Thank you to the NBA powers for giving us a wonderful gift, the NBA back on Christmas Day! Preparing for the new season is occurring at warp speed, and the Indiana Pacers held their annual FanJam last Sunday, the annual free event with free food, autograph opportunities, a blue versus white scrimmage, and the antics of Steve Max, who has created his own unique niche of travelling the country leading games of “Simon Says” (FYI, Pacer newcomer and Indianapolis’ own George “Napoleon” Hill was the best Pacer Simon Says player). Maybe the Pacers like “Simon Says” because the Pacers are owned by the Simon family of mall ownership fame.

But the best gift of all is that the NBA being back means that the Pacemates, particularly the rookies, who have been patiently waiting to perform on center court, are able to dance and cheer on their team. The Pacemates were on the concourses signing autographs, encouraging fans to sign a “Good Luck” banner, and then hit the sidelines for the intra-squad game. The Pacemates cheered on their teams and put up with the constant antics of mascot Boomer, who at one point bulldozed his way on his hands and knees through the courtside Pacemates; that crazy cat! Then at halftime of the scrimmage, it was the Pacemates turn to perform at center court. It was their second performance of the season, after a pre-season game the previous Friday against the Bulls (with 14,000 in attendence, way to go Pacers fans!).

Michelle Duggan has been the coach/choreographer of the Pacemates since 2008 after her seven years as a Pacemate herself. As Michelle oversaw the activities of the Pacemates at FanJam, she took time out to fill in UltimateCheerleaders on the preparation for the new season. The rookies have been waiting and wondering when they would hit the court, but Michelle says keeping them motivated has been no problem. “It was actually really easy,” Michelle says, “We just had to change focus. We did a lot of team-building activities throughout the season. It just gave us a little time to bond, that we don’t usually have. Of course, we would have wanted to be on the court, but it’s fun.”

The schedule was modified according to Michelle during the lock-out. “We had practices once a week, and then we did a lot of community service. Again, we don’t usually get a lot of extra time to do those things besides our appearances, so we focused on that.”

This season’s adapted NBA schedule has a lot of back to back to back type games, but Michelle has no worries. “We are prepared,” Michelle smiles. “Just the energy and anticipation, being anxious about getting started, it is making their performances and practices easier, because they have wanted to be out there for so long. So I don’t think we will have to double up or anything like that, we are going to stay with our schedule, and we are going to go on from there.”

Michelle looks forward to this season and being around this Pacemate squad. “I think I have a beautiful team all-around this year. I think their abilities are well rounded and they get along really well. So I am just looking forward to seeing them on the court, and the better they get along off the court, the better they are going to perform on the court.”

Michelle was a staple at FanJams for years as a Pacemate, so does she miss being on the squad, giving autgraphs and performing? “I was just thinking about that when I was standing against this wall,” laughs Michelle. “I was just thinking, ‘You know, I kind of like being back here, so I don’t have to be ready and everything.’ But it’s hard, it’s where I was for a long time. I like this part of being a leader and motivating the girls, and getting them involved in the community. So, I had my time, and am ready to do my other parts.”

Michelle’s time directing the Pacers included becoming a mom to her daughter 20 months ago, which creates new challenges to balance mommy-hood and running the Pacemates. “Oh, it’s hard,” laughs Michelle, “but it makes it easier when I love both sides of my roles. I like being a mom and I like doing this.”

Michelle says her daughter is showing her first dancing skills. “She is starting to,” reports Michelle, “she shakes her behind. She is going to be a little performer, she is a drama queen. So is her mom, and her dad,” laughs Michelle.

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When Nashville pro sports fans noticed the dancer/cheerleader rosters for this season’s fall sports, there was a bit of sad news, followed by some GREAT news! First the sad, this season’s NHL Nashville Predator Ice Girls did not include Molly, who had been skating for the Preds since 1999 (reaction=’Awwwww’). But fans’ heads spun at the speed of a death spiral when seeing Molly was now a rookie member of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders. What?! Molly, who has had an international career as a figure skater, traded in her blades for some boots? Molly shared with UltimateCheerleaders how this big switch happened, adding a new phase to a career that has taken her all over the world, including being a professional skater paired with a celebrity in the UK TV competition show, Skating on Ice, and being a character in a Wii game.

So much has happened to Molly, it is hard to know where to start. Reality shows, singing, picking catfish off of the ice for the Preds. So we better start at the beginning, during a time before Molly can even remember. Growing up in New Hampshire, Molly started playing on a hockey team with her brothers when she was three, so does she even remember NOT skating? “I really don’t remember not being able to skate,” replies Molly. “I feel as though I have been blessed gliding through life with graceful ease!”

Even Molly’s first hockey games showed her inclination to enjoy the spotlight and entertain the fans at rinkside. “I started out playing hockey at the tender age of three,” explains Molly. “My two older brothers played and the third kid was free, so my parents signed me up! We have an old VHS home video of all the kids on my team at one end of the ice, and little Molly in front of all the parents through the plexy glass posing and looking for attention. Thankfully, my parents recognized this and switched me over to figure skating around six/seven years old, where I then took Basic Skills classes, then on to private lessons and competing.”

It seems like world class figure skaters are so young, they must begin REALLY, REALLY young! Molly, what is the oldest someone can start lessons with a chance to be a world class skater like you? “You can start skating at any age, but chances are you’ll go further if you start young, because you will need time and experience to help you pass all the requirements needed for elite skating,” replies Molly.

Often skaters need to leave their hometowns to train away from their family, but in Molly’s case, her first time “away from home” actually made her less homesick. “At twelve years old, my father’s job transferred to the Hampton Roads, Virginia area,” describes Molly. “It was very sad and hard for me to leave friends and family in New Hampshire and head down south. My skating took a bit of a setback as well due lack of competitive skating in the area. My first summer after moving to Virginia (thirteen years old), I traveled back to my home rink in Acton, Massachusetts, to train with my coaches and skating friends, while living with my grandparents in Hollis, New Hampshire. It’s hard to say I was homesick being so busy training on the ice, as well as being with my friends and family for whom I was more homesick for while in Virginia, and knowing it was just for the summer.”

For a young person, committing to skating requires a lot of tough choices at a very young age, and these decisions eventually brought Molly to Nashville. After Molly’s training in Massachusetts, “Throughout the year competing, I had made new friends a little closer to home, so the following summer I trained at the University of Delaware (fourteen years old),” describes Molly. “Deciding which path my skating would need to take was very difficult at that age. My freshman year in Virginia was fun cheerleading on my school’s JV squad and playing indoor soccer, although my skating was suffering. I knew for my dream, I had to do something extreme! The following year I heard about an opportunity to audition for pair skating in Nashville. I went to a tryout during spring break with a boy named Bert Cording. The tryout went fabulous so, I decided to head to Nashville at fifteen. We had a great summer of training and we came along way in such a short time. Our future looked bright! As fall came around, I started tenth grade in Nashville. Soon after, having no family around, I was homesick. My mother moved (to Nashville) knowing that when I graduated from high school, she would go back to Virginia. During that time we housed other skaters who were living away from home.”

Though initially homesick in Nashville, Molly experienced the hospitiality that would someday make Molly embrace Nashville are her own hometown. “Nashvillians are AMAZING…I love calling it home,” comments Molly. “It’s a Mini L.A. or Nash’Vegas as I like to call it! I don’t know what it is about this place, but people are so warm and inviting. They will take their shirt off their backs for anyone. I think it’s the South in general. Being a Yankee and all, I really see the difference when I’m home in New England. The first summer I trained here, I was welcomed with open arms by my coaches, Olympian Bill Fauver, his wife Laura Sanders, and their daughter Christine, as well as all the skaters of the Nashville Figure Skating Club. They all took me under their wings.”

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When Stacey became a member of the Carolina Panthers’ TopCats dance team, bloggers and her hometown newspaper pointed out that she had achieved the “Charlotte Trifecta,” cheering for all three of Charlotte’s professional teams: the Checkmates, who dance for minor league hockey’s Charlotte Checkers, then the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats’ Lady Cats, and then the TopCats. That doesn’t even count her first team, dancing for the ABA’s Carolina Thunder. Stacey was the first to achieve the “Charlotte Trifecta,” (observant reader Bill comments below that TopCat rookie Kristy also hit the same trifecta this season) but she also may be the only person to pull off a national feat, the “All-Star Double.” Stacey was selected to represent the Lady Cats at the 2007 NBA All-Star game in Vegas and represented the TopCats in last seasons’ Pro Bowl in Hawaii. I have a feeling no one, man or woman, has represented their teams at both the NBA and NFL all-star games, so Stacey’s feat may be truly unique. Stacey shared with UltimateCheerleaders her path from growing up in a town with one traffic light to a pro dance career that took her to the uncountable lights of Vegas and the brightest NFL stars in Hawaii.

Stacey was born in a large city, but was soon in her small home town. “I was born in Atlanta but my family moved back to West Virgina when I was one,” explains Stacey. “My entire family is from West Virgina. I grew up in a one stop light town called Chapmanville. Seriously, one stop light! Cheerleading, dance, school, and going to my brother’s ball games was my life. It is so far away from my life now, but I look back on that time with the greatest memories.”

For someone who has danced at hockey, basketball, and football games, Stacey’s childhood centered on the other of the “Big Four” sports. “My fondest memories of childhood are from the baseball field,” recalls Stacey. “My town is big into baseball so much of my childhood was at the diamond. My brother played so I was the team’s little sister, concession stand worker, team bracelet maker, and loudest fan for years. I loved every minute of it!”

Stacey’s young life was filled with family, fun, and games. “Being from a small town, family is extremely important,” Stacey relates. “My Sundays growing up were at my grandmother’s house for Sunday dinner. Other family events revolved around some type of game, whether it be croquet, volleyball, Guesstures, Taboo, Uno, or Scrabble. Being together was always number one.”

And of course, dance was a big part of Stacey’s life from early on. “I remember from the time I could make my body move I would dance, cheer, or tumble,” Stacey remembers. “I drove my brother crazy most of the time, and sometimes he would just give up and start dancing too. Mostly because he had no choice. I would stand in front of the TV and perform for my family. Which means no one ever got to watch TV and the poor carpet had a whole in it from my dancing obsession. Needless to say I wasn’t much of a shy kid! I would break into dance whenever and wherever there was an opportunity. Local restaurants, grocery stores, the beach, wherever.”

Cheerleading was in Stacey’s genes, with Stacey’s mom as head cheerleading coach at Chapmanville Regional High School. Stacey’s mom is her role model and supporter on many levels. “My mom was the greatest parent in the world,” Stacey says. “She made sure I had the support and all of the outlets I needed to feed my passion. She was my cheer coach for years, traveled 30 minutes one way three times a week for dance and gymnastics lessons, and gave me the encouragement I needed to chase my dreams. She still comes to most of my games all of these years later and she is hours away.”

“I eventually had to grow up and fly the nest,” Stacey says, who attended Morehead State University in Kentucky. “I received my degree in Exercise Physiology and cheered on an amazing team. After college I attended Marshall University’s Master’s program in Huntington, West Virginia, and received a Master’s of Business. While there, I had the wonderful opportunity to coach the dance team. It was such a great experience.”
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Tennessee Titans Cheerleader Brooke has had quite a season! She started the season finding out that she was calendar cover girl for the Titans Cheerleaders swimsuit calendar, and now she is going to Hawaii as the Pro Bowl representative! Brooke and her dance studio (which is quite a bit north of Nashville in Kentucky) were recently featured on Titans Online.

Stacie Kinder, the Titans Director of Cheerleading, is utterly delighted that Brooke will have the honor of being part of the Pro Bowl festivities. “I am so thrilled for Brooke to represent the Titans in this season’s Pro Bowl, Stacie says. “Brooke is talented, beautiful, and dedicated to the Titans Cheerleaders. It’s her sixth season on the team and she drives over an hour from Kentucky, where she owns a dance studio, for every practice. She’s become the face of Titans Cheerleading over the years, and we couldn’t be sending a more deserving woman to Hawaii.”

Congratulations Brooke! Aloha!

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Jumping full force into the Nashville music scene with their debut single, “Drive,” Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders Bri, Clair, and Jessi comprise the female country group, Danger Love Saint. Though they came together to form the group over the past couple of years, Danger Love Saint is the culmination of each of their individual, lifelong passions for music and entertainment. In Part 1 of their interview with UltimateCheerleaders, Jessi discussed her path as it merged with her talented friends Bri and Clair to create Danger Love Saint (DLS). With the support and mentoring of Titans Cheerleader Director Stacie Kinder, DLS is making the most of a unique opportunity. As they take the stage to be both a hot, new Nashville act while also being the Titans Cheerleaders performance group, in Part 2, Bri, Clair, and Jessi share with us their musical influences, their songwriting style, what it is like to sing at halftime during a Titans game, and Bri compares/contrasts her Titans experience with performing on another NFL team, the Charger Girls.

Bri, Clair, and Jessi are all third-year Titans Cheerleaders, and the idea of forming a musical group started right after their rookie season. Immediately they noticed that they had a unique sound when they first began harmonizing. They realized that, although their voices as individuals are quite unique to one another, collectively, they just plain worked. After DLS recorded their first demo, “Quarterback Crush” (which was heard in the opening credits of Jessi’s World of Jenks episode), they were all in shock as to how amazing they sounded as a group. That was the moment they knew they had something very special.

Bri is originally from the West Coast, growing up in Keizer, Oregon. Her musical talents budded early, as Bri recalls, “I started playing the piano at age three and picked up the guitar shortly after.” Dancing began for Bri even earlier, saying, “As soon as I could walk! My mother owned a Jazzercize studio, and that was my daycare: leotards, tights, and leg warmers. I never stopped moving to or loving music. My family is very musical. I have an aunt that is the former musical director for Western Oregon University. Between her tutelage and my love for playing instruments, winding up in Nashville was destiny.” Besides receiving the gift of musical talent, Bri also treasures her family’s support of her endeavors, saying, “My family has been so supportive of my dreams and the path that I have chosen.”

Clair is originally from Clinton, Mississippi, and began singing and dancing at the age of three. Clair spent her youth in the musical theatre circuit of Mississippi, with credits that include Grease, Newsies, and West Side Story. She later toured all over the country in the elite Mississippi show choir, Attache. Clair is a graduate of Ole Miss with a degree in Marketing. Since moving to Nashville, Clair was chosen to grace the cover of the Titans Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar.

As described in Part 1, originally from Cocoa Beach, Florida, Jessi grew up studying music and dance. Jessi’s voluminous list of credits include Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance as a finalist, starring in Glorianna’s new video, “Wanna Take You Home,” and being featured on MTV’s World of Jenks, in addition to being a dancer with Christina Aguilera and Omarion, and on awards shows like BET and, recently with Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton, the Country Music Awards in Nashville. Jessi’s training as a performer includes the Broadway Dance Center in New York and The Edge and Millennium Dance Complex in Los Angeles.

As you can see, with lives stretching from coast to coast, from Oregon to the Atlantic coast of Florida, three young women were on separate musical journeys that would eventually converge in Music City. Now with their own first recording released, hey Danger Love Saint, what was your first ever album as young music fanatics? For Clair, it was Shania Twain, “The Woman in Me.” Jessi’s first album was by another musical trio of three women expressing three emotional states, TLC’s “CrazySexyCool.” Bri’s first album was for all of the right reasons someone gets their first album. It was Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby,” as Bri remembers, “It was a birthday present, I liked his hair!”

Bri’s started out performing in Oregon, but soon was seeing the world. “Highlights for me as a musician have been traveling to Iraq, Kuwait and Qatar entertaining my heroes, the United State Military,” says Bri. “I come from a military family and am an active member of The Sweethearts for Soldiers. As a dancer I have performed at live shows and music videos including Trace Adkins, The European Sensation: Plan B, Brad Paisley, and John Rich. I will be traveling to Kuwait once again in December with The Sweethearts for a Christmas Tour to entertain the very last Americans to leave Iraq.”

Being a Titans Cheerleader is not the first time that Bri has performed on the NFL sidelines. Prior to Nashville, life brought her to southern California, and Bri was a San Diego Charger Girl. “I was a Charger Girl for two years,” shares Bri. “I always wanted to be a professional cheerleader, so when I moved to San Diego to attend San Diego State University, I worked very hard to prepare for the Charger Girl Auditions.”

Bri graduated from San Diego State University, with a degree in Communications and minor in Dance. When Nashville was her next destination, returning to the NFL sidelines was also part of this latest stage of Bri’s life. “It was a blessing for me to move to another great city that had a NFL team, when I moved to Nashville,” Bri explains. “I traveled to the south to explore songwriting and becoming a country singer. It just worked out that one week after I moved here, the 2009 Titans Cheerleading auditions were beginning. I knew that trying out for another team would be a fun way to make friends, get plugged in to the community, and continue performing for my favorite sport.”

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If TopCat Courtney didn’t have such quick footwork, she may have become the least popular girl on campus. And changed Super Bowl and NFL history as we know it, at that. One day, back during Courtney’s freshman year at Ole Miss, before she was one of the captains for the dance team that cheers on the Carolina Panthers, she was driving around campus. As Courtney explains, “I was driving around the square (this is where all the restaurants, bars, and shops are located in Oxford, MS) in my Wrangler, blasting music, and window shopping from the car. Probably not the best idea at the time. As I was admiring an amazing dress in one of the windows, perfect to wear to an Ole Miss football game, I noticed three shadows in my peripheral vision. As I turned my head forward, I had to screech to an immediate halt. There were three guys walking right in front of me across the crosswalk. As I began to realize what had happened, and thank my brakes for stopping, I recognized one of them. It was Eli Manning. He gave me a look like, ‘really?’ Wow, imagine if I hadn’t stopped; I probably would have been kicked out of school.” Plus Courtney, beware of Patriots fans asking you if you are interested in time travel, trying to re-do the ending of “Ms. Courtney’s Wild Ride.”

But Courtney’s reactions and her brakes made everything fine, and Eli continued to star for Ole Miss and on into the NFL. Courtney would be a refreshing subject for her own reality TV show compared to the yelling, screaming, and short marriages that we have been subject to recently. Courtney is fun, “Rebel”-lious in her own way, believes in Magic (Disney-style), and is planning her wedding, including a trip to Atlanta’s “Bridals by Lori,” the location for “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta.” Courtney shared with UltimateCheerleaders the reality of her journey to the sidelines of Bank of America Field, via Atlanta, Ole Miss, Italy, and the magical WDW.

Courtney’s life began actually just a bit southwest of Charlotte. “I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia,” explains Courtney. “My dad and his family have been in Atlanta since, well, forever, and my mom’s family is actually from Charlotte. I have so many childhood memories, but being able to go skiing out in Park City, Utah, every year with my family has to be one of my favorites. It has been almost like a tradition for us. We look forward to it every year and it has almost become a second home. We have our favorite restaurants and shops. We have a ton of inside jokes about different things that have happened, and amazing pictures that remind us how lucky we are to be such a close family.”

Dance was always a big part of Courtney’s life, and performances during the holiday season created some of her best memories. “I was the biggest ham ever in front of the camera!” remembers Courtney. “I was never shy and always wanted to be in the spotlight. I remember every weekend; I would get my brother and sister together on a Saturday morning. We would go up to my sister’s room, because it was the biggest, and I would choreograph performances that we would later perform for my parents. Costumes and all! We would have them videotape the whole thing so we could watch it back over and over. I was not the kid who would go to the community pool on the weekends. I was the kid who would dance. I had my start with the Tolbert Yilmaz School of Dance. We had recitals every year and competed in countless dance competitions. I have such fond memories of performing the Nutcracker right around Christmas time. I was a Candy Cane about 20 times. Throughout Elementary and Middle school, my teacher Ms. Aimee really inspired me! She was such an amazing jazz dancer. I remember saying to myself, ‘I want to dance like her someday.’ Later on in high school, I became a little more serious about ballet and joined the Metropolitan Ballet Theater as a pre-professional dancer. I learned amazing technique from this school.”

After high school, Courtney was a bit of a “Rebel” in her college choice. “I lived in Atlanta until I was eighteen and then moved to Oxford, Mississippi to attend Ole Miss,” Courtney says. “My entire family lives and breathes the Georgia Bulldogs. My grandparents even give an athletic scholarship there, but I decided to be a REBEL, literally. I knew I wanted to get out on my own and gain some independence. My grandmother told me about the campus at Ole Miss and how she thought that it would be a perfect fit for me. I remember the day I set foot on that campus. The Grove, the Square, the Greek Life, I knew this was it for me: I was going to be an Ole Miss Rebel! I would not change one thing about my college experience. Ole Miss is such a magical school built by southern tradition, charm, and deep roots! I totally bleed red, white and blue. I was a member of Pi Beta Phi and I met some of my closest friends through that organization.

During Courtney’s time at Ole Miss, she started on her way to dancing in front of huge football loving crowds. “I was fortunate enough to audition and be chosen to be a part of the Ole Miss Rebelette Dance Team during the reign of Eli Manning,” Courtney explains. “I will never forget my sophomore year. It was the Ole Miss versus LSU game, and we were playing for the Western Division title. The whole game was so emotional. It was neck and neck the whole way through, and we were dancing our hearts out the whole time, praying for a victory. ‘Can we do this? Can we actually control the West and go on to the SEC Championship?’ That question was answered in the fourth quarter. We missed a field goal to lose the game. My passion for football got the best of me and tears just started streaming down my face. At the end of the game, whether we win or lose, the Rebelettes link arm in arm and sway back and forth to our school song. Of course, a photographer decides to snap a picture of me bawling my eyes out and it ends up in the Memphis paper. Classic. Even though we didn’t win that game, we did go on to play in the Cotton Bowl. This passion I developed for football and the experience performing in front of 70,000 fans in Cowboy Stadium that year really gave me a taste of the NFL and prepped me for what was to come.”

But before Courtney hit the sidelines for the TopCats, she had some dreams to live out. First, some travel, as Courtney says, “I majored in Hospitality Management and was lucky enough to attend the Apicious Culinary School in Florence, Italy, to further my education.”

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In our interviews witth TopCats Captains Cynthia, Myra, and Courtney (the above post), it is obvious that a recent addition to the TopCats has created an instant connection and meaningful impression on all of the TopCats, if not the entire Carolina Panthers organization.

Richelle Grant, the TopCats coordinator/choreographer expresses the sentiment of the entire squad, saying, “Recently, the TopCats, Tina Becker, and myself granted a wish for a little girl named Isabella. Isabella is a Make-a-Wish child who is suffering from brain cancer. Her wish was to be a TopCat, and thankfully, we were able to make that happen! It was an amazing day (the Panthers-Titans game) and Isabella has truly touched our lives in so many ways! We will continue to keep in touch with her because she’ll always be our honorary TopCat…she even has her own locker in our locker room!”

Click on this link to see Isabella’s photo gallery from her game.

Also, click on this link for Isabella’s website, so that you can read some background information about her story.

If you are looking for some “Drive,” look no further than Danger Love Saint. Three third-year Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders, Bri, Clair, and Jessi, formed Danger Love Saint, their Nashville based trio, and they have the drive to put their heart and soul into their musical venture, the drive to have maximal fun during this adventure, and “Drive” is also the title of their recently released debut single. Bri, Clair, and Jessi have a collective sum total of coolness that is way, way too much for a single feature story, so today, the focus is on Jessi, who is no stranger the spotlight, on stage or otherwise. Jessi was featured in the MTV documentary series, World of Jenks (check out the episode clicking here) which, though definitely her own story, also shows many common dimensions of the reality of the pro cheerleader experience. Jessi also has an impressive dance resume, including being a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, amidst scores of other credits. Jessi shared with UltimateCheerleaders how World of Jenks came about, how her time with the Pussycat Dolls started the wheels turning to form Danger Love Saint, how a dance job brought her through the Panama Canal, how to spot an excellent dancer, and how Jessi’s sister turns a traditional Christmas song into comedy gold.

Jessi grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and soon enough was showing the traits that would eventually lead to Danger Love Saint; Jessi loves to put on a show. “When I was four years old, I used to make my whole family come into the living room, and I would put on shows on our fireplace, it was my stage,” recalls Jessi. “I would make my sister sell tickets for the show. I would go to my mom’s closet, and make costumes out of all of her clothes, tie my dad’s ties around as a belt. I was doing that at four years old and I never really stopped. I still love to design costumes, do hair and makeup, choreograph, and perform. It’s just not dancing; I love the whole creative aspect of trying to entertain people.”

Jessi started dance classes when she was young, and although her parents were willing to broaden her activities, it always came back to dance. Jessi remembers, “My parents tried to put me into other things, like Girl Scouts, tee-ball, swimming, and tennis, and I was always saying, ‘Can I just take ballet? I just want to take ballet class.’”

Singing also became one of Jessi’s passions. “I started singing in fourth grade in chorus, and just loved it, loved it,” Jessi says. “I tried out for all-state and all-county, and was in all those kind of choirs. I was in a site reading choir. And I always have a private voice coach, and I was a music major in college. I was always much better naturally at dancing, but I just loved studying music. I played the violin for about five years, and I played viola. I was the orchestra/choir geek all through school. I cheered one year in high school, but definitely more the drama, band, orchestra geeky kid.”

After winning a noted state dance high school competition in Florida, Jessi was chosen to go to New York to the Broadway Dance Center scholarship program and Marymount Manhattan College. But after her first year, September 11th occurred, and Jessi’s family persuaded her to move back home from New York.

Coming home from NYC, Jessi danced on a cruise ship for a year, and was able to see a big chunk of the globe. “I was really lucky,” Jessi says. “I did a world itinerary, so I was able to see Australia, New Zealand, maybe a dozen different countries in Asia, all of the South Pacific islands, San Francisco, Alaska. I went through the Panama Canal, Central America, South America. So I looked at it as a cool opportunity.”

Dancing on the cruise line also showed Jessi a broader scope of performing. “I was only 19,” Jessi explains. “I walked in thinking, I love pop, top 40s, hip hop, all this stuff, and I was way out of my element. They said, ‘You need to calm down, because this is Music Man, Le Mis, and Annie Get Your Gun.’ I was really out of my element, but I loved it.”

Post-cruise year, Jessi returned to the US and majored in music. “Then just kind of on a whim, I auditioned for this show called Wade Robson Project that was on MTV for one season,” Jessi says. “It was for dancers, and I got that and it shot in LA, so I moved out to LA for the summer to shoot that show, and then ended up staying for six more years.”

During that time in Los Angeles, Jessi built up a substantial resume of dance accomplishments, such that if they all were listed, it would break the record for the world’s longest run-on sentence. Besides being one of the finalists on the third season of the So You Think You Can Dance, Jessi has also danced for Christina Aguilera and the Pussycat Dolls Burlesque Revue. Jessi’s connection to the Pussycat Dolls was a key experience that eventually led her to create Danger Love Saint. “I did that for two years, it was the last big job I did in LA,” Jessi recalls about the Pussycat Dolls. “They had a subgroup in Vegas, and then they had the top group, and then they created a new subgroup in LA, and we performed at the Viper Room. And also whenever the top group was requested at certain appearances and they couldn’t, we were the group that went instead. Robin Antin created the Pussycat Dolls, and it was her idea to have groups of Pussycat Dolls everywhere, like a club in New York, a club in Miami, one in Vegas, one in LA, and we were the first group she started.”

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Even cheerleaders need cheerleaders. For Myra of the TopCats, the dance squad that cheers on the Carolina Panthers, her parents are her own personal cheerleaders. Not only have they been amazingly supportive, but Myra’s parents have a wide variety of interests, including ballroom dancing. Not only does Myra dance, but she is a lifelong artist and currently a graphic designer. Myra is one of the TopCat Captains this season, but she also was a four-year member of the NBA’s Washington Wizards dance team prior to her move to Charlotte. UltimateCheerleaders learned Myra’s path in art, dance, and design, and how her parents, culture, and ice skating brought her to NFL and NBA sidelines, even performing for the most “VI” VIP in the USA.

Being part of pro cheer and dance for two pro leagues started innocuously enough for Myra, during a conversation catching up with friends. “I was actually sitting around two girls I danced with in high school,” explains Myra. “We had all graduated from college were just catching up, and my friend said, ‘I heard on the radio they were having auditions for the Wizards; do it.’ My response was ‘CHA, right. No, I won’t make that. That’s not gonna happen.’ A week later, I went to a prep class and fell in love. I walked in thinking, ‘I have no idea why I’m here,’ to, ‘I belong nowhere else BUT here.’”

Of her time dancing for the Wizards, Myra recalls, “My favorite memories would have to be the awesome friends I made there, from my fellow dancers, to the people I was able to meet, and…dancing for Obama! That was the game of a lifetime.”

Myra lived in Arlington with her best girlfriends until 2010, but a change was in store, as Myra explains, “Then I moved to Charlotte with my wonderful boyfriend.”

Myra’s days with the Wizards ended, but not her love of dance. “I knew that even after the NBA, I did not want to stop dancing,” Myra says. “Whether it was find a company to perform for (which I had made one in DC, then sadly had to decline because of the move), or try out for the NFL somewhere, I knew the poms weren’t hung up yet.”

Plus, finding a new dance outlet also filled in other pieces of life when Myra moved to a new city. “Moving to a new town was different and a bit of an adjustment, to say the least,” recalls Myra. “Being part of a professional dance team adds so much to my life. Being new, it gave me an instant family, which was incredibly important. I loved and still love having pride in my city and being able to say that I help bring something big or small to a big organization such as the Panthers. The opportunities and people you get to meet have no limit.”

In her NFL career, what are Myra’s most memorable moments? Myra replies, “My favorite memories are all encompassing! From auditions my rookie year, to the TopCat Retreat, which is where I think a lot of our bonding begins. There is no feeling like the first time your boot hits that field though. It is like no other rush hearing the roar of the fans and feeling the energy ricocheting in the stadium. One of my favorite memories is performing our TopCat intros (both this and last year). Getting to hear your name over the speakers in the Bank of America Stadium is a little unreal. As a TopCat legend, Laura Ruble, told me ‘There is no feeling like standing in the end zone, heart racing, knuckles white from gripping your poms, and then the music comes on.’ The entire experience is like nothing else.”

“This season has been incredibly exciting!” describes Myra about the buzz of new QB Cam Newton. “I think you hold your rookie year close to your heart, and there is no one and nothing that can replace that, but this year has been awesome as well! The excitement on the field has been so high-charged, it’s amazing. I was just telling my best friend who came in to town to watch her first Panthers game, you sort of forget how big of a deal things can be when you are down there, because you are so focused on getting all the moves right. But if you think about looking down onto the field, it’s a little astounding. This season Cam has brought an energy to the stadium that has made our jobs more exciting!”

In addition to the excitement being generated by the Panthers, Myra also stepped into the role of TopCat Captain. “Being asked to be a Captain was beyond thrilling, and an honor I did not think was in the realm of my TopCat career.”

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TopCat Captain Cynthia reigns supreme on the sidelines during Carolina Panthers games, and in fact, she shares some important interests with a certain queen of days gone by. The growing metropolis of Charlotte, North Carolina, is named for Queen Charlotte, wife of British King George III, who knew all about tea parties back during the American Revolution. Queen Charlotte, when she was not dealing with King George’s madness, founded orphanages and a hospital for expectant mothers, and emphasized importance of the education of women. In her own 21st century life, Cynthia is finishing graduate school, but her commitment to education will not end there, as she is on her way to being a teacher of the sciences. Plus, Cynthia’s devotion to causes that are part of the TopCat’s mission covers many charities. Cynthia even helped make a deserving little girl’s dream come true to be a TopCat for a day. Cynthia is certainly using the powers of her position for good. All hail Cynthia! In her third season on the TopCats, Cynthia shares her experiences, from shy girl to student teacher, and everything else along the way, with UltimateCheerleaders.com.

Born in Maryland, Cynthia’s parents knew they could not improve upon their first born. “I was born at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland,” explains Cynthia. “As a young toddler, I lived in Baltimore, but spent most of my childhood growing in Laurel, Maryland. I am an only child. My parents like to tease me by saying that they ‘stopped at perfection.’”

Asked about best recollections during her early years, Cynthia recalls, “My favorite childhood memories are those that I spent with my grandparents and family. My Gommy taught me how to cook, sew and be crafty, and my PopPop taught me his southern charm which has come in handy now that I live in the South. Because I was only child, I used to love family get-togethers and playing with my cousins.”

Dancing opened up a world of expression and friendships for Cynthia, as she was not an extroverted child. “I started dancing at a young age, around three, like most little girls do,” Cynthia shares. “But as soon as I started I fell in love. The older I became, the more I wanted to dance and perform. My Mom tried to get me to try sports but I knew dancing was my true passion. I was definitely VERY shy as a child. I wouldn’t even speak to my aunt until I was five or six years old. But on stage was the one place where I did not feel shy. And as grew older, performing and being on stage helped me come out of my shell so now I can perform in front of 73,000 with no problem. I met Arthur Mitchell and Debbie Mitchell as a child when I was a part of the Dance Theater of Harlem. I was in awe of these two amazing artists and they helped me strive to become a better dancer. Dancing was also a great social outlet for me and I have met many of my closest friends through dance.”

Asked if she has any memories of her first public dance performance ever, Cynthia responds, “This is a toughie, it was so long ago. I believe my first performance was a dance recital. I was one of those precious little girls in a tutu and a big bow in my hair and lip-syncing to the song. I remember practicing all the time for that recital, and I still remember some of the moves and words of the song. ‘Oh yes I am a beautiful baby, I really am a wonderful child. Before I even started, to go to kindergarten, I drove all the little boys wild!’” This early performance was the start of what would grow to bigger and bigger venues, as Cynthia explains, “Being on the stage with the lights and the costumes was a little scary at first, but I remember having so much fun dancing that eventually you forget all about the people watching you. Now I live to perform for people, and seeing smiles on the fans’ faces and enjoying our routines is what makes my heart smile at each game.”

But Cynthia is not just using artistic talents, as she pursues science as her field of study, and soon will be teaching science to others. After high school, Cynthia moved from Maryland to Rock Hill, South Carolina to attend college. “I am in my last year of graduate school at Winthrop University studying secondary education,” as Cynthia throws in a ‘woo hoo!’ that her own school days are winding down. “I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a minor in Biology, also from Winthrop University. I will be doing my student teaching in the spring and I once I graduate, I will be certified to teach in South Carolina. I am hoping to get a job in a great school district where I can teach either Biology or Chemistry. I want to share my passion of science with students and inspire them to strive for success.”

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