By Scott Fishman
The Miami Herald

Angela Fong cheered in the Canadian Football League as a member of the BC FeLions.

Angela Fong didn’t advance in the 2007 World Wrestling Entertainment Diva Search competition, but the Vancouver native wouldn’t let that stop her from breaking into the business.

Fong, known to WWE fans as Savannah, was signed to a WWE developmental contract in 2008 and honed her skills at Florida Championship Wrestling, WWE’s feeder group in Tampa.

The model turned wrestler worked alongside other divas in training including Alicia Fox and the Bella Twins. Fong was called to the main roster in 2009 to work for WWE’s version of Extreme Championship Wrestling, which aired on SyFy. It was good and bad news.

“I wanted to be a wrestler,” Fong said.

“I trained five days a week for two years straight at FCW. When they brought me up, they told me I was going to be backstage interviewing. I thought, ‘OK. This is my chance to get my foot in the door.’

“Then they told me I would be ring announcing. I accepted it and took whatever they gave me, but I wanted to wrestle. It is what it is.”

The former diva was placed in that role as Lilian Garcia was on her way out of the company. As a fellow female ring announcer, Fong was under a lot of pressure.

“It was huge shoes to fill,” Fong said.

“She was with the company for 10 years. She was always giving me advice, saying things like, ‘Maybe you will take my spot. Maybe you will start announcing.’ She was really helpful.”

Most of Fong’s opportunities to mix it up in the ring were at house shows. After WWE’s ECW folded, Fong became the ring announcer for the inaugural season of NXT. A few months later, she was released from her contract.

Fong decided to pursue other ventures. She appeared as a dancer for Xtreme Fighting Championship, a mixed martial arts company. A few months ago, Tara (former WWE diva Victoria) put in a good word at Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Fong isn’t sure if she wants to fully return to wrestling.

“She was so sweet to do that,” Fong said. “She called me about it. At the time when she asked me about maybe going for a tryout, I was really busy and couldn’t fully commit at the time. You never know.

“I still love it, and I still wrestle every chance I get, different shows here and there. I’m not sure right now.”

Fong continues to audition and send her resume for work. She also schedules appearances to meet fans at events, most recently at Wizard World Miami. The convention fit in with her last project.

“I just did a short film in LA,” Fong said.

“It is a comic book they made into a film. It’s called ‘Black Tiger.’ I play the main character. She is a lawyer by day and a superhero by night. We did some really awesome choreographed martial arts fighting scenes.”

Her wrestling background helped her land the job.

“They asked if I could do some of these wrestling moves,” Fong said.

“We had these choreographers come in, and they taught us these great fight scenes. The girl I worked with had never done anything like that before; so it was cool to help her out.”

[Follow Angela on Twitter]

(Last week I posted this with the wrong – last year’s results. Sorry for the confusion)

The results are in for the CHL’s 2010-11 Best of Poll. And congratulations are in order for the Allen American Ice Angels who were voted the league’s Best Cheerleaders/Dance Team!

[Colorado Eagles Chicks]

[Allen Americans Ice Angels]

[Missouri Mavericks Filly Spirit Squad]

[Complete Poll Results]

Go to a Nets game and sure you expect to see the Nets Dancers, but there’s actually a whole lot more to see:

Okay back to the Net Dancers. For the 2011 NBA Dance Bracket each team is submitting a video of an actual game performance. For their video, the Nets Dancers pulled out all the stops. They borrowed a bar set from a friend and had Team Hype hustle it onto the court at the end of the 1st quarter.

The Nets broke out the military uniforms for a third quarter performance, they got pushed back to the 4th quarter, when the crowd started going crazy as the Nets climbed back from a 20 point deficit.

A big thanks to the Clipper Blake Griffin, who missed a free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime and giving the Nets Dancers one more chance to dance.

[Nets Gallery]

[Nets Dancers]

By Joshua Boyd
Swampscott Reporter

Even though the sidelines are quiet and you can hear a pin drop in Section 308 high up over the 30-yard line at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots Cheerleaders are keeping plenty busy.

Swampscott native and Marblehead resident Michelle Nigro’s association with New England’s football team didn’t end when the team lost to the Jets on Jan. 16. Instead, the Pats Cheerleader takes part in promotional activities throughout the off-season, including a recent trip to bring some smiles to patients at Children’s Hospital of Boston.

Nigro went with a fellow cheerleader and Pat Patriot, the team’s mascot, during the visit on March 4.

“It definitely reminds me to count my blessings and not take anything for granted,” said Nigro, a former Big Blue field hockey player who is now a junior at Emerson College, studying in the broadcast journalism department. She is a former host of the “Totally Patriots” show on WBZ-TV, which includes hosts ranging in age from 16-21.

“We were on a floor where some of these children don’t leave for months at a time, and that’s pretty shocking when you think about it,” said Nigro, who finished her rookie season with the Patriots Cheerleading squad in January. “Their mothers and grandfathers stick with them for months at a time. Some of their immune systems are really low, and you need to wear protective gowns and facemasks. It’s not only difficult on the child, but incredibly difficult on the family.”

The cheerleaders went around the hospital and visited with many of the patients, handing out autographed pictures and taking photos with patients.

Swampscott native Michelle Nigro, second from left, and fellow New England Patriots cheerleader Lauren Marchetti of Cranston, R.I., visit with their new friend, 4-year-old Colin was at Children’s Hospital in Boston

Nigro wants to be able to continue bringing smiles to these faces, and she is looking forward to Patriots Cheerleader auditions on Saturday, March 19.

“I’m absolutely going to go back and try out again,” she said. “I’m basically staying on top of my dancing and fitness, so I can be as ready as I was last year when I made the team. I’m hoping for a second year.”

Nigro looks back on her year as a Patriots Cheerleader as “a year full of firsts.”

“Between dancing on the field and going to the Dominican Republic for the calendar shoot, and the fact the Patriots did so well, it all added to the whole experience and made it so great,” she added.

She certainly wouldn’t mind joining the cheerleading crew on an all-expenses paid trip to Aruba for the 2012 calendar shoot.

Recently, Nigro took part in the Miss Boston Pageant, and finished as the runner-up.

“I won the swimsuit and interview awards, so I came close,” said Nigro, of the Feb. 20 event. “I saw it as a way to represent my platform, which is the Young Survival Coalition.

“That is an organization that is unique to helping women under 40 with breast cancer, and raising awareness that women under 40 do get breast cancer,” said Nigro. “I’ve done a lot of fundraising in the Boston area for them.”

(For more information on the Young Survival Coalition, see their website, www.youngsurvival.org).

Around the city, you may just spot Nigro either behind a video camera’s eyepiece, or in front of a camera with a microphone, filing a report for a class project.

“I’m applying for internships, and I have an interview with WCVB Channel 5,” said Nigro. “I’m really learning the other side of journalism — editing, camera work. You have to do story packages every two weeks for one of my classes.”

Stagefright is just not an issue with Nigro, who will be seeing dozens of prospective first-time Patriots Cheerleaders on March 19, in the same spot where she was last year. She passed along some words of advice.

“I would tell them to be confident in themselves, and just smile all the way through,” she said. “If you keep being confident and keep smiling, the judges will see through any little mess-ups.”

Time: Sunday, April 3 · 10:30am – 2:00pm

Location: Aurora Women’s Fitness
734 Grand Avenue
Ridgefield, New Jersey 07657

Come prepared with a 30 sec. solo.

No cost to audition.

Email Questions to hawkettes@njhawks.com

Saturday, March 5th the Downtown Athletic Club was the site of the first round of the 2011-12 Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders Auditions.

The basketball court was crowded 150+ guys and gals, dancers and stunters. Ravens Cheerleaders were on to assist with registration, teach dance moves and partner with stunters.

[Ravens Cheerleaders Auditions Gallery]

The Finals of the Ravens Cheerleaders are open to the public this year, for the first time. Complete details here.

Are you a current, former or prospective professional dancer or cheerleader? Does your team need hot choreography? Would you like to meet others in the industry or hear about audition opportunities?

Then get ready for the Phoenix Pro Dance Convention Saturday, March 19, 2011!

PRO DANCE AGENDA

** Learn choreography from elite alumni and directors
** Representing the NFL, NBA, AFL, NHL
** Get tips from the pros on fitness, nutrition, makeup, attire and communication
** Network with other performers and directors from Nevada (and beyond!)

COSTS

** Half Day (1:00pm-4:00pm): $45 Register Now!
** Half Day (4:30pm-7:00pm): $45 Register Now!
** Full day (1:00pm-7:00pm): $79 Register Now!
** Directors: Bring 2 or more squad members and receive complimentary admission.
** Refund Policy: 75% of registration fees may be refunded through March 16.

CONVENTION LOCATION

Orange Theory Fitness
7000 E. Mayo Blvd.
Bldg 1, Suite1106
Phoenix, AZ 85054
www.orangetheoryfitness.com

CHOREOGRAPHERS

Going Pro choreographers are top alumni and directors of dance and cheer teams in the NFL, NBA, AFL and other sports leagues. They will teach 6 sidelines and 2 routines in length of 45-60 seconds, representing all major sports leagues. View photos and complete bios!

** Alix Riggs, 4-year NFL Cheerleader and Captain – Phoenix, award-winning collegiate choreographer

** Latoyia Everett, 3-year NBA Dancer – Seattle, former WNBA dance

** Rani McLenon, Two team NFL cheerleader, KC Chiefs and AZCardinals

** Leslie Chant, NBA Dancer – Denver, Former Choreographer-Phoenix Suns, Studio Owner

[Complete Event Information]

By Danny Carlino
PioneerLocal.com

After years of attending games and concerts at Allstate Arena, Nicole Cargola gets to be part of the show in that facility.

The 2009 East Leyden graduate is poised to be in the spotlight as the youngest member of the Adrenaline Rush Dance Team when the Arena Football League’s Chicago Rush begin their home schedule against the Philadelphia Soul on Friday night at the Allstate Arena.

The trip to the game will seem short for the lifelong Rosemont resident, but the journey is a long one that began when Cargola started dancing at the age of 3.

She began participating in organized cheer and dance teams at 7 years old at the Rosemont Park District and cheered through junior high at Rosemont Elementary School. She took dance classes all along and that helped bring her to the Leydenettes poms team in high school as well as the dance team at Elmhurst College before she tried out for the Adrenaline Rush. Much credit for her talents goes out to Leyden dance coach and neighbor Brenda Drehobl who has coached Cargola through most of her dancing.

“Games were a lot smaller than this,” Cargola said, comparing her high school experience to what she’s preparing for now. “There is a lot more going on while we’re on the sidelines, and we have more routines. In high school we just performed at halftime. It’s definitely been like nothing I’ve ever done before in my life. It’s been a great experience.”

Those varied experiences have prepared her for this moment, and they’ve helped her grow into her current role. Cargola was team captain of the Leydenettes her junior and senior years and credits that leadership role for giving her greater knowledge and even more respect for what it takes to be a good dancer.

Being the youngest member of this year’s squad provides a readjustment for the 19-year old as she goes from being a leader to one of the 11 rookies on the 18-woman team.

The goal of the group is to become a cohesive unit, so it’s in everyone’s interest to give and take instructions so every performance brings the crowd to their feet.

“The veterans have been really helpful,” Cargola said. “It’s especially important to ask them questions. All the rookies have big sisters, and they help us with any problems or questions we have about our routines, and they’ve been great about getting to practice early for questions.”

The team didn’t waste any time getting its act together as it began regular practices the week after the Dec. 4 final auditions.

It’s up to team coordinator Gloria Esposito to make sure that the performance quality stays high and the rookies look like veterans in short order. She’s been a part of what is considered the best dance team in the AFL since its inception in 2001, so she knows what makes a good dancer, and she already sees great things in Nicole.

“I look for someone who has the total package — great attitude, good looks, and being personable,” said Esposito regarding the criteria she emphasizes in a prospective dance team member. “She possessed all of those qualities as well as being a great dancer. She’s always dancing full out, putting her all into everything she does. She’s definitely determined and a harder worker than I was expecting.”

That hard work is paying off in ways that Cargola and her family hadn’t imagined before now. Her parents, Frank and Dianne and younger sister Amanda, who followed big sister’s footsteps and is currently a junior at East Leyden and a captain on the poms squad, have provided an excellent support group every step of the way.

The realization that their many sacrifices have paid off for Nicole has started to set in for the family.

“I was just at their house, and they saw me on WGN (during a morning show performance with the team back in December),” Cargola said. “They never thought that from taking me to my first ballet lesson that I’d be on a professional dance team. They’ve always been very encouraging. I can’t tell of a single game or audition where they haven’t been there supporting me.”

This week the team is going for a walkthrough at Allstate Arena to familiarize themselves with the surroundings and get a sense of what performing there will be like. They will also get some practices on the field so they’ll be fully prepared when they first have to get the crowd pumped up on Friday night for the Rush’s home opener.

It will take some time to get used to, but it’s an opportunity for which she has been working her whole life.

“It’s weird going from watching games and concerts (from the stands) there to be where they perform,” Cargola said. “It will be nerve-racking having the whole stadium with their eyes on you.”

[Nicole at ArenaRush.com]

[Arsee at the LA Kings Website]

[Angels Gallery]

[Philadelphia Wings Angels]