Palm trees, sunshine, and 80 degrees on one side of a door; cold temperatures, ice, and flying pucks on the other. Such contrasts are evident at the BankAtlantic Center for Florida Panthers games. Arriving fans passed by swaying palms on their way to the March 19th Panthers-Islanders game, only to enter doors into a chilled arena with a frozen surface ready for NHL action. But interesting contrasts didn’t end there. Take Jacqueline of the Panthers Ice Dancers. Jacqueline has some interesting contrasts in her own life.

These include Jacqueline’s passion for both arts and science, specifically dance and biology, both big parts of her life. Also, Jacqueline’s heritage is half Venezuelan and half Bolivian. Not only are there obvious differences between Venezuela (hot, equatorial, miles of coastline and beaches, not so spicy food, and baseball loving) and Bolivia (land locked, mountainous with “three mile high” La Paz, cooler, a bit spicier food, and fans of soccer), but if each country had a collective personality, Venezuela would be outgoing, energetic, and pageant loving, whereas Bolivia would be more laid back, relaxed, and focused on natural beauty.

Upon meeting Jacqueline, one begins to notice that she has taken the best parts of all of these interesting dimensions. As she greeted fans outside the BankAtlantic Center, she was outgoing and friendly, but with a charming graciousness and easy smile that that sums up all the best traits of all of her family lines.

Cheering and dancing for the Miami-area Panthers, who play their home games in Sunrise, Florida, Jacqueline was born and raised in Miami. Dance has been a big aspect of her artistic side since a young age. Jacqueline relates, “I started dancing when I was five years old. I started out dancing ballet and jazz at a dance studio in Miami Lakes. It was then that my love and passion for dancing began. I was on the dance team throughout middle and high school. I love everything about it, from the long hard practices and training to the crazy chaos that goes on backstage on performance days. There’s something about being on stage and performing that makes me so happy.” And this is obvious once the music starts, and Jacqueline transforms as her dancing side energetically takes over.

But there is a scientific side to Jacqueline also, as she is a full-time student majoring in biology, with a goal of becoming a pharmacist. As part of her preparation, she works part-time at a pharmacy. Again, her enthusiasm about this side of her life also triggers a passionate response, as Jacqueline describes, “I love my job as a pharmacy technician. I enjoy being able to helping others feel better. I have worked in the pharmacy for almost four years, and I learn something new every day I work. What excites me about being a pharmacist is the knowledge in knowing how effective medication can be, how it works, and much more. When the pharmacist recommends or counsels a patient, I always listen and try to learn and catch up on what they say to the patient.”

How can we spread enthusiasm about science to young kids? Jacqueline replies, “I think science should be approached to kids in a fun and positive way. Kids see it as such a difficult challenging subject, and it sure is, but it can also be very interesting!”

As far as her ancestry, Jacqueline says, “My background being Venezuelan-Bolivian is quite a contrast; my friends call me a mutt!” So with these national contrasts, let’s see where Jacqueline leans. Does she prefer beaches or mountains? Jacqueline says, “I am a beach girl.” Spicy food or something milder? “I enjoy spicy food but have to be in the mood for it,” replies Jacqueline. Baseball or soccer? Jacqueline says, “I love watching all sports, especially HOCKEY!”

Jacqueline values her connection to both sides of her family, saying, “I have a really big family on both sides. I enjoy the warmness of being around family and the culture when I go visit. In Bolivia, my family owns property in the country called ‘El Beni,’ and we all take a family trip every three years to the farm, and go horseback riding, fishing, and hunting. It is so different from here, and it is so good sometimes to get away from the daily routine and spend time outdoors, bonding with family. Venezuela has beautiful beaches and great food! My family from Venezuela lives in Caracas, but I enjoy going to the beautiful beach in Maracaibo.”

This is Jacqueline’s second season as a Panthers Ice Dancer. Jacqueline’s Ice Dancer journey started when, “A friend of mine went to a Panthers game and saw the Ice Dancers, and suggested I audition. I will never forget the day of final auditions when they announced my name. I was so happy I cried!”

Besides work and school, practice and personal workouts also are part of the schedule, as Jacqueline explains, “We usually have dance or ice practice two to three times a week. My workout regimen consists of doing thirty minutes of cardio on the treadmill or the elliptical, and also thirty minutes of circuit weight training. I also enjoy taking spinning and hot yoga classes!”

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Recently, we reported on pro cheer/dance designers Satin Stitches new Breast Cancer Awareness styles and fundraiser.  The styles were first shown at the Fashion Show held last month at the NFL Cheerleader Directors Convention in Miami. Two photographers were there from the Miami Dolphins to shoot the fashion show, and Deborah Nelson of Satin Stitches provided photos of some of the styles that were shown to the attendees, as modeled by a dozen of the Dolphins Cheerleaders.

I think this event should hit the airwaves (or whatever mode of television reception is applicable). Don’t you think broadcasting the fashion show is better than anything on NFL Network these days? Here are some pics plus some information about the fashion show and Satin Stitches.

The Fashion Show for the NFL Cheerleader Directors Convention was held on February 22, 2011 at the Miami Dolphins’ Sun Life Stadium, in their new LIV Club. The Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders hosted the event. Emily Newton (Dolphins’ Cheerleading Director) and her staff produced the show, complete with club music and twelve Dolphin Cheerleaders serving as models. With approximately twenty NFL Directors in attendance, each vendor at the convention, presented their latest styles.

Satin Stitches presented a variety of newly, custom-designed dance and cheerleading styles. As with any high-fashion show, fashions should tell the story of what a company is all about, showing simple and elaborate renditions of their new ideas.
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It takes a quite a bit of drive to become an NBA dancer. How much? About 41,000 miles. Last season, that is how many miles Shea of the Indiana Pacemates put on her new car, driving to and fro, cheering for the Indianapolis-based Pacers while still living in Ohio. See, Indianapolis is not exactly a couple miles from Ohio, so being a Pacemate from the Buckeye State not only meant extreme dedication, but miles and miles of, well, not exactly the most scenically scintillating drives one will ever encounter.

But her drive and dedication definitely paid off for both Shea and Indiana’s sports fans. As a rookie Pacemate, the broadcast journalism grad and PR grad student was also prominently visible as a Pacer game emcee, and this lead Shea to fill the same role for baseball’s Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Now in her second season as both a Pacemate and Indians emcee, Shea is like the Bo Jackson of game entertainment (could have said “the Michael Jordan,” but, sorry MJ, Shea is better in her baseball role than you were). How does a dancer from Ohio decide to try-out for the Pacemates, then become an NBA game host during her rookie season, which then turns into a baseball gig?  Shea shared with UltimateCheerleaders.com the steps in her journey, so far.

Shea is originally from Memphis, where she lived until she was 15. Memphis provided a foundation for Shea’s love of both dance and basketball. Shea recalls, “My parents started me in dance class at the age of three. Every Saturday morning I would take tap, jazz, and ballet, followed with a Happy Meal from McDonald’s and some time in the play area. I remember my mom and dad asking me after practice every week where I wanted to go, and it never failed, the answer was always McDonald’s. I was never a fan of ballet, too serious and boring for me, but I loved tap and the noise I could make with my feet. I love dance. Everywhere we went, and I do mean EVERYWHERE, I would practice the steps I learned that week. My mom’s favorite phrase to say to me in the grocery store, while getting me dressed, or in the mall, was always, ‘Shea, there is a time and a place.’ She eventually gave up and just let me practice.”

Of her first dance performances in Memphis, Shea remembers, “The one thing that stands out to me the most about any performance I have ever had, is my mom yelling, “SHAKE IT SHEA!” at the top of her lungs. I have to come to expect it and I giggle a little when I hear it.”

Dance has become such a love for Shea that she has a dream of opening a free dance studio for underprivileged children who maintain good grades. What does Shea think dance adds uniquely to young lives that can lead to future success? “Dance to me gave me something that no one could ever take away,” Shea responds, “There is this rush that happens every time I step out on that stage, field, or court. It’s the desire to learn the next routine or next step, and perfect it, and then throw a little of my ‘flava’ onto it. I think the number one thing kids are told when they are younger is that they can be and do anything they want, and around age 12, it’s like we stop telling them that and to think more ‘realistically’ and that everyone can’t be the next Oprah, Kobe Bryant or Tom Cruise. Dance is the only sport that one can be anything they want. It’s a world of make-believe through performance that can transform a child to be the next James Brown, Usher, Debbie Allen or Michael Jackson. To give that to a child, and watch them grow through dance and love every minute of it is something immeasurable.”

Memphis also provided Shea a fanaticism for hoops. Shea says, “I love basketball. Memphis is such a basketball city (Shea interjects a ‘GO TIGERS!’). I played as a young child, but always seemed to stare over at the cheerleaders. Let’s just say dance and cheer is my better sport.”

So there is no taking the Memphis out of Shea and her family. Even her little brother’s beagle is named “Memphis” (after all, he ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog). When asked to fill in the blank, “What Indianapolis needs is ____ just like Memphis,” Shea immediately responds, “BARBEQUE! The North’s version of barbeque is everything that it is not. Neely’s and Interstate are the best places to get a taste of what real barbeque should taste like. I also hate when people refer to a ‘cookout’ as chicken and hamburgers. Chicken and hamburgers are a small piece of a cookout. A cookout in Memphis includes hamburgers, ribs, cole slaw, potato salad, smoked sausages, good music, and maybe some pig’s feet.” (insert Homer Simpson-ish drooling here)

But Shea’s Memphis life was uprooted when she learned her family was moving to Ohio when she was 15. Shea recounts, “I remember hearing the news like it was yesterday. A few months earlier I had just lost my granddad to cancer, and at the time was in a relationship that I thought would last ‘forever.’ I hated my dad, and couldn’t believe he would consider moving me from my family and friends. I left behind aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that I knew since I was little. The hardest times were the holidays. I was so used to getting dressed to go eat at my aunt’s house, or being able to visit them when I wanted to. It was hard to transition to another state knowing no one but the people I lived with.”

In addition to missing her Memphis extended family, the change was also compounded by a very different cultural atmosphere for Shea to adjust to. “To top it all off, I moved to a new state and was completely out of my comfort zone,” Shea explains, “Memphis is a diverse city. I had always attended schools that were 50/50 race-wise, and my new school was 95% white and 5% minority. I cried every day. I just didn’t feel comfortable. I remember my second day of school seeing the rebel flag on the outside of a boy’s planner. In Memphis, this was grounds for a fight, but I remember telling one of my black friends about the flag, and he had no clue why it was such a big deal. It wasn’t until after making the cheerleading squad my junior year that I started to open up and accept my new environment. If I could give advice to anyone who is new in a school it would be to be yourself and be open to change.”

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Satin Stitches, a maker of cheer/dance apparel for over 30 years recently unveiled their first line of Breast Cancer Awareness styles at the recent NFL Cheerleader Directors’ Convention in Miami. Deborah Nelson, Head Designer of Satin Stitches, reports that the styles’ debut drew raves from the Directors. Deborah reports, “They seemed to LOVE them. All vendors are required to give a ‘gift’ to each Director. For our Satin Stitches’ ‘gift,’ we offered one of the tops or bottoms, and they seemed really excited. Many mentioned that they have Christmas costumes, Patriotic costumes, Halloween costumes, et cetera, and thought it was a really good idea to have ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ costumes, as well. They loved the variety of styles that we presented.”

Besides providing garments that can be used to raise awareness of breast cancer, Satin Stitches is also using this opportunity as their own fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Satin Stitches will donate $2 for every garment that is sold, and additionally, $1 for every individual ribbon appliqué that is purchased separately, to this Foundation.

Deborah reports the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness is close to the hearts of the Minnesota-based Satin Stitches family, saying, “Besides being a Women’s issue, one of our dear Satin Stitches’ sewers died from this horrible disease, back in the infancy of our business. She was an enthusiastic fan of our local sports teams, and had two young children who have grown up, without their mother. Maryanne was such a sweetheart; I am privileged to have known her, albeit for way too short of a time.”

On the design side, are there challenges to designing pink garments that are flattering and work with all skin tones compared to other colors? Deborah says, “Hot Pink (which we chose rather than Pastel Pink) is a great ‘stage color,’ and works well ‘on stage’ with all skin tones. We paired the Hot Pink with black. Pastel Pink does not work on all skin tones, and can fade and blend with lighter/mid skin tones and you end up with a ‘washed out’ look, as with any pink, tan, peach, or yellow pastel.”

With all this talk of Pink, does Deborah have a favorite song by Pink? She replies, “I am more a fan of Purple; I’m from Minnesota, don’cha know! I have loved all of ‘the Purple one’ (Prince’s), songs since 1982. As for Pink, I really have enjoyed her renditions of the songs from the Bluesy (as long as we are talking colors, here!) Janis Joplin! Pink did a really good “Summertime,” as we are longingly looking forward to, here in Minnesota!”

Thanks Deborah for filling us in on Satin Stitches new line and fundraiser! So “Let’s Go Crazy, Let’s Get Nuts” supporting the cause of Breast Cancer Awareness and Research!

This week marks 25 years since the Bears cheerleaders, the Honey Bears, were last on the sidelines, for the Super Bowl victory against the Patriots on January 26, 1986. There are plenty of Bears fans that still have wonderful memories of the Honey Bears and want them back on the sidelines. Why do so many fans hold the memories of Honey Bears so dear? There are several peripheral reasons why the Honey Bears are so fondly remembered. One is that they appeared on the sidelines when the Bears were emerging from a period of hibernation (aka, they stunk during the pre-Honey Bear era), and memories of improving Bears teams with Honey Bears on the sidelines go hand in hand. In the eight years prior to having Honey Bears on the sidelines, the Bears were 35-76-1. Ugh! In 1977, the Honey Bears’ first on the sidelines, the Bears returned to the playoffs, and by the end of the nine year Honey Bear era, they won their only Super Bowl.

But the other overwhelming aspect of the Honey Bears was the quality of the squad. Part of it is numbers. No other US metropolitan area matches the size of the Chicago area and has a single NFL team. So, that means a lot of cheer/dance talent competed to make the Honey Bears squad. Back in those days, the larger metro areas of New York City had no NFL cheer squads, and LA often was split between two teams, so making the Honey Bears’ 32 spots was quite an achievement.

The lasting memories of the Honey Bears are captured by web site developer Dale, who maintains the wonderful chicagohoneybears.net. According to Dale, “The real cause is promoting the Chicago Honey Bears, what they meant to the City of Chicago, the Chicago Bears, and how can we bring them back.”

And during this week’s interviews with former Honey Bears Renee Halverson, Maribeth Duffy-Bolger, and Tena Casassa-O’Keefe, the photos from chicagohoneybears.net have added to the memories provided by their stories. Dale says, “I think we have by far the largest collection on Chicago Honey Bear stuff online. We have slowly been increasing the number of photographs we have online from the Chicago Honey Bears but are always looking for more photographs, stories, and videos. I have tried unsuccessfully to find the Chicago Honey Bears dancing or cheering to ‘Bear Down’ (the Bears theme song).”

In addition to photos and video, the background and stories about the Honey Bears compiled on chicagohoneybears.net cover a lot of interesting territory. I even saw a letter to the Chicago Tribune that one of my college professors wrote complaining about the lack of Honey Bears. I hold my school’s faculty in much higher esteem now!

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It was twenty-five years ago yesterday that the Chicago Bears won their first and only Super Bowl, and their cheerleaders, the Honey Bears, walked off the field for the last time. We have been so fortunate to learn about the experiences of two Honey Bear captains, in Part I, Renee Halverson, and in Part II, Maribeth Duffy-Bolger.

Today, in Part III, Honey Bear Tena Casassa-O’Keefe shares her experiences. Tena was on her second year on the Honey Bears during their final season when the Bears won it all. I so enjoy Tena’s telling of her Honey Bear time. So here it is, “I, Tena,” first person:

As a kid, we moved from the city to the suburbs, but I still considered myself a city girl. My parents had been die hard Bears fans from the old Bobby Douglass quarterback days! Even when I was little, I could remember the family screaming and cheering at the television during games.

I was a pompom girl in high school, LOVED to dance, but never really had any professional training. When I was in college at Northern Illinois University, I enrolled in the Miss Illinois/USA pageant. I remember calling my mom the first day of the four day competition and telling her how out of my league I was! These girls all had professional dance/acting/modeling backgrounds and I was this “708er” (based on the area code) as they used to call the suburban girls. While I was there, a couple of the girls were talking about trying out for the Honey Bears, and was I interested? REALLY?! Of course I was!

Again, what an overwhelming experience. It was the spring before the 1983 season. They held tryouts at the old McCormick Place Hotel. What they told us the first day was that of the 32 spots, 16 were held for “veteran/returning” dancers. I don’t know how many were there trying out, but I heard estimates of over 1,800 girls! It would be a series of cuts over I believe two different tryouts. I do remember looking at the veterans, and having a moment of “hero worship.” They were so glamorous! I was 21 at the time, but felt like an awkward 13 year old. I kept making cut after cut, and they were down to, I think, the last 100 girls, including the veterans. Sadly, as they made the last announcement, I was NOT on the final list.

Devastated, I spent the weekend not talking to anyone. Even though family and friends told me I had made it so far on my first try, it was not a comfort. I really was a true Bears fan and was really looking forward to being at Soldier Field. I went to work Monday morning, still in a fog. Sitting at my desk, I was contemplating how in the world I was going to tell everyone that I hadn’t made the squad, when the phone rang. “Hello, Tena? This is Cathy Core from the Chicago Honey Bears.” I was thinking to myself, did you call to rub it in again about how I didn’t make it? “I was calling to tell you one of my veterans is pregnant.” Again, it didn’t register right away, was she asking me to help plan a baby shower? “Your name was next on the list, and I wanted to know if you were still interested in being a Honey Bear?” UMMM, REALLY? I tried to keep calm on the phone, but after we hung up, I was hooting and hollering around the office! A second chance! At the time, I hadn’t realized what a true lesson in life that it really was: never give up and NEVER surrender! (laughs) I couldn’t wait to tell my mom, she sat on the floor in the hallway with me at McCormick Place that day, and she was the biggest Bear fan I knew at the time. I knew it would make my parents proud.

Tena during her second season

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It was twenty-five years ago today, and Sergeant Pepper did not tell the band to play. He told Bears fans to cry for joy because the Bears would win their first Super Bowl, but also to weep for the last game for the Bears cheerleaders, the Honey Bears. On 26th of January, 1986, after Super Bowl XX, the Bears walked off the field, carrying Coaches Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan on their shoulders, in celebration of their 46-10 win in New Orleans. But, walking behind the Bears off the SuperDome turf were the Honey Bears, leaving the field for the last time. The Bears had announced months prior that this would be the last season of Honey Bears, their ninth season of providing sidelines entertainment at Soldier Field.

In Part I, we learned about the experiences from pre-Super Bowl Honey Bear Captain, Renee Halverson. In Part II, to continue to celebrate Honey Bear memories, we are also thrilled to have the opportunity to interview one of the Honey Bear captains on the sidelines in New Orleans during that sole Bear Super Bowl victory. Maribeth Duffy-Bolger was in her third season as a Honey Bear in 1985-86, and one of four captains. Maribeth shares memories of the emotional highs and lows that occurred during Honey Bear try-outs, the time that Bears fans actually booed their beloved Honey Bears, how being at the Super Bowl doesn’t always mean you will actually SEE the game, and why it is good during a Sunday night lively Super Bowl celebration to have a Saturday Night Live alum around.

Maribeth is originally from the Chicago area, specifically Woodridge, and attended Downers Grove North High School. She spent three years during high school on a state champion drill team, which was a key for her future success with the Honey Bears. “That is where my high kicks, my splits, and my dancing came in,” recalls Maribeth, “We were so good, and we used to practice between four to six hours a day.” Maribeth went on to be a cheerleader at Benedictine University, a small Catholic university located in Lisle, a suburb of Chicago.

Maribeth first thought about trying out for the Honey Bears when she heard about try-outs on the radio one afternoon. Maribeth remembers, “I heard they were having tryouts and I thought, WHY NOT?! I never thought in a million years that I would ever make it. I didn’t even tell anybody except my mom and dad that I was trying out.”

“Tryouts were a very long process,” Maribeth relates, “First, they sent you an application, like a job application. You had to fill that out and send your picture in, with all your dance experience. Weeks later, I got a notice in the mail that I could try out, and I guess they received 5,000 applications. So that was the first sort of ‘cut,’ if you will. They gave you a time to show up, and you were interviewed and then you danced; you had to do splits and kicks and all that kind of stuff. In my group, they picked two out of eight. Then you came back two weeks later, and kind of the same thing. You tried out in a group at a certain time. I think that went on for about a month. You just kept going back, and getting interviewed, and dancing, and all kinds of stuff. They kept cutting people from there.”

According to Maribeth, “The very last day is a very long day, because there are about 100 people left, and then they bring in the squad from the year before, and then you had to try out against them as well. So there’s just a process of elimination the entire day. They just kept saying that they were going to have another elimination, so they would send us out into the hallway, and then they would call out a number, and if they called your number, you either stayed out in the hall or came back in. Finally, later in the afternoon, my coach (Cathy Core) said, ‘Okay, we need the following girls to come back in, because we are still not sure if we are going to choose you.’ They included me, and I went in there, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I’ve got to dance my heart out!’ She put on the music and we all danced and danced and danced. After that, then Cathy said, ‘I’ve made my decision, THIS is the new squad.’ Of course, all of us started screaming. It was amazing!”

New to the process, Maribeth did not realize that a veteran’s earlier reaction symbolized the mix of high and low emotions on such a competitive day. “Right before I was going through first tryouts, I called a girl from my hometown who was on the squad, and I said, ‘Hey, I am going to try out for Honey Bears, can you give me some pointers?’” Maribeth relates. “She said, ‘Oh yeah!’ and she told me everything I needed to know for every single tryout.” While Maribeth received the elating news of being chosen for her first squad, the veteran did not make the cut that same year. “I felt so bad because she made it to the very last minute, and then, remember when Cathy called us in, and said she was not really sure. When Cathy said, ‘Can you do the dance, so I can make my final decision?,’ they did not call her, and I just remember her starting to cry. I thought, ‘I wonder why she is crying?’ but she probably knew that she did not make it. I felt so bad because I felt like I took her spot, after she gave me all these pointers. They only picked about 15 new girls, they cut half the squad every year, and they only picked 15-16 new ones, so there are 15 of out 5,000 applications. It is not a very high amount.”

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Twenty-five years ago tomorrow, the Honey Bears, the cheerleaders for the Chicago Bears, cheered officially for the Bears the last time, for Super Bowl XX, January 26th, 1986. So it has been a while since the Honey Bears have cheered on the Soldier Field sidelines. But that does not stop the former Honey Bears from still getting together and cheering! For instance, Honey Bear Renee Halverson attended the Miss USA pageant last year with some of her squad mates to cheer on one of the contestants, who is the daughter of one of her Honey Bear sisters. But before we skip ahead to 2010, let’s go back to 1976.

Based on the success and popularity of squads like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, many NFL teams added cheerleaders to their sidelines that provided a more dance-based, glamorous look than college cheer teams. The Bears owner at that time, George Halas, one of the founders of the NFL, also wanted to add cheerleaders to Bears games. He put General Manager Jim Finks on the case, and a Finks’ friend recommended someone with experience with junior high cheerleaders, Cathy Core, who had recently re-located to Chicago from New Jersey. When the Bears GM called Cathy, she thought it was a joke and hung up. Later, friends interceded and eventually explained, bringing brought Core, Finks, and Halas together. Halas told Core, “As long as I’m alive, we will have dancing girls on the sidelines.” So in 1977, the Honey Bears debuted at Soldier Field, which was also a year that the Bears returned to the playoffs after 14 seasons away from the post-season.

The Honey Bears continued on, but Papa Bear Halas passed away in October 1983. His daughter, Virginia McCaskey gained control of the Bears, and tried to discontinue the Bears association with the Honey Bears. However, the Honey Bears continued to cheer on the Bears because they were under contract through 1985, which also was the only Super Bowl victory season for the Bears. Since Super Bowl XX, the Bears have not had cheerleaders.

In 1978, in their second year of existence, aspiring actress and professional dancer Renee Halverson made her first Honey Bears squad, the first of three seasons, eventually as one of the captains. Renee was on the sidelines when the Bears needed to win by 34 or more on the last game of the 1979 regular season, coupled with a Redskins loss, to make the playoffs, and the Honey Bears cheered them to a 42-6 victory on a bitterly cold December 16th as the Bears returned to the post-season.

Renee’s Honey Bear journey started a bit north of Chicago, “I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin called Dodgeville.” She began her training by, “Starting dance lessons at the age of four, and I was a cheerleader throughout high school. I am a diehard football fan. My father played football for the Wisconsin Badgers.” So the lines were connected for her interest in the Honey Bears, as Renee says, “I love to dance and cheer AND I loved football.”

Renee tried out in for the 1978 Honey Bears and made the squad on her first attempt, being one of 28 selected from a field of 1,500. Renee recalls her feelings at the Honey Bear auditions as, “Nervous but excited to being trying out. But didn’t think I would make the team.” Renee heard the good news of making the squad long distance, “My roommates in Evanston called me while I was on spring break in Florida. I was VERY surprised!” Most excited in her family, according to Renee, was, “My Dad, even though he was a Packer fan. My parents bought season tickets. They loved it!”

Remembering her first time on the field as a Honey Bear, Renee recalls, “So much excitement! It was a thrill to be cheering in Soldier Field.” During Renee’s three years of the squad, some of the more interesting moments on the field included, “Walter Payton ripped his pants and they brought him a towel to walk off the field. Also, one of the Honey Bears heel broke off her boot and she had to walk all the way to the locker room with a limp in front of the fans.” The Bears fans loved Renee and the other Honey Bears, even trying to collect some souvenirs, “A few tried to take strands from my pom poms.”

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Richelle Grant, Choreographer and Coordinator of Cheerleader Programs for the Carolina Panthers, has set the dates for the TopCats Off-Season Dance Classes. The classes will begin February 16th and they’re open for all of those interested in a good workout and/or learning to dance like the TopCats. Contact the Panthers office at the number below for registration information.

Hours before the crowds arrive on game night of November 10th, insight into the success of the Orlando Magic Dancers can be gained by watching their afternoon practice.  On this day, prior to the Magic Dancers’ practice, Manager Jeanine Klem-Thomas started the afternoon sessions with half an hour with her senior squad, the Silver Stars.  As expected, being only her third time with the Silver Stars to work on this particular routine, the thirty minutes included a lot of coaching by Jeanine to make sure all of the details were covered.  After the Silver Stars’ court time ended, it was time for the Magic Dancers half hour of rehearsal to begin.  The change in tempo, both literally and figuratively, was immediately apparent.  The Dancers seemed to magically transform from fourteen individuals stretching and casually talking on the sidelines during the Silver Stars practice, immediately into a single unit of motion once they hit center court.  As the Magic Dancers took the hardwood, they worked in a way that was efficient like a smoothly running engine.  Vocal instructions were minimal, and one had the sense that Jeanine, assistant Cherie LaRosa, and the fourteen Dancers acted with a single mind, so that the thirty minutes would be used for their maximum preparation with minimal stress.

The genesis of the collective personality of this talented squad stretches back to try-outs.  Over 150 candidates tried out for the Magic Dancers, and the high talent level was noted by rookies and veterans alike.  Rookie Lyndsay says auditions were “a lot harder than I expected,” to which veteran Krizia adds, “SO much talent.”

The motivation to try-out for the squad varies from family and friend connections, to being inspired by seeing a game.  Fourth-year veteran and Team Leader Tara said, “I went to my first Magic game with my now husband, he was my boyfriend then, and I saw the Dancers, and didn’t realize how intense and awesome the dancing was.  I had no idea! So I decided the next year that I would audition and try it out, became a big sports fan, and now I can’t stop doing it.”

Three-year veteran Ashley recalls knowing a Magic Dancer “that I previously danced with, and saw what she was doing, and saw her pictures, and I thought, ‘Wow, this is awesome, I want to be part of it.'”  In the circle of dance life, now Ashley’s photos are featured in Kia advertisements, so that she is prominently seen by Magic fans and young dancers alike.

For rookie Heather G, trying out to be part of the Magic Dancers is part of a real sisterhood, as she says, “My sister was on the team for three seasons, so it has kind of been in the family. So I wanted to follow her, and I LOVE basketball.”  Meanwhile, it was friends who were the connection for rookie Priya, who says, “I lived away for a year, and I wanted to audition. So when I had the chance to move back, I knew I wanted to do it.  I had a lot of friends on the team in previous years, so they just kept telling me how wonderful it was, and I thought, ‘I am definitely going to do it’!”

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