By Steve Mazzucchi
Esquire
A veteran sideline beauty swallows another Buffalo loss to a playoff favorite just long enough to tell us who’s going to the Super Bowl.
If scientists ever want to study how much heartbreak one team’s fans can stomach, they can start in Buffalo. Forget the Super Bowl struggles of the nineties and the current Bills playoff drought — Case Study No. 1 starts with the 2010 season: five losses by five points or less, including three in overtime, capped by Sunday’s 19-16 stinger to the Steelers, in which the red-white-and-blue rallied mightily before what would have been an epic upset slipped, quite literally, through its fingers.
But Buffalo’s long-suffering throngs keep coming back. And their resilience is exemplified by Buffalo Jills line captain Omarlla, who’s donned the hot pants for nothing short of a decade. What’s even more amazing about this elementary-school curriculum coordinator? Like Michael Jordan before her, she was cut from her high-school team. “I haven’t talked to those cheerleading coaches, but I get so tempted to send them autographed cards and calendars,” she says. “Eleven years of jump-splitting, and I just continue to work out, stay flexible, and keep going.” Looking for hope? Here’s some.
ESQUIRE: Looked like a lot of Steelers fans in the house today. Is it just us, or is a “Terrible Towel” kind of a silly thing to wave?
OMARLLA: No comment on the towels. There were a ton of Steelers fans, but our fans are amazing. In the second half and overtime, we way outnumbered them in volume.
ESQ: What went through your head when it looked like Stevie Johnson had caught a game-winning touchdown pass in overtime, then dropped it?
O: I immediately started cheering and screaming and going crazy. I saw it in his hands… and then it was on the ground. My heart was crushed. Players were falling to their knees like, Oh my god, what happened? — and I was right there with him. I thought we had the win in the bag, just like everyone else. Just heart-wrenching, you know? But I don’t think the whole game should fall on him. We missed a lot of opportunities, and he’s made a lot of great plays for us.
ESQ: Anyone who just sees the score won’t know the Bills came back from a 13-0 deficit, and like all season, never gave up. Do you feel like there’s something about the city of Buffalo that gives the team that kind of spirit?
O: I definitely do. We have so many diehard fans, and we’ve improved since the bye week. We made mistakes, but overall as a team, we did excellent out there, and the fans knew it. It’s tough losing by close margins. The record doesn’t show how well the team is doing.
ESQ: Fred Jackson had 164 total yards. Is he a bright spot going forward?
O: Freddie Jackson played awesome. His 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown in the third quarter was definitely a game-changer. From then to the end, no one sat. I don’t know of a lot of games where people are on their feet for two entire quarters.
ESQ: What’s more impressive: Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 18 touchdown passes in nine games, or his lumberjack beard?
O: That beard is fierce, I have to say. Maybe it helps keep him warm. He’s made a lot of exciting plays. He gets teased about going to Harvard, but he must be a pretty smart guy.
ESQ: How do you feel about the retro helmet? One worries that this particular buffalo is more interested in grazing than bursting into the end zone.
O: I think it’s fun to switch it up every now and then. I don’t mind it. And the Bills were pretty good back in the day.
ESQ: Buffalo’s a notoriously cold city. Got any tips for staying warm and looking good at the same time?
O: Your hands and feet are the first things to get cold, and then you’re just miserable, so you definitely need to purchase hand and feet warmers. Those will keep you super toasty. Moving around a lot helps. I’m an Under Armour fan as well. I was wearing it under my uniform at the game.
ESQ: Which of the three teams you’ve lost to in OT — Baltimore, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh — has the best shot at reaching the Super Bowl?
O: I’m gonna go with Pittsburgh. They’re probably the most consistent of the three and can win in tough situations, and that’s sometimes what it takes.
ESQ: You have a master’s degree in education. How important is it that a guy who’s interested in you be, you know, not dumb?
O: Depending on their career path, they don’t have to have a degree, but they have to be somewhat intelligent, driven, and focused. A brain and some goals would be great. Looks help, but I think I’ll take brains over looks.
Final Auditions are this Saturday and Open to the Public
The Mt. Prospect American Legion proudly hosted members of the U.S. Navy on Thursday, November 25, to celebrate Thanksgiving. Many service men and women are unable to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families during their short break; fortunately the American Legion honors the service of these men and women by doing all they can to make them feel at home. As part of this year’s holiday excitement the troops were treated to an appearance by the lovely Adrenaline Rush Dancers. This is the fourth year that the Adrenaline Rush Dancers have participated in the annual event.
“I’m thankful for spending Thanksgiving with real life brave heroes, it really touched my heart,” effused Adrenaline Rush Dancer Brittanie Matug. “It really made me realize how much we take for granted in our life. It truly makes me proud to be an American.”
The Adrenaline Rush Dance Team will be making their next appearance at the Tilted Kilt located at 17 N. Wabash in Chicago this Saturday, December 4th, from 12 to 3 pm where the final auditions to decide the 2011 squad will occur. All are welcome to attend the event and get the first glance at the official 2011 Adrenaline Rush Dance Team.
On Sunday November 23rd, the Georgia Force Cheerleaders held their preliminary auditions at the Gwinnett Center. Cheerleader Director, Joie Ashworth, put together a panel of 10 judges for the auditions. The judges were comprised of Dietre Ffrench, Candi Williams, Angeline Butler, Terri Humphlett, Ericka Whitaker, Nicky Buggs, Michele Crawford-Carnegie, Kelli Williams, CJ Simpson, and Andy Haskell. The judges saw 74 ladies perform for their chance to be a Georgia Force Cheerleader.
To begin the day, all of the dancers were taught a new routine by Joie and given time to practice in a large group setting. They then performed the routine, in groups of five, for the judges. After all of the scores were in, the top 50 moved on to the next round of the auditions. They repeated that process until the final 31 remain.
The finalist will compete on December 3 at The Gold Room Atlanta. The show will begin at 8:30 p.m.; it is free and open to the public (21 years and older).
“Given the better-than-expected turnout, and the caliber of women in the finalist pool, I’m extremely excited about the potential of this years team. We always announce that we are looking for The Total Package in a dance team member. I believe we may end up with a team full of Total Packages!” Joie invites everyone to come out and cheer on your favorite ladies.
The Gold Room Atlanta is located at 2416 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30324.
And there’s still time to vote for your favorite finalist here.
by Molly Reuter
KSTP.com
A Plymouth native is the next Miss Minnesota USA. Brittany Thelemann was crowned Sunday night at the Burnsville Performing Arts Center during the 2011 Miss Minnesota USA and Miss Minnesota Teen USA pageant.
Thelemann, a former NBA dancer with the Timberwolves and a graduate of St. Thomas University, was also named Miss Congeniality at the pageant finals. This award was voted on by other contestants.
The competition, which is held annually in Burnsville, consists of three proportional segments: evening gown, swimwear and interview. Eligible young women must be between the ages of 14 and 26 and be unmarried residents of Minnesota in order to compete in the pageant.
Hannah Corbett of Excelsior was crowned Miss Minnesota Teen USA. Both titleholders will now advance and compete next year at the Miss USA and Miss Teen USA national pageants.
In honor of Jennifer Fritsch Williams 1983-2009, the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders, Alumni, Friends & Family would like to invite you to come and celebrate Jennifer’s legacy as we donate all proceeds from the night to her young son Anthony.
The address for all donations for Anthony Williams is :
12550 Van Brady Road
Upper Marlboro, Md 20772
Jessica and Courteney next to the Jills display in the Fieldhouse
Photos, Video and a report here.
Centre for Dance [HD] from DFW Reporting on Vimeo.
We got an email from Denver Nuggets Dancer telling us how he spent the weekend before Thanksgiving:
I’m still dancing for the Nuggets, currently in my fifth season. Over the weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to support my amazing other half who plays for the Colorado Rapids. The Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas were in the MLS Cup Final in Toronto. On Sunday night we bundled up and braced for the chilly game, after 120 minutes of playing time the Colorado Rapids walked away with a victory receiving their first ever MLS Cup.
Nicole and Chris
Having the opportunity to support someone who means as much to me as Chris does was amazing. It was a long season for him and his team, never would I have expected to be cheering them on in Toronto at the MLS Cup Final. Fortunately my schedule with Nuggets games allowed me to travel to Toronto this past weekend to see the Rapids play FC Dallas in the MLS Cup Final. Family, Rapids Staff and the team left Thursday for Toronto. Since the team was fairly busy up until the game on Sunday night it allowed for some great shopping and sight seeing around Toronto. I had never been to Canada before and Toronto was a lovely city to see.
Rapids players' girlfriends/wives. Former Pussycat Doll Kaya Jones (3rd from the left) is gearing up for a solo tour throughout Europe this coming Holiday Season.
Finally, Sunday night arrived and it was time to get ready for the game. We bundled up for a chilly game and headed over to BMO Field. Colorado had only made one previous appearance in the MLS Cup Final in 1997, walking away with a loss. Their opponent FC Dallas had never been to the final before. After 120 minutes of playing time the Colorado Rapids walked away with a 2-1 victory winning their first ever MLS Cup. After the trophy presentation we joined the players down on the field to celebrate their spectacular win.
Upon arriving back in Denver, the Rapids were greeted by fans as well as news cameras welcoming them home as champions. The following day hundreds of fans gathered in Downtown Denver for a parade and celebration of the victory. At the event, Colorado Governor claimed Tuesday as “Colorado Rapids Day.”
I am so thankful to have experienced this journey with Chris. I could not be more proud of him and his teammates. They worked very hard this year and the payoff is well deserved. I hope with their victory they will bring more awareness to the great sport of soccer in Denver and all around the country.
Nicole, Chris and the MLS Trophy
Congratulations to Julia on being voted the 2010 Pro Bowl Representative. Julia was chosen by votes from her fellow cheerleaders and various representatives from the Titans staff. She’s a 5th-year veteran and 3rd-year captain.
Teams from rival clubs join in spirit of friendship
By Ben Gelinas
Edmonton Journal
Think of the Grey Cup’s Cheerleader Extravaganza as a family reunion, only the girls get tossed two storeys in the air and the outfits are probably a little skimpier.
Saturday night’s hopper of a show, featuring squads from all CFL clubs, has become an annual highlight of Grey Cup festivities. The point isn’t for the different cheerleaders to compete so much as mingle and perform their best stuff, in a celebration of the only sport in support of a sport.
Cheerleader Extravaganza is the baby of Edmonton Eskimos cheer coach Dianne Greenough, who has coached the Eskimo squad since 1996.
In her first full year on the job, the Eskimos made it to the Grey Cup in Hamilton. When she got there, Greenough was disappointed to find that only the teams actually playing in the big game brought their cheerleaders on the trip.
“It just seemed rather strange to me that these people who dedicate so many hours all year didn’t have a chance to celebrate things together,” Greenough says.
The Grey Cup was in the Edmonton the following year, and Greenough challenged every team in the CFL to send their cheerleaders for the party, regardless of which teams actually played the game. All the teams sent their cheerleaders, and have done so every year since.
The Extravaganza is the only time during the year that all the squads come together. They raise money through calendar sales to pay for the trip. In the past, the event has been held in beer gardens and bars. This year it was the kid-friendly gym at Grant MacEwan University’s downtown campus.
Saturday night, they shared one stage in front of packed bleachers, and took turns hauling out the fireworks: dazzling routines that showcased the variety between the different teams.
Calgary’s squad, called the Outriders, tipped their Stetsons. BC Felions literally bent over backward.
Edmonton’s cheer team has well over a dozen guys, who bolster a powerful stunt component in their routines.
They toss girls around like human batons, high enough to give the godfearing in the audience time to say a prayer for a safe landing.
Edmonton and Saskatchewan are the only teams with men and the only teams that stunt.
The rest focus heavily on dancing, and some, like Calgary, on gymnastic tumbling.
The show began with a team of junior girls, ages 8 to 11, also coached by Greenough, followed by mini-routines by Eskimo cheer alumni from as far back as the 1950s.
Ashley Croden, 44, performed to a Michael Jackson medley with fellow Eskimo cheerleaders from the 1980s, on the same mat her daughter, 11-year-old Grace, had just tumbled off as part of a junior squad from Greenough’s Perfect Storm Athletics.
“It’s pretty cool to have someone who can help you perfect your moves and stuff,” Grace said of her mom after the show.
For veteran Eskimo “stunters” Dylan Fry and Mitchell Dewing, Saturday marked one of the last times the guys will perform as Eskimos.
“For me, it’s the best part of the whole season,” Dewing says. “We get to see what everyone else is doing and kind off feed of that and support each other.”
Friendships have been made between squads because of this event. The rival squads even stay in a hotel together, home team included, to make sure they all get up and organized on time.
“It’s like family. You see these people for a full year, or a couple years straight,” says Robin Norsworthy, an Eskimo cheerleader in 2006. “You’re always with them.
“And once you’re alumni, everyone kind of just separates a little bit. At events like this, you see people you haven’t seen in years and it’s like no time at all passed.”
