get along with. We kind of lost touch when I moved back to Guam in 2005 and just this past season I was stoked to see her as a Charger Girl with me being a huge Charger fan. When I was on the Chargers site reading up on our new draft picks, I came across the new Charger Girl roster and SOMEHOW clicked on the link and, what do you know, I see Beatrix. I immediately checked her Facebook and congratulated her.”