Pats Cheerleaders in China

Ni Hao from China
By Michelle Nigro
Swampscott Reporter
September 6, 2012

Swampscott — All of a sudden I felt very short. “Hi ladies, my name’s Lebron,” he said as he stuck out his hand to shake.

I was backstage in an arena waiting to be announced as one of the representatives of the NFL at the Opening Ceremonies of the Nike Festival of Sport in Shanghai, China.

As if the festival itself wasn’t enough to take in, basketball star Lebron James was introducing himself to us and Rudy Gay, Paul George and Amar’e Stoudemire — all NBA stars — were behind him.

I traveled to China on Aug. 21, with three other Patriots Cheerleaders and our coach to promote the NFL at the Nike Festival. On our first day we were thrust into the fast paced lifestyle of Shanghai — one of the most populated cities in the world — and the excitement of the weekend. The festival took place from Aug. 23 to 26 and thousands of people visited the Nike events around Shanghai’s stadium each day.

I can only describe the opening ceremony as something I would picture a Justin Bieber concert to look like: Hundreds of fans screaming for the athletes as they were introduced and to our surprise, for us too!

Despite having difficulty understanding what the emcee was saying to the crowd in Chinese, I had chills as I stood on the stage full of both Chinese and American athletes, as we were greeted with shrieks and applause.

After the first day, the other cheerleaders and I realized this was going to be a trip we would never forget. During the festival, our job was to generate an audience at the NFL field where a flag football tournament was going on. During each game, we cheered on the teams and performed for pre-game and halftime. Between games, we circled the festival passing out game schedules and saying “Ni Hao, wo de mingzi jiao Michelle” — which means “Hello, my name is Michelle” in Chinese — to as many guests as possible.

Many people responded in English, but we had fun learning as many sayings as we could in Chinese anyways; we were interviewed live on television in front of a crowd and our pronunciation of “Ni Hao” earned us quite the applause!

We spent most of our time in the NFL section for games with former running back and NFL representative, LaDainian Tomlinson. We were also lucky enough to participate in many other exciting sections of the festival throughout the weekend.

Nike Skateboarder, Omar Salazar, and other professional skateboarders skated around us with video cameras as we danced on a platform in an indoor skate park. It was dizzying, but thrilling at the same time, to dance as skateboarders were doing tricks on the ramps next to us. That was definitely one of my most memorable performances as a cheerleader.

We had an amazing tour guide throughout the trip who showed us hidden alleyways of filled with incredible shopping and the unique architecture of the city. I was taken aback by the breathtaking view of the skyscrapers in Shanghai’s Pudong district, along The Bund, which lines the Huangpu River.

After spending time exploring the beautiful city, I know I want to return someday. I would love to visit with my mom, who would really enjoy the famous soup dumplings!

This trip was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life so far. It opened my eyes to the beauty of China and the intrigue of exploring a foreign country and diving into its culture. I am forever thankful to the New England Patriots, NFL China and Nike for the opportunity and will always cherish the memories and friends I made in Shanghai. The passion for sports at the festival was incredible and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it.