Congratulations Brittany Bell who was crowned Miss Arizona USA 2010 this past weekend in Mesa.
Brittany, who was competing as Miss Chandler, is a three-time Phoenix Suns Dancer (2006-09) and will go on to compete in the Miss USA Pageant on April 18th in Las Vegas.
This good news comes to us via former Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader and current Sweetheart for Soldiers Morgan Hora who was the choreographer for the pageant.
By Kathy Acosta
Jacksonville.com
Three former Jacksonville Jaguars Roar cheerleaders are giving back to the U.S. military.
Orange Park resident Melissa George, Mandarin resident Missy Metz and Southside resident Cheryl O’Brien are three of 28 members of a nonprofit, California-based organization called Sweethearts for Soldiers.
Sweethearts for Soldiers providesmorale-boosting entertainment, including singing, dancing and interactive games, for the military in the United States and abroad. The organization also produces an annual calendar for the troops. This year’s will be a World War II swimsuit-themed calendar.
To be a Sweetheart, the girls must have been cheerleaders for NFL or NBA teams and have a passion for helping the military.
Last year, O’Brien and four other girls completed a 10-day tour performing for troops in Iraq. This year is O’Brien’s second year as a Sweetheart. Her husband is in the military, allowing her to realize just how important it is to give back to the troops.
This year’s events will include Operation Rising Star this month and cheerleading camps for girls who have parents who are deployed. Operation Rising Star is an Army-based, American Idol-type contest for the troops and their families. The winner can receive a recording contract.
George, whose father was in the Navy, said the troops really appreciate them coming out because members of the military often become very involved in their everyday routines and are separated from their families.
“To have us go over there to see them have such a great reaction, it’s well worth it,” George said. “It’s the best memories of my life.”
This year will be Metz’s first year with Sweethearts. She has several family members and friends in the military.
“Our military needs to know that there are people here who are really very supportive of everything they do and very appreciative of everything they do for us,” she said.
Melissa George
Missy Metz
Cheryl O’Brien
From left to right Laura V (vet), Mandisa (vet), Jacqueline (rookie), and Anne-Marie (vet)
All photos were provided by Frank Rocco Photography
It was a rainy and cold Saturday at the Meadowlands Giants/Jets Stadium, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the hundreds of area children who came out to play in this year’s Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC Gridiron Games. The Gridiron Games is an annual event hosting all the NYC metropolitan area Big Brothers and Big Sisters – including the children they mentor.
For some of the “Littles,” this the first time they have ever left their usual urban surroundings. For many, they have never even visited a professional sports stadium – let alone have an opportunity to actually play on the field at the venue. Activities for the children included participating in various flag football tournaments and drills, playing at the “Jets Fest” (a remote play area set-up by the Jets personnel), and touring the NFL players’ locker room.
Anne-Marie leads the warm-ups
This year, the Jets Flight Crew got things started by leading the warm-ups for all the participants (that included the adults supervising and refereeing). After the national anthem was sung, Flight Crew cheerleaders taught sideline routines – as well as cheered on the numerous games played by the kids ranging in age from 6-18. Once the kids were taken up to the Press Box for a birds-eye view of the stadium, they heard motivational speeches from the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former New York Giants player Billy Taylor. Kids were also treated to an appearance from former New Orleans Saints tight end Cuncho Brown. The Flight Crew rounded out their day with a crowd pleasing hip-hop routine. The highlight of this session was a participant asking Commissioner Goodell, “Why do the Jets have cheerleaders and the Giants don’t have any?”
The Flight Crew Performs
The Flight Crew was also on hand to meet and greet the sponsored section of the games, which included lawyers playing in the afternoon football tournament that helped raise almost $200,000 for the area charity.
According to Gridiron Games chairman, James Rapp, “The cheerleaders have been such a great addition to the games since their first appearance last year. We look forward to having them be a part of this event annually.”
Flight Crew with Princess Agra
A big thanks to former Washington Redskins Cheerleader Princess Agra, who’s a sports marketing executive in NYC, for supplying us with this story and the photos.
More photos all courtesy of Frank Rocco Photography
Flight Crew Cheers
Flight Crew Performs
Flight Crew Performs
Stretching with Jacqueline
Warming up with Laura V.
Anne-Marie teaches
Jacqueline teaches
Next Thursday is the deadline for submitting your entry..
A lot of folks have asked if we are going to let them know how they did, or will we show the original color photos. The answer to both questions is yes.
In the meantime if you didn’t see the original post about the quiz, here it is again:
We’ve got a new contest and this time it’s in the form of a quiz.
Sasha went through her archives and selected 38 photos of NFL Cheerleaders throughout the years. Your job is to identify the squad. And we’re looking for complete answers. If it’s a Baltimore Colts Cheerleader and you say Colts Cheerleader or Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader, you get partial credit. Same thing if it’s a photo of the Philadelphia Eagles Liberty Belles and you answer Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders, that’s only worth half-a-point
These are all NFL squads, but not necessarily current squads. Some teams may appear more than once, or not at all. Oh, did I mention all the photos are in black and white?
The top 5 entries with the most correct answers will receive a beautiful 8×12 autographed cheerleader photo provided by our own David Tyau. To see more of David’s photos, please check out his blog, The Hottest Dance Team In The NFL. In the event of ties, a random drawing will determine the winner(s).
International readers are welcome to participate, but are ineligible for prizes. US Addresses only for winning photos. (We’ve got a budget, here!)
Send your entries, the deadline is November 19th, to me (james@procheerleaderblog.com). Send your hate mail to Sasha (sasha@procheerleaderblog.com), it was her idea to make the photos B&W.
The quiz gallery is here. (Update: I am getting entries with just the first 20 uniforms, there’s a 2nd pages with 18 more mystery uniforms)
Disclaimers:
Not affiliated with the NFL, any individual team, especially the San Diego Chargers, or e2k Sports.
Advertisers and contributors to the blog ineligible to play.
Not responsible for lost or mis-directed entries.
All judges decisions are final.
Major League Baseball’s Florida Marlins have Sideline Distractions of their own…the Marlins Mermaids! Stay tuned as Mermaid Dancer Carin chats it up, On The Flipside!
By Kevin Manahan
OregonBusiness.com
To most people, cheerleading and marketing don’t often go hand-in-hand, other than using pep rallies and bake sales to promote the high school team. Which could be why it was so interesting to hear Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders director Kelli Finglass talk about how she built the cheer team – first conceived simply as an outreach arm for the Cowboys – into a world-famous business brand that sells everything from throw blankets to yoga DVDs.
Finglass spoke at a luncheon this week for the local American Marketing Association chapter, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Northeast Portland. Finglass herself was a Cowboys Cheerleader from 1984 to 1989; she was eventually brought on as assistant director and later worked in sales and promotions for the Cowboys franchise before being hired as DCC director by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. But the Cheerleaders weren’t always an international presence; in fact, before Finglass took the job, the team was operating at a deficit, and moving the team out of the red was one of Finglass’ first challenges as director. But she succeeded in making them profitable, eventually introducing branded items like calendars to promote the team’s image and establishing dance camps and competitions — all to expand revenue streams for a group that wasn’t originally intended to be a money-maker.
But with the new branding opportunities came the temptation to over-sponsor and slap the Cheerleaders’ logo— also redesigned under Finglass — on everything. “I was very cautious, which made it a little harder for me as a brand-new marketer to figure out ways that we could create revenue without compromising the mission of the Cheerleaders,” Finglass said. And when she tried reaching out to Mattel to make a Barbie doll modeled after the Cheerleaders, she was denied for years because the company still didn’t think the team had a national appeal. It wasn’t until Finglass helped the team get its own Country Music Television reality show that a Barbie designer finally took notice two years ago; the resulting DCC doll sold out nationwide in three days. In addition to watching the cheerleaders establish themselves as go-to USO entertainers, Finglass considers the Barbie deal her biggest DCC brand achievement, especially when she looks back at the thick file of denial letters from Mattel.
Kelli (right) with DCC Choreographer Judy Trammell in 2006The cheerleaders themselves play a big part in marketing by using the DCC website and blogs to market their image and get appearances booked. Finglass is looking to further utilize sites like Facebook and Twitter as a means for all 35 Cheerleaders to interact with fans — instant virtual fan mail. She also keeps tabs on consumer feedback by braving the inbox flood and having general email messages forwarded to her personal account. “It’s time-consuming,” Finglass said, “but it’s a serious way to be more well-informed about what people are interested in and how you can apply it to marketing.” DCC even recently got a request to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show through the general email account, an opportunity that could have gotten lost in the fray if Finglass weren’t reading the messages herself.
Certainly, many cheerleading teams can’t say they’ve made enough of a mass impact to get written into Saturday Night Live skits; how did America’s Sweethearts manage to break away from the norm? One business tactic that’s helped is making DCC its own self-sustaining entity, operating largely without third parties or agencies and risking the errors that are bound to happen when outsourcing is ruled out (squad photo and calendar misprints among them). The Cheerleaders have also established themselves as a separate brand from the Cowboys, making it possible for them to support their business on their own terms — regardless of how the Cowboys fare on the field.
Some photos from recent Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders Appearances:
Last Saturday Khira and Danni-Lynn at the Deptford Best Buy
Khira is a rookie and Majoring in Fashion Merchandising and Marketing.
2nd-year on the squad for Danni-Lynn who is also Majoring in Fashion Merchandising
Last Friday Amanda C and Ayva at the Friday Night Bud Light Party in Fort Washington.
Ayva is a rookie and is Majoring in Strategic and Organizational Communications.
Amanda graduated from Towson University with a BS in Psychology. She is also profoundly deaf.
Story on Amanda when she cheered for the Baltimore Blast here.
[Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders]
Think you have what it takes to be part of the Richmond Raiders Cheer/Dance Team?
Auditions for the 2009-2010 season will be held on Friday November 27th, Saturday November 28th and Sunday November 29th, 2009!
The Richmond Raiders will be holding dance team tryouts on November 27th, 28th and 29th. The Raiders Dance Team will be the hottest dance team in Richmond area! 2009-2010 team members will perform at all home Richmond Raiders games and appear at events in and outside of Richmond area.
Open Call Audition
* Audition is closed to the public, family, and friends.
* Must be 18 yrs of age or older (high school diploma or equiv)
* All participants must be prepared to stay as late as 4:00 pm (no exceptions)
* You will not need to prepare your own performance routine.
* We recommend that you bring snacks, a water bottle, a towel, and items to freshen up.
* Participants will be judged on appearance, fitness, dance ability, style, strength and completion of movement, energy, projection, and potential.
What we’re looking for:
* Showmanship, personality, energy, and enthusiasm!
* Professionalism and maturity
* Dancers who are well spoken and can represent the Richmond Raiders in a professional manner at all times
* Dance technique and style
* Ability to pick up dance choreography quickly
* Consistent positive attitude
* Strong teamwork skills
* Physical fitness and personal appearance
* Ability and desire to commit for ONE FULL YEAR
Attire:
o Dance or athletic half-top (stomach must be showing)
o Hot pants, dance trunks, or shorts (no full or capri length pants)
o Dance sneakers, tennis shoes, or jazz shoes with non-marking soles A maximum of 16-20 team members for the 2009-20010 season
AUDITION INFORMATION:
When: Friday November 27, 2009 (1:00 pm. – 4:00pm)
Saturday November 28, 2009 (1:00 pm. – 4:00pm)
Sunday November 29, 2009 (1:00 pm. – 4:00pm)
Where: Victory Lady Fitness Centers, 9699-D West Broad Street, Glen Allen, Va. 23060
Time: Registration & Stretching- 12:30 pm-1:00 pm
Tryouts begin- 1:00 pm
Fee: $25.00 in advance, $35 the day of the tryout
Note: Will learn a 60-90 second cheer/dance routine
Must bring registration forms, copy of ID, recent full-length or head shot photo.
Download the registration form here.
For more information please email: info@richmondraidersprofootball.com
