Former Carolina TopCat Eiesha is now a proud Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader. She is continuing her dream after formerly dancing with the NFL Carolina Panthers in 2005, 2010, 2011, and 2012 (Captain).
Eiesha graduated with a BA in Psychology from Norfolk State University, obtained a Masters in Human Resource Management from DeVry Keller Graduate School, and is currently completing her PhD in Management from Walden University in just a few months (May 2016).
She married a Captain in the United States Army in May 2015 and moved to Columbus, Georgia. She was crowned only 1 month after marriage as Mrs. Georgia America 2014-2015, competing in the Mrs. America pageant August 2014. She is the Owner and director of MADE Today, Inc. in Charlotte, NC and travels as a motivational speaker to many youth groups, organizations, colleges and universities.
[Eiesha at AtlatnaFalcons.com]
Hey there Colts Nation! I am Rookie Colts Cheerleader, Sammy!
From Colts.com
Hey there Colts Nation! I am Rookie Colts Cheerleader, Sammy! Wow is all I have to say. If I would have been told when I was younger that I would be an NFL Cheerleader, I never would have believed it. Now, with it being my very first season, I still can’t believe what an incredible opportunity and blessing this is. One of the very first things I had to do once making the team was get my passport to go to the beautiful Riviera Maya, Mexico to shoot the 2015-2016 Swimsuit Calendar. Let me first say that I’ve never been out of the country before, let alone to do a photoshoot on a beach in Cancun for a Swimsuit Calendar! It doesn’t stop there. I was then blessed with the crazy experience of going to Honduras over the 4th of July with a few of my teammates and met some wonderful troops who are stationed down there. But, one of my favorite experiences this far was spending my 21st birthday cheering on our Colts during the Patriots game on October 18th. Best. Birthday. Ever!
Words will never be able to express how grateful I am for this crazy life, but THANK YOU! Thank you Colts Nation for being the best fans in the NFL. Thank you Colts for allowing me to be a part of this incredible organization. Thank you to my teammates for being the most encouraging and inspirational women in my life. And thank you to my mommy, for being my biggest cheerleader!
At what age did you start participating in pageants and what inspired you to start doing them?
I’m kind of a newbie to this whole pageant thing! As a young girl I would watch the Miss America Pageant on television each year and aspired to be on that stage one day. Once I graduated high school, I decided to make that childhood dream a reality. Little did I know how much work actually goes into competing in a Miss America local pageant. There are 5 areas of competition which include on-stage question, lifestyle and fitness in swimsuit, evening wear, talent, and the infamous ten minute interview with the judges where they can ask you anything from “Who’s your greatest inspiration?” to “What actions should the United States be taking to end the savage threats ISIS holds over our country?” The hard work all pays off in the end when I walked away from Miss Indiana with 35 new girl friends, a whole new, absolutely wonderful support family, and scholarship money to help further my education. I look forward to making it back to Miss Indiana in 2016 in hopes of representing Indiana on the Miss America stage!
As a Colts Cheer rookie, what is something you’ve had to adapt to now being a professional NFL Cheerleader?
You know, growing up I was actually a ballet dancer. I went to my dance classes Mondays thru Thursdays from 4-9pm and Saturdays from 10-4pm. Ballet was my life. I was trained to be angelic and graceful. Now, I’m sure we all know that being an NFL Cheerleader is the total opposite! One of the biggest things I’ve had to adapt to is the style we portray in our dances as cheerleaders. I’ve had to really concentrate on how to be sharp and big versus the flowy movement I’ve been used to as a ballet dancer. It’s been a huge change, but it’s also been so much fun doing a style of dance I’ve never really done before!
You suffered from a broken back last year. How long did it take you to overcome this injury and start dancing again?
It’s so crazy to me that it’s been a year and a half since then! To those of you who don’t know the story, I was in a car wreck on the interstate with a semi, and let’s just say my little Honda didn’t stand a chance. I broke my back. After being in the hospital for a few days, on bedrest for two weeks, in a back-brace for six months, and not being able to dance or exercise for 9 months, I was anxious to get back in the studio to see what my body would be able to do. To no surprise, I couldn’t do much of anything without pain. This is when I learned “hope trumps discouragement.” I had hope that the struggle would get easier, and it did! Exactly one year after my accident, my name was called as an Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader. Do I still struggle with back pain? Everyday. Does it still hurt to dance? Every time. Does it make me want to give up? Never. Because my love for dance and my love for this squad is so much greater than any pain I may encounter.
What is one thing you want to obtain from this football season?
I’m sure our players would say they want a Super Bowl win, but as a cheerleader, I want to obtain as many connections with as many people as possible. I want to make our incredible Colts fans feel loved and cherished. I want to make our Colts staff feel important and appreciated. And I want to make my fellow Colts Cheer sisters feel like the most amazing women on this planet! Being an NFL Cheerleader isn’t something that comes along every day, so I want to make the most of my time as one.
Your all-time favorite movie is…
There’s a 3-way tie between Cinderella, Tangled, and The Little Mermaid! I will never grow out of my Disney Princess phase…ever.
2011 Pro Bowl Saintsation Deri’Andra
Get to know a little more about DBC veteran, Emily G.
From DenverBroncos.com
This is your third season as a Denver Broncos Cheerleader, what keeps you coming back?
There are a few things that keep me coming back every season, firstly, my teammates. I get to share every home game with 25 of my best friends and there’s no better deal than that. I’ve lived in Denver my whole life and it’s truly an honor and a dream come true to be able to represent the Broncos on the field during game days.
What did you want to be when you were younger?I was tomboy so I really wanted to be in the military or to be a police officer. I wanted to do anything the boys could do and I wanted to do it better. During recess I always wanted to be the one who did the most pushups or the most sit-ups. I wanted to be anything that showed that I could do what the boys could do.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Definitely watching cartoons. I love Saturday morning cartoons—that and a bowl of Cap’n Crunch is a good Saturday morning for me.
What three items would you take with you on a deserted island?Music, a friend and unlimited breakfast burritos.
If you were a Broncos football player, what position would you play?Running back. My favorite player is Terrell Davis and growing up I always wanted to be him. In fact I thought, until I was about 12 years old, that I would be a running back in the NFL when I got older.
What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving
What is your favorite Disney character?Cinderella
Tell me something you can’t live without?
Music
What is your go-to music genre?
Hip-hop
What is your favorite vacation spot?Mexico
What is your favorite dance style?
Tap
What actress would play you in your life story?Me—I’m a great actress. If I have to pick a famous actress then I’d say Amy Schumer because she’s funny.
The 1978 Los Angeles Rams cheer squad didn’t just stand on the sidelines
By Joshua Neuman
LAMAG.com
At the Boathouse on the Bay restaurant in Long Beach, just three miles south of where the Los Angeles Rams once held practice, more than 50 of the team’s former cheerleaders gathered last Sunday to celebrate the 1978 squad—Los Angeles’ first professional cheerleaders. One of them, Janet Cournoyer, had lent her daughter Janelle Liebl, 25, her old outfit for the occasion. “She’s the exact age I was when I wore it, and it fits perfectly,” she beamed.
“Everything is coming full circle with all this talk about the Rams coming back,” said David Mirisch, the man behind the gathering and the establishment of the group of cheerleaders he named the Embraceable Ewes. “It was a good time for a reunion.”
The Ewes were the Laker Girls before there were Laker Girls, but the restaurant’s Sunday afternoon regulars went back and forth between NFL games being televised behind the bar—less interested in NFL past than present. They neither recognized the women hugging each other like long lost relatives nor the impact those women collectively had upon the city of Los Angeles, the sports world, and American popular culture.
“Some of us actually cheered for the Lakers,” said Kristi Wheeler, a member of the original ’78 squad. “The Lakers didn’t have cheerleaders yet, so some of us went over there and cheered in the gold and the blue. I think the Lakers wanted to test it out.” Jerry Buss green-lit the formation of the Laker Girls months later.
The rest of the article and more photos here.
A member of the NY Jets Flight Crew in the rain
By Jeneé Osterheldt
Kansas City Star
It was halftime, and pink and white balloons floated above Arrowhead Stadium, filling the sky with hope.
Regardless of who we were rooting for at this Chiefs game a couple of Sundays ago, we were all clapping for the same cause: breast cancer survivors. The cheerleaders, in their special pink gear, did a routine honoring them. Brandy Reed knows every dip, pop and step of this October tradition. But this year, she did not perform.
The former Chiefs cheerleader was on the field as a survivor. It had only been a month since her last chemotherapy treatment.
“I cried,” she says later, sitting on the floor with her year-old son in their Northland home. “I know the moves. I’ve performed them in honor of my grandmother, my aunt, my mother. But this year it was an awakening to be on the other side.”
This time of year, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we point to the statistics: More then 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But despite her family history, Brandy didn’t think she’d be here. Not at 31.
“My mom has been cancer-free for nine years,” Brandy says. “I was in college when she was diagnosed. I was nervous and scared and young. I was focused on her being healthy because my dad passed from lung cancer when I was 15. I didn’t want to lose another parent. I know it sounds naive, but I didn’t think about how it would affect my health. If anything, I thought maybe it’s a chance when I’m older. But not now, not as a healthy and vibrant new mom. I thought I was invincible.”
Through it all, not only have her husband, her mother and other relatives stood by her side, but her cheer sisters as well. They are pros at rooting for their team. And they defy every catty, dumb-girl image.
“I love what the girls stand for,” Brandy says. “Intelligence, hard work, balance, fitness, education. We are not a stereotype. We have careers off the field. And we have camaraderie. Those women molded me into the woman I am today.”
Brandy Reed, on her cheer sisters
Outside of my actual family, the girls were my rocks. They came to sit with me at chemo, they sent texts, they cried with with me.
Brandy joined the team in 2010 and cheered for three seasons.
“I cheered in high school. I danced in college. When I moved here after I graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, I didn’t have any friends or family. I’m from St. Louis. But I loved dancing so I went out to join the Chiefs cheerleaders. I auditioned twice before I finally made it. On my third try, I made the team and lifelong friends.”
A couple of seasons ago, she took some time off the field to focus on her wedding. And when she was ready to go back in uniform, she found out she was pregnant. Her new strategy: After the birth of her baby boy she would gear up for a comeback.
Her goal to once again rock Arrowhead was halted in January.
When their son Jaxson was 4 months old, she returned to her job as a life scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency. While pumping milk in the lactation room of her Lenexa office, she noticed something. A lump.
She thought it was nothing — maybe something related to breast feeding. But she went to see her doctor anyway. Because of her family history, she was sent to a specialist. A biopsy found the cyst to be benign. But there was something on her right breast. An ultrasound confirmed she was stage zero DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ). Abnormal cells in the lining of the milk duct. Non-invasive cancer.
“In that situation, it was the best possible news,” Brandy says. “I thought they were going to tell me I was dying.”
The answer, in her case: a bilateral mastectomy. She would have her breasts removed in March. Her cheer sisters wore pink on surgery day and posted pictures to support her.
“I wasn’t scared,” she says. “The hardest part was knowing I couldn’t lift my son for eight weeks. But we defined the problem, we found a solution and I was ready to get to the finish line if it meant helping increase the chances of seeing my son graduate from college one day.”
It wasn’t that simple. Post-surgery, results showed a small tumor just outside of her milk ducts. The cancer had metastasized. She was now stage one. The new move: chemotherapy.
“I was more scared of chemo than I was of the surgery,” she says. “But I made a promise to my husband. I told him I would never give up, and I needed to honor my husband. And I had a wonderful childhood and have an awesome relationship with my mother. I knew I needed to be here for my son.”
In April, she began weekly chemo treatments. To help protect her chances of future pregnancy, she was given medication that temporarily sent her into menopause. The process was grueling.
Her husband, Jarron Reed, says it was a lesson in faith and perseverance.
“She kept it strong and balanced, and it inspired me,” he says. “I know she is going to continue to fight, and God has everything under control. It wasn’t a challenge. It made me a better husband. I knew I was going to do whatever I could do to be there for my family.”
Her football family rallied behind her, too.
“Outside of my actual family, the girls were my rocks,” she says. “They came to sit with me at chemo, they sent texts, they cried with with me. Every week on treatment day I heard from them. And they made sure my birthday was special when I didn’t want to celebrate.”
But she reminded herself to enjoy every moment.
“I took so many pictures and went out and saw friends and spent time with my husband,” she says. “I wanted to make as many memories as possible and have pictures with Jaxson. No one is promised tomorrow. I don’t want to live with those regrets.”
And at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in September, days after her final chemo treatment and just as she was celebrating her son’s first birthday, the cheerleaders were there in full support. Brandy, her husband and their baby walked the 5K. Friends, family and cheerleaders roared with support as she crossed the finish line at Worlds of Fun. I handed her a rose.
But it’s not always pink balloons and smiling in the face of adversity. Yes, she’s cancer-free and thankful. But it’s been a hard year. She went through menopause. Even now, she has hot flashes. So much so that when she turns on the fan, her 1-year-old asks, “Hot?”
For the next 10 years, she will be on Tamoxifen to help prevent the recurrence of breast cancer. Anxiety comes with every headache, pain and pinch. It’s impossible to watch TV without seeing a cancer treatment commercial. She sometimes wonders, “Is it back?”
But she doesn’t let it keep her down for long. A lesson she learned as a Chiefs cheerleader always helps her stand up again.
“We learned that there are two things you can do in life,” Brandy says. “You can turn negatives into a positive or you can go up in flames. My director used to ask us, ‘If there is a picture of a sunset and there is trash in the background, are you going to look at the beautiful sun or the trash? You look at the sun.’
“I’ve been on a mental battle. I fight it every day. It’s not easy to stay positive, to not think about the worst possible scenario. But it’s not about my plan. It’s God’s plan. And you work hard to stay positive. When you know better, you do better.”
Stephanie Judah, the Chiefs’ cheerleaders director, is the woman who taught Brandy that mantra she holds so dearly.
“Brandy has always been known for her vivacious personality and her giant smile,” Stephanie says. “Everything she did on her team, it was with her huge heart shining through, and her impact touched people everywhere she went. Watching her go through her battle, what had to be the hardest thing she ever went through, with grace and spirit and her huge smile — it’s amazing.
“Even though she’s told me she didn’t feel like herself, to us she never lost the spirit of who she is. And I think that is a big part of being a survivor, never giving up that battle with all of your heart and soul. She is a special one.”
Next spring Brandy will participate in Bra Couture KC (formerly known as Art Bra KC) as the Chiefs representative to raise breast cancer awareness.
“She was a great model on the field, and as an alum and survivor, she is still a great role model,” Stephanie says. “She has brought a whole new meaning to who we strive to be. It’s been an eye-opener for my current cheerleaders. Breast cancer hits at all ages, not just older people and not even just women.”
For Brandy, it’s about encouraging people to be vigilant about their health.
“I’m still the old Brandy. But I am forever changed. And it’s important to share my story. It’s important to raise awareness for people who are like me, who might think they are invincible. It’s important to teach young girls to do self-checks, to get follow-up exams when they think something is wrong. It’s therapeutic to talk about it. It allows me to face it.”
For inspiration, she looks to Robin Roberts, the “Good Morning America” co-anchor who beat breast cancer.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about it,” Brandy says. “But Robin Roberts says that day will come. I look forward to it.”
Pom-poms in the air for Brandy.
Once a professional cheerleader-cum-dancer, American TNA wrestling star Tanea Brooks says she’s smitten by Hindi film music
Wrestling was never a career option for American Tanea Brooks until Total Nonstop Action (TNA) “just happened’ for the American cheerleader-cum-dancer in May last year.
A former cheerleader with American National Football League team Dallas Cowboys for a decade and a half, Rebel, who hails from Owasso, Oklahoma, has been a professional dancer too following which she participated in full-contact football in Lingerie Bowl. However, the fact that some of her family members were wrestlers and she too cheered for a wrestling team in high school, probably drew her to the sport, she said.
“When I was in high school, I cheered for wrestling and football teams. It is then that I became more exposed to the world of professional wrestling and football. I was a cheerleader for 15 years before I got into TNA.
My cheerleading skills especially the jumps and stunts helped me a lot in wrestling,” said Rebel during a visit to the mid-day office yesterday alongwith fellow TNA wrestlers Ethan Carter III and Mahabali Shera. Sony Six and TNA yesterday launched a second search for India’s next big wrestling star to partner Shera on the TNA roster.
Professional wrestlers are prone to injuries and serious dislocations, but Rebel said she never feared losing her pretty features. “I’ve never been scared of injuries since I am a country girl. I take pride in it. It gives me the confidence to go out there and be a better player than my opponents,” added the 37-year-old, who appeared on the cover of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders’ swimsuit calendar at 18.
‘Diet, exercise is key’
Rebel credited a carefully watched diet and meticulously planned fitness regime for her success. “I follow a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Every two to three hours I consume 25-30 grams of protein in various forms like shakes or chicken. There is no off-season in wrestling so taking care of our bodies is an integral part of our lives.
Since I have a dance background, I also include a lot of dance routines to stay fit. I’m very keen to learn Bollywood dance,” said Rebel, who is admittedly smitten by the Bollywood bug but more importantly, is a huge fan of actor Priyanka Chopra.
“I watched Tanu Weds Manu on the flight here and simply loved the lead actor Kangana (Ranaut). The film was so funny. I’ve also watched the American drama series Quantico (starring Priyanka) and I think Priyanka’s done a fab job,” said Rebel, who is now looking forward to some saree and jewellery shopping on her maiden visit to the country.
Dancers from all over the tri-state area turned out for the Philadelphia Soulmates Audition Workshop to get the inside scoop from the Soulmates on the tryout process.
Veteran Soulmates demonstrate what NOT to wear at auditions.
The Soulmates Auditions are Saturday, November 7th at the Wells Fargo Center. Full details are here.
By David Wilcox
AuburnPub.com
Emily Schwarting was sitting with her parents in their Elbridge home one Sunday morning this summer, waiting for a phone call.
Schwarting had graduated from Mercyhurst University in May. But when that phone call came, her father said, she was a teenage girl all over again.
“She just couldn’t sit still,” said her father, David. “All excited and shaking.”
The call came from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who told Schwarting that she had been selected to join the NBA team’s Cavalier Girls dance squad. Out of 130 women who took part in the weeklong audition, she was one of 20 who made the cut.
“I put my whole heart into wanting to be on this team,” Schwarting said in a Thursday phone interview. “It’s one of the best phone calls I’ve ever received.”
A lifetime of dance led Schwarting to the high-profile spot. She began her craft at the Center of Ballet and Dance Arts in Syracuse when she was 5, under the instruction of Deborah Boughton. Every day after school, Schwarting said, she’d be in the car by 5 p.m. for a few hours of instruction in pointe, ballet, tap and other styles. She saw herself following in the graceful footsteps of her cousin, Broadway performer Bradley Benjamin, of Skaneateles.
Going to school at Jordan-Elbridge, Schwarting would also cheerlead in middle school and play lacrosse. By the time she was in 10th grade, though, dance was all Emily had time for, David said.
“That was her love and her passion,” he said. “If she had a dance class Friday night, she wouldn’t go to the football game or the school dance.”
As Schwarting transitioned from Jordan-Elbridge to Mercyhurst in 2011, that passion withstood a pair of setbacks. The first was her Syracuse dance school’s closure in the spring of her senior year. Instead of staging their grand finale in an auditorium, Schwarting and her fellow dancers gave a hastily scheduled one at the school, David said.
The second setback came at Mercyhurst, where Schwarting landed badly after a jump, spraining her ACL and MCL and tearing her medial meniscus. She wasn’t sure she’d ever dance again, she said.
“I looked at the people around me and saw how many of them have fought through injury,” she said. “So I trained hard to get back to where I was, and it made me a better, stronger, smarter dancer.”
After Schwarting came back, she made a contact through the Mercyhurst dance program that’d set her Cavalier Girls gig in motion: Holly Anderson, coach of the dance team for NBA Development League team the Erie BayHawks. Until 2011, the team was affiliated with the Cavaliers.
Schwarting danced with the team from 2013 to 2015, adding commercial styles like hip-hop and jazz to her repertoire of concert styles. When Schwarting graduated from Mercyhurst, Anderson made her former dancer aware of the opportunity with the 2015 NBA Finalists.
“She was the one who pushed me to go further in that style,” Schwarting said. “And I had kept going west. So I thought, why not try Cleveland, Ohio?”
So far, since making the squad, Schwarting has performed with the Cavaliers for a few preseason games ahead of their Oct. 29 home opener. (The Cavalier Girls don’t travel with the team.)
Ever committed to getting better, Schwarting splits her time between the Cavalier Girls and the Dancing Wheels Company & School, which teaches the art to people with disabilities. She balances that continued practice of concert dance with prioritizing entertainment on the Quicken Loans Arena court.
“The big thing is having a smile on your face,” she said.
Schwarting hasn’t had the opportunity to meet Cavaliers star and the team’s all-time leading scorer, LeBron James, as the NBA has a no-fraternization policy, she said. However, she’s already received a warm welcome from the team’s fans at preseason games and other public appearances, she said.
“It makes you feel like you’re a mini-superstar,” she said.
“I had a father at a game the other day and he came up to me and said, ‘I’m only here because my daughter wants to watch you perform. Thanks for giving her that inspiration,'” she continued. “It takes you a step back to realize that it’s not just about basketball.”
