By Steve Mazzucchi
Esquire
After a late-night blowout to Pittsburgh, a Broncos pom-pom shaker discusses what to read, where to ski, and how losing can sometimes be a good thing.
Perhaps it was only a matter of time. After conquering off-season controversy and galloping to a 6-0 start, the Broncos have buckled, following up last week’s blowout loss with a 28-10 defeat on Monday night at the hands — and legs — of the Steelers. While Ben Roethlisberger was finding Steelers all over the field, so was Kyle Orton, who tossed three picks, including one that backup safety Tyrone Carter ran back 48 yards for a score. Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall’s 155 yards on the ground versus 27 total for Denver didn’t help, either.
Still, fifth-year cheerleader Romi Bean remains confident in boy wonder/Belichick protégé/hoodie aficionado Josh McDaniels’s troops. The current University of Colorado student, prolific reader (“I just finished Firms of Endearment, this business book about successful companies that do things against the norm, like paying really high wages”), and future Adam Schefter (“I would love to be an ESPN reporter — that’s my dream”), tells us why Broncos fans have every reason to ignore the neigh-sayers.
ESQUIRE: So far this season, we’ve talked to an Amy, a Kelli, a Brandi, and a Casie. You have a very uncheerleader-like name. What’s the origin?
ROMI BEAN: I was actually born in Johannesburg, South Africa — my family moved to Colorado when I was two — and there are plenty of Romys there. My mom wanted to be different, so she spelled it with an “i.” Growing up, people were always joking, “Where’s Michelle?” but I’m Romi, not Romy. I haven’t been back to South Africa in years, but it’s beautiful. I really want to go back for the World Cup next year.
ESQ: So what went wrong on the American football field tonight?
RB: I think it was just a tough game. We played our hearts out, but the Steelers were fast, big, and just a little more fired up; they really came to play and didn’t let one little thing get past them. Seriously, they are massive. I was looking at one guy on the sidelines and thinking, “What size is that shirt?” Also, we are known for being a second-half team, and the Steelers came prepared. They were like, “Nope, not gonna happen tonight.”
ESQ: Kyle “Jay Cutler Trade Afterthought” Orton has been fantastic for most of the season. But after just one interception through the first seven games, he had three in this one. What happened?
RB: It looked like the Pittsburgh D was just barreling over our line. The Steelers defensive line is just as big if not bigger than our O-line, and that was probably our biggest challenge. I felt like Orton was getting rushed and forced to scramble out of the pocket a lot more this game. The past few games, he’s had a lot more time. But he’s improved a ton throughout the season, and you have to make those mistakes. I mean, Brett Favre has the touchdown record, but he also has the interception record, right?
ESQ: With the recent addition of Ty Law, the Broncos now have three multi-time Pro Bowlers in the secondary, yet Roethlisberger torched them for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns in the second half. Did they slip, or is he just that good?
RB: The defense played really strong and got a couple of turnovers — Andre Goodman had an awesome interception — but I give the Steelers a huge amount of credit. They outplayed us. I think Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins can go back on this and ground themselves and see what they need to work on. There is still so much talent in our defensive line and secondary, if they can get back to basics, they can be amazing.
ESQ: Do you think the fact that the offense couldn’t hold the ball in the second half (less than seven minutes of possession) left the defense tired?
RB: They’ve always stuck it out to the very end, but they definitely got tired. Plus, Pittsburgh was fresh off their bye week, they got Polamalu back, and they were ready to rock and roll.
ESQ: Can it actually help to lose a few games during the season?
RB: I do think it’s good to lose sometimes. The bubble needs to burst — that’s how you learn and get better. There’s always some team that goes 13-3 and then gets crushed by some wild-card team in the playoffs. When you lose, you really start to study those tapes and get faster and quicker and become everything you want to be. I think that Coach McDaniels really knows how to take those losses. If you utilize them, it can really benefit you. Also, when you haven’t lost, everybody is asking, “When will they fall?” Now that’s out of the way.
ESQ: Okay, totally unrelated, but you grew up in Colorado, so we have to ask: Where do you like to ski?
RB: I love Vail. It’s amazing. Aspen’s great, but it’s really expensive. I’ve been skiing since I was four and I like to rip it up, but I can’t during the football season. Once it ends, I try to make the most of the snow. But I’d rather the season go into February and not get as much skiing in.
The 2009 Minnesota Viking s Cheerleader Survivor Contest is down to the Final Nine. Cast your vote!
[Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders]
Today is the 91st Anniversary of the Armistice that ended WWI. Most people only notice Veterans Day, when they realize the banks are closed or the mail didn’t get delivered.
And even fewer remember the abomination in the 70s when Veterans Day was actually celebrated in October?!?
So today take some time out celebrate all the men and women who have served and thank a veteran for their sacrifice.
Here’s the list of Cheerleaders in the military out of the archives and on the front page to give it the prominence it deserves.
Adriana – United States Air Force- Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Ambassadors
After graduating high school Adrianna enlisted in the U.S Air Force and she has been been proudly serving on active duty for eight years. She’s also currently pursuing a degree in Veterinary Medicine.
April – United States Army – Baltimore Blast Cheerleaders – Chesapeake Tidal Wave Dance Team – Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Ambdassadors
April is an 8-year member of the US Army. She initially joined the military in 1998 as an Financial Analyst and has had the opportunity to visit places such as Korea, Canada, Germany, Hawaii, Japan and various places across the U.S. From repelling out of helicopters and to qualifying on various assault weapons, to providing her fellow soldiers with financial management assistance, her tenure in the military has been nothing short of rewarding.
April’s decision to join the Army came with her aspiration to give back society and to do something totally different from what her family and friends had done after graduating high school. She has to admit, it was a bit terrifying but was nonetheless confident in her decision. April believed that it would yield a great reward in the end and what was once a sacrifice, has turned into a window of opportunity and a remarkable experience!
While April’s tenure in the Army is approaching an end, one thing she will definitely take with her on her life’s next chapter is a profound outlook on life! “We have so much to be thankful for in life and sometimes it’s taken for granted. My time in the military has taught me a lot and I have learned to embrace all that I am blessed with, and WITHOUT.”
April is a graduate of the Univ. of Maryland with a degree in Business Administration, as well as a degree in Management. She was a 2 year veteran of the MISL Champions, the Baltimore Blast and was co-captain for the 2005-2006 season.
Carla- United States Navy – Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders
According to Carla’s bio at from the Falcons website::
I joined the Navy after college to be a fighter pilot. After going to OCS, they threw me out because I couldn’t figure out how to take a shower and get ready in fewer than five minutes. Just kidding! I actually had poor depth perception which eliminated me from the flight program.
Danielle – United States Marine Corps – Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
Danielle cheered for the Eagles in 2007. She’s a Psychology student at Philadelphia University and plays in a band.
Erin – United States Army Reserve – Buffalo Jills
Erin is a graduate of Buffalo State College. She served was a Sergeant and nine-year veteran of the US Army Reserve and served in Gulf War I. She represented the Buffalo Jills at the 2002 Pro Bowl. Erin is now a coach with the NLL Buffalo Bandettes
Jana – United States Air Force – Oakland Raiderettes
Originally from Sulphur, Louisiana, Jana attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College, in Wesson, Mississippi, where she began working on a degree in business management. She is a member of the United States Air Force and is involved in the Air Force Sergeants Association, the “Voice of the Enlisted.” Jana currently works as a radiology technologist at a military hospital. 2007 is her second year with the Raiderettes.
Read more about Jana here.
Update: In April of 2008 Jana deployed to Afghanistan.
Jany – United States Navy – San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush
Born in Brazil, Jany grew up in San Francisco and learned tap, ballet and jazz. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1998 with a mathematics degree and earned her wings in 2000 as a P-3 pilot. While at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., she decided to try out for the cheerleading team, using her free time, with the Navy’s permission. Jany cheered for the 49ers for 2 seasons. She represented the Gold Rush at the 2005 Pro Bowl.
More on Jany here.
Jessica – United States Air Force Reserve – United States Navy – Washington Redskins Cheerleaders Ambassadors
Jessica was enlisted in the Air Force for nearly 4 years, and then received a direct commission as an officer in the Navy.
Back when she was with the Air Force Jessica said ittaught her so many lessons that she carries with her in her civilian life, and has really shown her what she’s made of. Prior to trying out for the Ambassador team, she was impressed with the Redskins organization because of all of their involvement with USO tours and other military support. She knew that this is something she wanted to be a part of.
More on Jessica: She was named one of the “50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill.”
Jessica – United States Navy – Buffalo Bandettes
Jessica enlisted after high school and spent four years (2003-07) on active duty in the Navy, six months of it as a boatswain’s mate aboard the USS Carl Vinson.
Talking about her time in the service Jessica says, “I dropped anchor, moored the ropes to the piers, was in force protection and stood watch with a .50 caliber. I’d stand watches all over the ship and worked transferring cargo and fuel from ship to ship. We were on a support mission and our planes did go to Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Jessica is in the Individual Ready Reserves until 2010 and could be called up at any time.
Kelly – United States Air Force – Buffalo Jills
Kelly served nine and a half years of active duty for the Air Force.
Marcia – United State Marine Corps – Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders
Marcia was a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader for 4 years (1998-2001), a Captain and a member of the Showteam. Marcia says, “After my husband and kids, the Marine Corps and Cheerleading are the two best things to ever happen to me.”
Marisa – New York Air National Guard – Buffalo Jills
Marisa is a senior airman with the security forces squadron of the 107th Air Refueling Wing. She was also a Buffalo Jill for the 2000 and 2003 seasons. Marisa was the cover model for the Jills 2000-2001 Swmisuit Calendar.
Marisa cheers, reads, pours and rides.
Mark – Maryland Army National Guard – Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders
Mark is a Captain in the Maryland Army National Guard. He was a six-time Baltimore Ravens Cheerleader before his unit was activated and he shipped out to Iraq.
Read more about Mark here and here.
Michelle – United States Army Reserve – Baltimore Colts Cheerleaders
Michelle is the first woman and first African-American command sergeant major of the Army Reserve. She cheered for the Baltimore Colts sometime prior to 1984.
More on Michelle here.
Nicole – Minnesota Air National Guard – Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
Nicole served six years in the Air National Guard. She 2nd runner-up in Miss Minnesota USA 2008.
Rachel – US Army ROTC – Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders
Rachel is currently (2008) in her second season with the Eagles Cheerleaders. She is a Cadet in The US Army ROTC Program at Drexel University where she is studying History and Political Science. When she’s not cheering Rachel says she can be found doing pushups for the army. Earlier this year Rachel went to Fort Benning in Georgia for Airborne training and she now has her jump wings.
Rachel – United States Navy – Washington Redskins Cheerleaders
Rachel graduated from James Madison University with a BS in Nursing. Earlier this year she was deployed to Afghanistan.
Rebecca – Canadian Forces Air Command – Winnipeg Blue Lightning
Rebecca is an Air Traffic Controller for the Canadian Armed Forces. She was recently stationed in Winnipeg and wanted to make a special connection with her new community. Rebecca says that becoming a cheerleader seemed to be an excellent way to meet people, become involved in the community and have an opportunity to dance and perform at the same time. Rebecca cheered for Winnipeg during the 2006 season.
Shanna – United States Air Force – San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush
Shanna is an Integrated Avionics Technician at Travis Air Force base. Ironically even though she’s an airman she has a fear of flying.
Shanna cheered for the 49ers for the 2006 season.
Read more about Shanna here.
Stacy – United States Air Force – Virginia Lady Royal’s Dance Team
Stacy was born and raised in Montana. After 2 years of college in Wyoming, she enlisted in the US Air Force. She served four years honorably before working as a civilian for the Department of the Air Force. She now works for the Presidential Helicopter Program. She has over 15 years of dance and cheerleading experience and was a member of the 2006 Lady Royal’s dance team; dancers for the Virginia Kings Minor League football team.
If we’ve left anyone of this list, please let us know!
Another look at the Bucs Cheerleaders retro look:
And the inspiration for this look does indeed go all the way back to 1976:
Photos courtesy of our good friend Buccaneers Cheerleading & Mascot Manager Sandy Charboneau who tells us she’s thrilled with the way the throwback uniforms turned out.
[Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders]
Maxim changes gears this week from the NFL to NBA with a look at the NBA Denver Snuggest Dancers.
[Nuggets Dancers at Maxim]
By Kate Rourke
Milford Daily News
A local college student has integrated her love of service with her home-team spirit in becoming one of the Boston Bruins’ newest Ice Girls.
Jessica Thompson of Hopedale made the Bruins Ice Girls team and can be seen on the ice during Bruins games at the TD Garden this winter.
“I had applied on a whim,” Thompson laughed. “I didn’t think much of it. I never thought I would get the job.”
After mailing in the application to join the squad, she was called to try out. Four girls were chosen out of the 15 who were called back for auditions. The selections were made at the discretion of Beth Anthony, the Bruins Promotion Coordinator.
“I went to the final auditions expecting there would be a lot of girls there, and a lot of competition, and there wasn’t, which made it even more nerve racking,” Thompson explained.
Mary Angilly of West Brookfield was also chosen to join the team with Thompson this season. Angilly said the team is misunderstood by many fans looking in from the outside.
“We aren’t cheerleaders, we are team ambassadors,” Angilly said. “We don’t dance on the ice. We stay really, really classy that way.”
The group serves a whole other purpose in the greater Boston area.
“We do a lot behind the scenes that people don’t realize,” Angilly explained. “It’s about public service and charity work. We just want to help the community.”
This year, the Ice Girls are planning to step their game up even more when it comes to helping their fans.
“We are planning on doing a lot of community service this year. I do a lot community service on my own so I think it is wonderful,” Thompson said.
Thompson, a criminal justice and fire science major at the University of New Haven, wants to use her time in Boston to be a good example to her fans. Leading comes naturally to Thompson, who held a prominent position in the Greek system at New Haven and gained experience from participating in the school’s ROTC program.
“I just do my best to carry myself as a good role model for young girls. They need to see us as approachable,” Thompson said. “It has benefited me to see how much the fans appreciate us. Everyone wins.”
Helping the public is one thing that Angilly, a psychology and biology dual major at Northeastern, is very familiar with. Last summer, during a non-profit charity dialogue in South Africa, Angilly realized her true passion for helping those in need.
“I am really interested in charity work and I have done a lot of public service,” Angilly said. “I want to help while I am in Boston.”
I am pretty sure everyone’s familiar with thus inform the Eagles Cheerleaders have been wearing since 2003.
Priscilla
I believe it is referred to as their “summer” uniform.
Devan
Then when the weather turns a little cold, they break out the “autumn” uniform and switch to black sneakers.
Heather
Lora with the optional half-sweater
And then when it’s really cold they break out the “winter” uniform:
Maria
[Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders]
Previous results:
By Mary Kearl
AOLHealth.com
You may have heard news reports about 25-year-old Desiree Jennings, the girl with the severe reaction to the seasonal flu shot. Her symptoms — the inability to walk forward, but the ability to run forward and walk backwards — even appeared as Google Trends, with searches related to her condition. Some believed it was all just a hoax. Her story is garnering celebrity attention, too — Generation Rescue, the organization founded by Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy to raise awareness about health and safety issues related to vaccines — has reached out to support Jennings.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advises against getting a flu shot if you’ve ever had a severe allergic reaction to eggs or to a previous flu shot. Additionally, if you have a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome — a condition which includes symptoms of fever, nerve damage and muscle weakness — that occurred after receiving influenza vaccine, you shouldn’t get the seasonal flu shot. The risk of “serious harm” or death from a flu shot, the CDC’s Web site explains, “is extremely small. However, a vaccine, like any medicine, may rarely cause serious problems, such as severe allergic reactions. Almost all people who get influenza vaccine have no serious problems from it.”
Jennings, a Northern Virginian and AOL Employee (Full disclosure: This reporter and Desiree Jennings have never worked together before this interview.), who was healthy, training for a half marathon and a Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador preparing to become a cheerleader, never suspected the health complications she is living with now. She is suffering from acute, viral post immunization encephalopathy and mercury toxicity with secondary respiratory and neurological deficits, which she believes is the direct result of the seasonal vaccination she received from her local grocery store chain in August 2009.
Initial reports and diagnoses indicated Jennings had dystonia, a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions that are sometimes painful. But, as of the most recent interview, Jennings’s treating physician believes she has acute, viral post immunization encephalopathy, or a disease of the brain that alters brain function or structure and can include memory loss and personality changes.
In an interview with AOL Health, Jennings, she explains her diagnosis and how her life is forever changed. Watch the video below to hear Jennings talk about her condition.
AOL Health: How were you feeling before you got your seasonal flu shot this year? What motivated you to get it?
Desiree Jennings: I was feeling great, very strong and healthy. I had just started training for a half marathon and was up to about seven miles by the time I went to get a flu shot.
I was motivated by a health program at work that rewards employees for doing health-smart things like working out, getting your cholesterol checked and receiving the flu shot each year.
AOL Health: How did you feel in the initial hours and days after receiving it?
Jennings: After [getting] the shot on August 23, with the exception of a sore arm, I felt fine over the next nine days. On day 10, and on my two-year wedding anniversary, I became very ill with a fever, painful body aches and nausea. From that day forward, everything quickly went down hill.
AOL Health: Can you describe your symptoms and some of the “workarounds” you’ve found helpful in overcoming/minimizing them?
Jennings: The symptoms started with the inability to talk and walk normally. At first, the walking and talking were manageable. Most of the time I could use sensory tricks [such as] touching my chin to talk or touching my left leg to walk, or walking backwards/sideways. But, as each day passed the sensory tricks slowly began to stop working as did the backwards/sideways walking.
That is when I began to notice that stimuli, such as a loud noise, bright lights, reading, or even eating, would worsen the symptoms and throw me into violent convulsions. The symptoms continued to worsen and my health deteriorated even further to the point where I could not move my tongue to eat without going into a convulsion or seizure.
AOL Health: You’ve been very public about your symptoms and what happened to you since taking a flu shot. Why has that been important to you?
Jennings: I am a very open person to begin with and I believe that having that openness towards my symptoms and experiences not only helped me get answers to my questions and a diagnosis, but will hopefully help educate and provide hope for other people in similar situations.
AOL Health: There have been some rumors online about people wondering if your symptoms and one of your initial diagnoses, dystonia, have all been a fraud. How have you reacted?
Jennings: I have been appalled to say the least. I have even received threatening e-mails from another well-known person suffering from dystonia. I have never heard of the disabled harassing the disabled.
I was a couple months away from a promotion at work, had just made the Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador team, was celebrating my two year wedding anniversary and had recently paid off all credit card debt and car loans. My perfect life has now been completely turned upside down. I am now on short-term disability, my paychecks have been cut, and will be cut again in a few weeks, and we are paying thousands in out of pocket medical costs. What incentive would a person have to completely change their life for the worse? I always told myself that if I ever were to become well-known it would be for something I accomplished, being the fastest runner or best editor and writer, not for being the most injured or a one-in-a-million victim. That is not an accomplishment, in my opinion, it’s a failure.
AOL Health: How has your work and home life changed since getting the flu shot?
Jennings: It has been turned upside down. I worry that I may never be able to return back to my career that I have cultivated, grown and cherished since I was 18 years old. And my home life is a frenzy of activity and stress — dealing with appointments, treatment options and media, all while simply trying to find normalcy in my new day-to-day activities.
AOL Health: Has your idea of your future changed?
Jennings: My idea of the future had definitely changed. All the things I worked so hard to accomplish and obtain now seem mundane and meaningless in the whole scheme of things. This injury has opened my eyes to so many things I was too busy to stop and pay attention to before. I have received so many letters and e-mails from people I have never met that speak of similar injuries and neurological issues and my heart goes out to each one of them. I wish I could just get better so I can help them.
