Rams Engage Fans in Selection of 2010 Cheerleaders

St. Louis Rams
April 21, 2010

When Rams officials began planning how they’d conduct auditions for the 2010 Rams Cheerleaders, there was one important element that they believed would greatly enhance the process.

“We wanted to get the fans involved more,” Rams Director of Special Events Keely Fimbres said. “In the past, the auditions have been closed to the public. This year, we wanted to allow the fans to be part of the process.”

Tuesday night, roughly 1,000 Rams fans attended the finals of 2010 Rams cheerleader auditions and even had a hand in selecting the team. At the conclusion of the event, which was held at The Pageant in the University City area of St. Louis, fans voted for their five favorite candidates, and their votes made up a portion of the final scores.

“It meant so much to get the community involved and to have my friends and family here,” said Shannon, a physical therapy student who is a returning member to the Rams Cheerleaders. “Having fans attend the finals made a great night even better. They really added to it.”

The audition process began two weeks ago with a preliminary audition, which was held at the Russell Training Center. Of the close to 100 women who participated in the preliminary audition, 36 women made it through to Tuesday’s final audition.

In addition to performing at Rams home games, Rams Cheerleaders also make frequent public appearances and are involved in more than 500 community events each year. That being the case, Rams Cheerleaders must have strong people skills and be good communicators in addition to being talented dancers.

This year’s new format gave candidates more opportunities to show their full personalities, and fans were able to learn that being a Rams Cheerleader is about much more than just gamedays.

“There’s a little bit more to it this time,” Rams Cheerleading Coordinator Theresa Mancini said. “It’s not just us sitting behind closed doors making the selections. We got a lot more people involved, which made the process more in-depth.. The fans had an opportunity to learn about what the girls do and who they are, which is also great.”

The finals began with a question and answer session led by event emcee and former Rams defensive lineman D’Marco Farr. For the second portion of the evening, the ladies donned swimsuits and were escorted to the stage by members of the U.S. Army, who were dressed in their formal blue uniforms.

Fans cast their ballots for their five favorites as the candidates wrapped up the tryout portion with a dance audition where they performed a routine they learned prior to the finals. A panel of six judges then submitted their scores, and the 30-member 2010 Rams Cheerleader squad was introduced. The group is comprised of 17 veterans and 13 rookies, including five captains who are all returners.

“We’ve really got a great group of ladies,” Mancini said. “It’s going to be a great year for us.”

The 2010 Rams Cheerleaders include students and young professionals who hail from all over the country. Rookie Paige, an 18-year-old former Miss Oklahoma Teen USA, was elated once the results were announced.

“It means so much to me to be a Rams Cheerleader because I’ve been waiting for this for a long time,” Paige said. “I’m so excited to get to be a part of this great group of ladies.”

Fans who attended Tuesday’s finals not only got to take in an entertaining show. They mingled with Rams players such as James Laurinaitis and Donnie Avery and a few won door prizes, including a pair of Rams 2010 season tickets.

“We had a great turnout tonight,” Fimbres said. “I think everyone really enjoyed themselves and there was a great response. This was a great event for the Rams, the cheerleaders and the community.”