By Skylar Korby
Northern Virginia Magazine
Dubbed by CNBC.com as one of the Top 10 Best Cheerleading Squads in the NFL for 2013, the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders have a commitment to performance excellence that brings excitement to thousands of fans on and off the field. Aside from cheering on the team during the season, the First Ladies of Football are also known for showing support for our troops and honoring our veterans through various charity appearances and overseas tours.
Practices, appearances, games, worldwide travel–these ladies are busy! They couldn’t possibly have time to be behavioral neuroscientists, psychotherapists, Johns Hopkins University graduates or investment bankers, too, could they? Oh yes they could.
Auditions for the 2013-2014 season were a few weeks ago, and for the 38 new and returning members of the team, being a cheerleader is more like a fun, stress-relieving hobby that they participate in a few times a week. Many do it for the love of dance and a desire to find an outlet for their passion that they don’t necessarily find behind a desk.
Truly Gil, a second-year veteran of the team and a marketing specialist at Northern Virginia Magazine, moved to the area last year and wanted to get involved in the community. After spending three years as a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins, she knew she would find the camaraderie she was looking for with the Redskins cheerleaders. She was even more gratified by the chance to do a six-country tour to support our troops.
“It’s an honor to get to support the brave men and women who work so hard to protect our freedoms. Because of them, I get to do what I love on a daily basis, which is cheerleading,” Gil says.
Third-year veteran Maigan Torre is constantly inspired by the sisterhood of the group. Knowing that they’re all there for their passion for dance and the love of the Redskins make the long after-work practices something to look forward to instead of a chore.
“I’m a dance teacher in Ashburn,” Torre says, “and when I see the leadership exhibited by our ladies during practice, I use that to find other ways for me to lead in my classroom. I learn from the team and try to broaden what I can bring to my students.”
Susan Hammond agrees. As a third-year veteran and captain of the new team, she enjoys her job at a management consulting firm, but says, “My day becomes happy when I get to practice.” Starting her day at 8 a.m. and not being done until 11 p.m. can be a little much at times, but she can’t imagine her life any other way. She gets just as excited about being on the field and hyping up the crowd as the crowd does watching her cheer!
Football season will be here before we know it, so when you see these ladies on the sidelines, be sure to hail to those who do double duty as PhD candidates, social workers and nutritionists. And they can do the splits too? You go, girls.
Lindsey of the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders at Saturday’s Draft Day Party
Kings Vision was on hand for the 12-13 Ice Crew calendar photo shoot! Check out this profile featuring Ms. September, Eilene.
See the entire new squad here.
Big year ahead for the GCC, including their first ever calendar shoot!
By Brad Cole
Wicked Local Norwood
Three years into her dream, Amber Smith is still ecstatic about being a New England Patriots Cheerleader.
“Being that it was my third year auditioning for the squad I went into this audition with way more confidence and knowledge of what to expect,” Smith said. “I knew what the judges were looking for and I went into this year’s audition as a third year veteran who was ready to claim her spot on the team.”
Smith, who was first named to the squad in 2011, said she was “beyond ecstatic” to staying on for another season.
“This is a very competitive team and to make it again for another year when there were so many beautiful and talented woman is truly an honor,” she said.
Smith, 22, is a Norwood High School graduate and attended Bridgewater State University to study corporate communications. Her cheerleading career goes back to the fifth grade.
As a coach, Amber and her sister Teshevana helped lead Norwood’s Pop Warner A-team cheerleaders to the 2012 National Championships in Florida, where the team placed second in the nation.
“I had been cheering in the fifth grade and a dancer ever since I learned how to walk,” Smith said. “It seemed only right to take my dance and cheer experience to the next level by becoming a New England Patriots Cheerleader.”
Smith first auditioned for the squad in 2011.
“I showed up at the Dana Farber field house early morning on audition day with a hand full of paperwork and a body full of nerves and excitement,” Smith said. “I made it round after round and after a long day, I advanced to finals.”
After a successful audition at the field house, Smith was sent to boot camp, a two-week course consisting of workouts, learning several routines and media training.
“At the end of the two weeks the team was announced via email with my name on the list,” Smith said, and she has been a Patriots Cheerleader ever since.
“I want to thank my coach, Tracy Sormanti, and all of this year’s judges for seeing something special in me,” Smith said. “I am extremely proud to be able to represent the New England Patriots in such an amazing way.”
In her two seasons with the team thus far, Smith has had a number of opportunities and unique experiences. One of her most treasured memories came in October 2012, when the Patriots went head-to-head with the St. Louis Rams in London.
“Four cheerleaders were selected to travel with the team to London for their away game against the Rams. While we were there we got the chance to tour the city and see all of the beautiful sites that most people only get to see on TV,” Smith said. “We danced for thousands of people and got to meet some amazing Patriots fans!”
Not all of Smith’s duties take place by the field. As a New England Patriots Cheerleader, she has filmed commercials, done a number of photo shoots and makes promotional appearances. Last June was a busy month in particular for Amber. First, she went to Jamaica for a calendar shoot, along with a number of other Patriots Cheerleaders. When she returned, she made the trip to Los Angeles, where she filmed an NFL Fantasy Football commercial.
Smith will be a part of the Patriots Cheerleaders 2014 calendar as well, as in June, she travels to the Coconuts Bay Resort in St. Lucia for the photo shoot.
“It’s one of my favorite parts of the year,” she said.
While there is some glamour to all the photo shoots and the calendars, there is more to being a cheerleader than that, Smith said.
“It’s important to know that the Patriots Cheerleaders are hard working, dedicated and committed women,” Smith said, and she hopes this season, the cheerleaders and the team they cheer end up victorious at Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Sunday, April 7th at MetLife Stadium, the Semi-Finals for the 2013-14 New York Jets Flight Crew Cheerleaders took place.
Hopefuls performed a routine taught earlier in the morning…
Along with a kick line routine…
Splits….
And turns…
Back for her 7th year, directing the Flight Crew is Denise Garvey. Denise is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and Knicks City Dancer. And you can definitely see the DCC influence in her audition process.
Marissa – Backstage at Monday Night’s Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders Finals
Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders Final were last night and I’ll be posting photos later this week. But I just wanted to take this chance to say congratulations to a long time friend of the blog.
I think I first met Deonna at Jets Flight Crew Auditions back in 2009 or 2010. She had cheered at Rutgers and was looking to take the next step and dance in the NFL.
She made a semi-pro team in North Jersey, and most recently cheered for the Philadelphia Soulmates of the Arena Football League. But she never gave up on the dream, and today the Eagles announced their new squad, and there she was.
So, Congratulations, Deonna! You did it!
See the entire 2013-14 squad here.
From Saturday’s Philadelphia Soul Home Opener – A Philadelphia Soulmate
