Here’s the brand new group photo of the Allen American Ice Angels. The Ice Angels are under the direction of former Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Desperados Dancer Stephanie Di Biase-Wheat.
From Sunday – A Gotham City Cheerleader
Reader Kevin was the Saints-Bucs Throwback game and sends this comments along with some photos of the Bucs Cheerleaders.
I finally got to attend the Buccaneers Throwback Game. The actual score for the game was high as the Saints beat the Bucs 35-28 and the final photo count of the Bucs cheerleaders was over 1,000 pics so I was very busy trying to keep up with everything. I think these throwback uniforms are the best in the NFL. I will most certainly be back next year.
By John Miller
AppStateNation.com
How long has being an NFL cheerleader been a dream of yours?
I actually never thought that I would pursue the career of a NFL cheerleader. Stage performance was always my focus growing up. When I got to high school, I joined the dance team, and then went on to join Appalachian State’s dance team, where I was the captain for my last two years. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I realized that I didn’t want my dance team experience to be over, and that is what led me to try out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
When did you start dancing/cheering?I started dancing when I was three years old. I studied ballet and jazz intensively all the way until the end of college.
What do you think has been your biggest challenge transitioning from a College Dance Team to an NFL cheerleading squad?My biggest challenge I’ve had to face in the transition from a college dance team to an NFL cheerleading squad would be the style of dance. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have their own unique style of dance. The style is very fun, but big and powerful at the same time. It is hard to adjust when coming from such a strong ballet background. I am learning though!
Why did you choose to attend Appalachian State and what was your major?The first thing that pulled me towards Appalachian State was the beautiful campus. I could really see myself fitting in there and being happy with the environment. The second thing that interested me was the dance department. I wanted to pursue a degree in dance, and choreography had always been a huge interest of mine. The dance program at Appalachian State provides a lot of opportunities for students to choreograph, and focuses on how to do so creatively. (I graduated with a degree in Dance Studies with a Minor in General Business.)
What did you envision yourself doing if you didn’t end up as an NFL cheerleader?If I weren’t an NFL cheerleader, I probably would have auditioned for a few contemporary dance companies. That was kind of the plan my whole life. I trained hard growing up in the hopes of joining a dance company, but I ended up having a change of heart and falling in love with a different pathway.
What do you miss most about Boone/Appalachian State?What I miss the most about Appalachian State is the close-knit community and the amazing weather! I loved that wherever I would go in Boone, I would run into at least one person that I knew, and everyone was so friendly to each other. And of course, the fall weather was my favorite part of the year. Boone is absolutely gorgeous when the leaves start to change, and I love it when the air starts cooling off just enough for it to be a little chilly, but still be enjoyable.
In all of the App State games you danced at, does one stick out in your mind as the most memorable?I love the Home Opener games of every season. I think that is when the fans are the most excited because it’s their first time back at the stadium and they are anxious to see how the team will perform. The energy is always great! With that being said, I think the most memorable App State game that I danced at would be the first game of the season my senior year. I think it was that game that I realized how much I loved being out there cheering along with all of those crazy mountaineer fans. I knew that I was going to really miss the love and energy App State fans have during football games, so I did my best to hold onto every second of that game.
How do you think your ex-boyfriends must feel now that you’re a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader?I think that my ex-boyfriends are very happy for me now that I’m a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Most of them have reached out to tell me congratulations, which I appreciate deeply. It makes me happy that I’m still friends with a lot of them and that they are genuinely excited for my new success.
What drew you to the Dallas Cowboys in particular?The Dallas Cowboys are an amazing organization. They really value their fans, and take pride in being “America’s Team.” They also adore their cheerleaders. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are known as the best NFL cheerleading squad in the world, and I think the growing success stems from the support they get from the Cowboys organization and the love that the fans have for them. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of such a great family?
What game on the Cowboys schedule are you most excited about?I think the game that I am the most excited about is the Thanksgiving game. It is a little bittersweet that I will be away from my family this year for the holiday, but I know that it will be such a cool experience. I can’t wait to participate in the halftime show and find out which singer is performing!
The Rockford IceHogs are looking for highly-motivated candidates to become members of the IceHogs Ice Crew for the 2012-13 season. Candidates should be at least 18 years of age and must commit to a full year of games/events.
The promo team represents the IceHogs at all home games and at various community events during the season.
If you are interested in joining the 2012-13 Ice Crew and would like more information, please click here.
[Ice Hogs Ice Crew on Facebook]
From Yesterday – Shana and Christie of the Gotham City Cheerleaders Ref Squad debut their new uniforms.
By Victor Swoboda
Montreal Gazette
It’s the fourth quarter, the score’s tied, and twenty thousand fans at the Air Canada Centre are screaming for the Toronto Raptors to pull out a win — time for Ashley and Nina to go to work. The two are among 14 young women of the Toronto Raptors Dance Pak, the NBA’s sole cheerleading team in Canada.
“You’re entire 360 degrees is your audience — you have four fronts basically — so just getting oriented and having the fans cheering so loudly when the game’s so exciting and having that energy — it’s just a different experience,” smiled dark-haired Ashley, 22, during an interview Thursday in Montreal. Ashley, a fourth-year Dance Pak member, Nina and two other Dance Pak members will be performing Friday night at the Bell Centre when the Raptors meet the New York Knicks in the city’s first NBA exhibition match.
“We have to keep the fans going and hyped up. If we’re losing, it’s our chance to keep people pumped,” said Nina, a 20-year-old blond who is in her second season with the Dance Pak.
Both young women, who eventually hope to perform in dance videos or music concerts, had a varied dance background of tap, jazz and ballet when they more or less casually went to the Dance Pak annual audition, an event that this year attracted some 200 hopefuls.
“My friend Sophia and I went, honestly, just for fun to see if we could make it, and, if not, just have fun and take a free class,” Ashley said. “And we both made it.”
Candidates were weeded until 20 were called back for interviews with choreographer/manager Amberley Waddell, a former Dance Pak member from Waterloo, Ont., who once danced in Los Angeles and Las Vegas in shows with Bette Midler and Beyoncé.
During the season, the Dance Pak holds two-and-a-half-hour practices three times a week. Dancers learn between 20 and 30 routines a season. Ashley compared their non-stop routines to sprinting for two minutes, all the while having to smile. Dance Pak members arrive three-and-a-half hours before a game for rehearsals that might involve changes of formation or even last-minute changes in choreography.
“It keeps your brain working,” Ashley noted.
Not that their brains are otherwise idle. Like several other Dance Pak members, Ashley and Nina juggle their Raptors job with university studies. Nina is in York University’s dance program. Ashley studies at the University of Toronto.
“People always ask how can you do full-time school as well as dance for the Raptors, but I wouldn’t be able to do school without doing dance,” Ashley said. “Dance takes my stress away from school, and then the physical stress of dance is taken away when I’m studying.”
There are moments, though, when the juggling act can get stressful.
“During midterms is exactly when the NBA season starts picking up with lots of games. We start getting more sick or getting colds because of the physical stress on our body. Last year, I noticed my ankle was giving out and I couldn’t figure it out. But I realized it was because of the demands from the job and school.”
Ashley’s friend, Sophia, danced with Dance Pak for two years, but left after she was accepted to medical school.
As NBA representatives, Dance Pak has travelled across Canada and to some exotic places, too, like Cancun, Mexico in September, and last August to Shanghai, China, where NBA star Kobe Bryant participated in a charity celebrity game.
“The fans in China are just the next level,” Nina said. “I came off teary-eyed. I’ve never danced at something that big.”
Victoria of the Long Island Lizards Dance Team
No, there’s no hockey this time of year because of a labor dispute, but that doesn’t mean the Dallas Stars don’t deserve some attention.
To ensure this, the team’s website offers the Stars’ Ice Girls’ day out on the lake video, a staple for the team’s internet presence for some time now. Enjoy.
