Charger Girl Angela
This past Thursday, the Chargers organization celebrated their 25th annual Salute to the Military with special pregame and halftime ceremonies honoring local servicemen and servicewomen. And this year, the Charger Girls wore special military themed uniforms to help celebrate the occasion, a first for the venerable cheerleading squad. Now if only the Chargers could have put up a better effort against the visiting San Francisco 49ers, the event would have been complete. But alas, it was not meant to be as the 49ers crushed the Chargers in convincing fashion, 41 – 6. Not even a special halftime performance by rock band Madison Rising could help raise the spirits of disappointed Chargers fans.
But the Charger Girls could and they looked amazing in their special game day uniforms.
As is custom for these game day reports, let’s begin with the Line Captains in their military themed uniforms: Ariel (Army), Kara (Marine Corps), Katelyn (Navy), and Natalie (Air Force).
This week’s Charger Girl of the Day is a rookie that caught my eye. With a flirty personality and All-American good looks, this week’s Charger Girl of the Day is rookie Shelbi.
Shelbi was recently voted one of the 100 hottest NFL cheerleaders by the Bleacher Report.
Every time I visit Phoenix, it seems to be hot…blazing hot…hotter than the sun, hot. And this time, it was no exception. In fact, it was the hottest time ever for me…118 degrees as I rolled into town. But as hot as it was outside, it was even hotter inside the Phoenix Convention Center where the Suns were holding their annual dancer auditions. Hot temperatures. Hot girls. Hot dancing. I could not think of a better way to spend a hot Saturday afternoon than sharing some quality time with the future Phoenix Suns Dancers.
This past Saturday, the Phoenix Suns held auditions for their dance team and I was fortunate to be in attendance to cover all the hot action. It was a long day of dance and beginning at 8:00 am, girls began lining up at the registration table for a chance to make the 2013 Phoenix Suns Dancers.
The auditions weren’t scheduled to formally begin until 9:00 am, but the early arrivals took the opportunity to relax a bit and start stretching.
The Ontario Fury is the newest franchise in the PASL (Professional Arena Soccer League) and will play their home games in the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. The management group of the Anaheim Bolts decided to swap ownership from Anaheim to the Ontario area, a move that will bring them to a more favorable soccer market and a newer and larger arena.
This past Sunday, they held auditions for their inaugural dance team and the event drew a spirited group of young women.
I had a chance to talk to Lynae de Leon, the Ontario Fury Dance Team Director, before the auditions began and she shared with me the new uniform designs for the dance team. Lynae worked closely with Laura Reed, her account representative at The Line Up, to design a sexy and stylish uniform that is sure to please the fans. And let me say that I was a big, big fan of the Anaheim Bolts Dance Team uniforms, but these new red, black and white uniforms are going to attract a lot of attention and I can’t wait to shoot the girls in them.
Now that the uniform designs were decided, the only thing else that needed to be done was select the girls that were going to wear them.
Auditions for the 2013-14 Suns Dancers will be held on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Downtown Phoenix Convention Center.
- Time: 8 AM – 6 PM
- Location: Downtown Phoenix Convention Center
142 E. Washington Street (3rd Street & Jefferson), Phoenix, AZ, 85004
What to Expect
The audition will begin with dancers learning two sideline routines. All performers will then learn the audition routine. Dancers will perform the routine in small groups for the judges. At first cut will then be made. Successful dancers will then perform the routine again, as well as freestyle for the judges. A second cut will be made at the end of the day. Dancers advancing to the second round will be asked to return on Sunday, Aug. 18.
What to Wear
Required Attire: Half top of any style, form fitting shorts or skirt, and shoes with non-marking soles. Legs must be visible; no pants. Nylons and tights are not required, but are acceptable. Hair and make-up should be sophisticated and glamorous; You are encouraged to bring touch-up make-up and hair products. Visible tattoos should be covered with durable make-up, and body piercings should be removed.
Headshot and resume, water, snacks, touch-up make-up, hair products, mirror and towel. (Click here to download application form.)
Requirements
All dancers must be 18 years of age by Aug. 17, 2013, and have a high school diploma or GED. Being a Suns Dancers is a year-round commitment, so you must have a flexible schedule and be able to attend all home games, practices and various community appearances.
Additional Information
For additional information, please contact Taryn Carmichael, the Suns Dancers Manager at: tcarmichael@suns.com
The Rantings of an Obsessed NFL Fan
Another season of NFL football is here with the arrival of week one of the preseason. This is usually where I rant about the absurdity of the NFL charging full price for some crappy football or I complain about being hassled by the security staff aggressively enforcing some new ridiculous NFL policy regarding what a fan can or can not bring in. And if you have read my prior articles, preseason football has not been kind to me of late. I guess the stadium management has to get into mid season form just like the players do and they must use preseason games to train their new minimum wage earning staff. This year the NFL instituted a new clear plastic bag rule, which I was all set to complain about, but the Chargers sent us complimentary bags and they were okay for bringing in the usual stuff…you know all the miscellaneous photographic equipment that I need to get some great photos of the Charger Girls.
Well, so far so good with the new bag policy, but I am a little concerned about the NFL’s continued insistence on instituting meaningless policies designed to create a safer environment at a game. If they were serious about improving public safety at these events, they would banish the sale of alcoholic beverages. And anyone who’s been to a game can tell you that there is a greater chance of having your day ruined by a drunk fan than anything else. That’s the real public safety issue, right there.
Oh well. Let’s get on to the game coverage.
On Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks flew into town to play the San Diego Chargers. This being the second week of training camp, you could expect that the football being played was both mediocre and meaningless, and it was. The Chargers first string played the Seahawks first team even, but the boys in blue lost the game when Seattle’s second teamers thoroughly out classed the Bolts bench warmers.
Final Score: Seattle SeaChickens – 31 Energy-less Chargers – 10.
Oh well, all was not lost. This is preseason for me too and I was trying out some new photographic equipment. As you can imagine, a night game is quite a challenge to shoot, particularly from the seating area. The lighting is terrible. Just another reason why preseason is…sucky.
But there is some redeeming value to going to a preseason game in San Diego. Namely, the Charger Girls who looked resplendent in their classic uniforms.
It’s a new season and this is our first chance to check out the 2013 Charger Girls. So as is custom, let us begin with a look at the Captains: Ariel, Kara, Katelyn and Natalie.
Time: Registration begins at 9 am. Auditions begin promptly at 9:30 am.
What to expect: When you arrive, proceed to the registration area for check-in. There will be one area for pre-registered applicants and one area for walk-up applicants. PLEASE BE PREPARED TO SHOW YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE! Upon registration, you will be given an audition number.
Dancers will be taught a stylized jazz/hip-hop combination. There will be 2 cuts prior to choosing our finalists. Finalists will be selected based on their dance ability, showmanship, physical fitness, and crowd appeal.
All participants who advance as finalists will be asked to perform 6 eight counts of their own choreography highlighting strengths and specialties, (music will be provided), in addition to a group interview.
What to wear: 2-piece attire (crop top and briefs) and flesh colored hosiery are mandatory. Jazz, dance or athletic shoes (non-marking soles) are also mandatory. All tattoos must be covered up.
Hair and make-up are expected to be game night ready! Hair must be worn down.
What to bring: (Suggestions) Water, snacks, extra nylons, warm-up/sweat suit, make-up, hair spray, mirror, towel.
Requirements: All women must be at least 18 years of age by October 31, 2013. Applicants under the age of 18 at the time of auditions must have a parent or guardian sign the waiver form.
All dancers must have flexible evening schedules for rehearsals, games, and appearances starting immediately. Total commitment is required to the Ontario Pro Soccer Team and Ontario Pro Soccer Dance Team.
To ensure a professional and relaxed atmosphere for all participants, the auditions will be closed. No guests or spectators allowed.
We conclude our coverage of the 2013 P-R-O Convention by highlighting one of the many amazing cheerleaders in attendance. The Houston Texans Cheerleaders brought the largest contingent of cheerleaders to P-R-O and they had many spectacular cheerleaders that left a lasting impression. And one of those was Kayla, who celebrated her birthday during the convention weekend. So without further ado, our final 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star, Kayla.
Well that’s all for this year from P-R-O. I hope you enjoyed our coverage. Over thirty girls were featured in these articles and they were just a small sampling of the amazing cheerleaders that made their way to Atlanta. If you are professional cheerleader, this is the event to attend. P-R-O is a spectacular weekend of dance and team bonding. And yes, you get to meet some wonderful people, some who rise to become a P-R-O Convention All Star.
In our next featurette highlighting the most memorable cheerleaders from the 2013 P-R-O Convention, we focus our attention to 2nd year Baltimore Ravens Cheerleader Brandi. A graduate of Oklahoma State University, Brandi won national championships in dance and cheerleading. And now, she joins the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens. Introducing Brandi our next 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
They say good things come in small packages and if that is true, then our next honoree is a very good thing. A rookie for the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens, Tanya was gracious enough to pose for a few photos. And like the rest of her squad, she looked great in her purple uniform. Introducing Tanya, our next 2013 P-R-O Convention All Star.
