Exciting times for the CheckMates, the Dance Team for the Charlotte Checkers. The team moved up to the AHL this season. The move meant new team colors and new uniforms for the squad. And second-year veteran London is profiled at GoCheckers.com.
For our second CheckMate feature, we profile second-year team member London. London is from Fort Mill, S.C. and has been busy all summer representing the CheckMates at area events such as Charlotte Race for the Cure, the Fort Mill National Guard Armory carnival and Time Warner Cable BBQ & Blues. She can also be seen at each and every Checkers game.
First name: London
Years on team: 2nd
Nickname by your teammates: I don’t have a nickname, everyone just calls me London!
Hometown: Fort Mill, S.C.
Facebook page: ‘CheckMate London’
Occupation: Business Owner
Craziest thing that ever happened at a Checkers game: Not necessarily “crazy” but by far one of the most shocking moments of my life; Being honored by my teammates and coach during a time out at “Pink In the Rink”. I was unbelievably touched by this and will never forget that moment.
Funniest thing you’ve overheard at a Checkers game: I attended the Pooch Party with my dog Bentley as a Checkers fan instead of a CheckMate. When the CheckMates took the ice, I overheard a group of fans contemplating how it was possible to dance on ice. My favorite theory, “They must have spikes on the bottom of the shoes!”
Most memorable moment at a Checkers appearance: The “CheckMate Auction” at the Checkers’ annual golf tournament!
London (left) poses with Chubby and CheckMates Kristi, Kelly and Sheena
Funniest way people respond when they find out you are a “hockey cheerleader”: I get the puzzled response “Hockey has cheerleaders?” most often but once the response was, “Wait, you’re from the South, and you cheer for a hockey team?”
Most proud of the Checkers Organization for: Our organization has built a respected reputation in this city because of the compassion we have for philanthropy and the support we provide to the growth of our community and stability. The loyalty of our amazing fans has been earned through our tenacious attitude and integrity.
London (middle) with Kieara (left) and Kim (right)
If I didn’t have to fit in a midriff CheckMates uniform I would eat: Cold Stone -Banana Caramel Crunch with heath bar and waffle cone mixed in! YUMMY!
Favorite part of the Checkers game: Cheering the team on and getting the fans hyped on the sidelines during the game!
Locker room pre-game ritual: I always take time to myself to remember the advice my mother gave me the day of our first game last year. Remembering how proud she was of me that day and knowing she has a front row seat to all the games motivates me to give 110%.
London (right) poses with CheckMate Lindsey at media day
Pre-practice ritual: While driving to the studio, I make sure I am listening to a “make you wanna dance” type of song!
Favorite charitable appearance you’ve done as a CheckMate: I really enjoy the Golf Tournaments because of the interaction they provide with our amazing fans!
Favorite hockey song to get you pumped up: Thunderstruck AC/DC
Meet all the Checkmates here, and follow the CheckMates on Twitter and Facebook.
Five-year veteran Nicole
Just in time for the new season, the Denver Nuggets have posted bios and photos of the 2010-11 squad.
Check them out here.
[Vigilante Dancers Application, Waiver and Release Form]
The search is underway for a Cheer / Dance Director for the United Football League team that will begin play in Virginia when the league’s third season kicks off in 2011.
UFL Cheer and Dance Development Director Billie O’Hara is beginning the process of searching for a qualified director and putting together the league’s next professional Cheerleading team in the Virginia expansion market. The process is expected to last two months, allowing the UFL to hold auditions for cheerleaders in March 2011.
“This person will have the responsibility of putting the strongest possible team of women on the field, who will truly represent the great state of Virginia and their professional football team,” said O’Hara. “The Director will be responsible for choreography and will also need to illustrate the organizational skills needed off the field.”
The coordinator should be based out of the Tidewater region and candidates are expected to have previous experience in working with professional cheerleading / dance teams, preferably at the professional sports level. They must be able to manage a team of 32 cheerleaders / dancers, organize and coordinate auditions, prepare schedules for rehearsals and must be present for all home games.
All interested participants must send a headshot, resume and letters of recommendation along with a highlight reel, link, or video of their work to Billie O’Hara at tuskerscheer@gmail.com.
“This is an amazing opportunity to be apart of the next best thing in professional sports,” added O’Hara. “It is a great chance to help build the Virginia franchise from the ground up.”
The Chicago Slaughter Indoor Football Team has an exciting opportunity for women in the Chicagoland area. The team is looking for its new 2011 Chicago Slaughter Girls Dance Team. The 20 ladies that make the team will be part of the half time show at all home and play-off games, not to mention will make special appearances throughout the year as part of the elite squad.
Those interested in trying out for the team should plan on attending two dance clinics on Tuesday November 2nd and Thursday November 4th (7 pm) at Cheer Alliance in Niles. The official audition will be held in front of a live audience and a celebrity panel of judges on Saturday November 6th.
Those that try out must be 18 or older and be a high school graduate. Those selected for the team will have the opportunity to be part of the new Slaughter Dance Team Calendar and will represent the football team throughout the year. Plus, free specialized training from Wynning Teams Finishing School program that will focus on mind, body, spirit, self awareness and spirit development.
All women interested in participating in try outs MUST pre-register by October 31st at WynningTeams.com. Space to try out is limited. A $20 processing fee is due on-line or at the door.
The Chicago Slaughter is based out of Hoffman Estates and plays their games at the Sears Center. They are members of the Central Division and their head coach is Steve McMichael (former 1985 Chicago Bears), the franchise is entering its fifth season and in 2009 they won their first championship.
For more information on these tryouts or the upcoming 2011 Chicago Slaughter season, please visit the team website at www.ChicagoSlaughter.com or call their office at (847) 310-3190.
Thanks to longtime reader Mike for these photos of the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders at various appearances this month.
Sarah and Stephanie at the Linc last weekend:
Sarah and Stephanie
Amy and Lindsey at a 7-11
Amy and Lindsey
Corinne and Kelsey at the Trevose Fire Department as part of Fire Prevention Week activities
Danae and Kelsey
The Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders are doing something they haven’t done in a long time. And now you have an opportunity to spend 15 months in their company. Twenty beautiful ladies traveled to Cancun, Mexico earlier this year to shoot a new calendar.
It’s been seven years since this last happened. This is part of their “New South” concept. We heard the ladies hit every swimsuit shop in Atlanta — searching for the perfect look.
This Sunday during the Falcons-Bengals game the calendars will go on sale. You can buy them at all the Falcons 365 stores in the Georgia Dome. The cost $15.99.
You can meet the ladies at a “Calendar Release Party” Tuesday, November 16 at Hard Rock Cafe on in downtown Atlanta from 7-9 pm. The event is free.
[AtlantaFalconsCheerleaders.com]
By Pamela Roth
Edmonton Sun
They won’t be waving around pom-poms or tossing each other up in the air, but the Edmonton Oilers are getting set to entertain fans in a new way with the first Canadian cheerleading team in the NHL.
The Oilers recently announced they will be hosting auditions for a cheer team at the end of the month. The cheerleaders will make their big debut during a home game later this year.
According to Patrick LaForge, Oilers President and CEO, there are 23 teams in the NHL that already have cheer teams entertaining fans in the stands when the puck isn’t in motion.
Oilers want to start a cheer squad like the Carolina Hurricanes Storm Squad.
After attending several American NHL games that had cheerleaders in the stands, LaForge said the Oilers wanted to create a cheer team of their own to enhance the entertainment.
“They are not football cheerleaders with pom-poms and things like that. They kind of orchestrate when to get up, dance and get excited,” said LaForge, who also received requests from fans to have a cheer team. “I think fans will be intrigued. They will add spice to the evening.”
Since there are no sidelines for a cheerleader to perform at a hockey game, LaForge said the dancers will be located in the concourse areas and select locations in the upper bowl.
The cheerleaders will perform during all home games, travel locally and participate in community events. They will also sign autographs and pose for pictures at the games.
An Edmonton Oilers Cheer Team Calendar will also be launched during the holiday season.
In order to become a cheerleader, the Oilers state on their website there are no height and weight requirements, but they are looking for “athletic girls in good physical condition.”
Cheer, dance and gymnastic experience is also helpful, but not required.
Some Canadian teams already have ice girls who wear tight pants and a revealing top to push shovels and clean up the snow created by players during the game.
LaForge said the cheer team will be much different than the ice girls and will provide not only a unique experience for the fans, but also for the girls themselves.
“I think being a cheer person to the Oilers will be special,” he said. “If the girls stay with us, they will be known as celebrities and they will be appreciated.”
An information session will be held Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. at Telus Field.
Preliminary auditions will take place Oct. 29 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the World Health Club Gateway location and continue Oct. 30.
For more information visit www.edmontonoilers.com/cheer.
On The Flipside episode 26 is coming to you from Brookyln! Host Aubrey Aquino is hanging out by the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges in NYC. On this edition, we start out with Los Angeles Lakers star Ron Artest in Hollywood where he’s taking the lead with the Slam Girls to perform their song, Triple Threat. See this exclusive club performance and hear the NBA forward/rapper talk about balancing two careers! Then, On The Flipside gets Sideline Distracted in Northern California, as the Oakland Raiderettes put their newest calendar on center stage at the Fox Theater.
After that we check in with retired NFL running back Fred Taylor who invites us to his “Dream” charity foundation kick off party at Ten Palms at Gulfstream Park in Florida. And — we wrap it up with Olympic Gymnast Nastia Liukin who is sending kids back to school with an “S” on their chest for “Super Girl” style! It’s all happening On The Flipside!
By Nathaniel Snow
Salem Gazette
The fall season has quickly come to New England and that means three things: apple picking, Halloween and football.
Rabid Patriots fans have been gathering all throughout New England, watching the local gridiron gang fight their way back to dynasty status. One local fan has a front-row seat for each and every exciting play — in fact, she takes part in all the game-day action.
Siobhan O’Keefe, a 2008 graduate of Salem High School and current UMass-Amherst student, is one of the newest members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders.
O’Keefe, who was born and raised in Salem, got her start at Dance Enthusiasm on Mason Street, where she started taking dance classes at the tender age of 3.
“Because I loved to dance I thought I would also like cheerleading,” said O’Keefe, “so when I went to Salem High I joined the football cheerleading team and had a blast! To this day my favorite part of high school is the pep rallies.”
When her academic path led her to UMass-Amherst, O’Keefe was faced with the choice of dance or cheering, since both teams require major time commitments at the college level. She chose the UMass dance team and was part of the team that claimed second place at the 2009 National Dance Team Championships in Daytona, Fla.
“It was at a dance team practice that a few teammates were talking about trying out for the New England Patriots Team and of course I wanted to join,” said O’Keefe. “Since I was 18 I have always dreamed of going [to the Patriots tryouts]. Every Sunday my family would get together for dinner and watch the Patriots games.”
With the chance of fulfilling this dream, O’Keefe joined three of her dance teammates on the two-hour trip to Gillette Stadium on a cold February morning to participate in the competitive tryouts. The selection process, which takes place between February and March, involves a preliminary round where the women perform their own freestyle dance routine followed by a choreographed routine. Cuts are then made to determine the finalists.
“You just never know when you try out for something what the judges are looking for,” said O’Keefe of the rigorous selection process. “You could be the best dancer in the room but if you’re missing something they still might not take you. You just got to go in, give it your all and hope for the best.”
This upbeat attitude worked wonders for O’Keefe, as she was chosen to join the Patriots Cheerleaders this season, a task which she now has to balance with her studies as she pursues an accounting degree. O’Keefe admits that taking on this responsibility while attending school can be challenging, but she also feels that it has its benefits.
“I have to be extremely organized all the time and that has taught me great time-management skills,” said O’Keefe, who graduated eighth in her class at Salem High. “I always need to know when my assignments are due and when to study for tests because I have to fit that around my practices, promos and games for the Patriots.”
All this juggling of time and attention pays off for O’Keefe when she gets to be a part of one of the most exciting sporting events that New England has to offer, as she takes the field with her teammates to cheer on the Pats each Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
“Game days are the best,” the 20-year-old said. “All of our hard work gets put to the test when we go out on the field to do our dances and cheers. I have danced and performed my whole life and going on the field in front of 70,000 fans is most definitely the best experience ever!”
O’Keefe was front and center for last weekend’s overtime thriller against the Baltimore Ravens.
“This past Sunday was so intense,” said O’Keefe. “They went back and forth trying to be the first team to score and I was right there cheering them on, being a part of such a great win.”
Being a Patriots cheerleader is not just about what happens on the field during games, though, as O’Keefe has realized in her first season with the team. The women are responsible for appearances at charity and fundraiser events for many local and national causes.
O’Keefe has participated in events such as traveling to Gardner, Mass. to fundraise for a new healthcare center in Haiti and meeting with Special Olympic athletes at Gillette.
“We just do it all,” O’Keefe exclaimed.
O’Keefe hopes she will have the opportunity to travel with her team, as some cheerleaders have, to promote the NFL in China and London, and also make trips to Iraq to meet with the soldiers stationed there.
O’Keefe is proud of what she’s accomplished and realizes there are many women out there who would love to be in her place. To them, she has these words of advice:
“Keep practicing, dancing and cheerleading of course, but also try and be the best person you can be. Because whether you are a Pats cheerleader or not, at the end of the day you need to be proud of yourself knowing that you have done your very best.”
