By Natalie Peut
Townsville Bulletin
A new name, a new costume and new flavour will be seen centre-stage at Dairy Farmers Stadium as the North Queensland Cowboys cheer-squad kick-starts their season.
The new-look cheer-squad `The Spirit’ will take to the field providing exciting routines, while encouraging the crowd to get behind their favourite team.
The squad formerly known as `The Hotsquad’ has reformed with the squad doubling in size and providing more exciting routines in the genres of American-style cheerleading, jazz, funk and rock.
SPIRIT … Carolyn Peterson and Renee Harvey are excited about the year aheadExperienced cheerleader Carolyn Peterson, who has been cheering for 11 years, was excited about the first home-game where the new squad will showcase their talent on March 21.
“We’ve been training pretty hard, four and half hours per week plus our own fitness and we can’t wait for the first game in a couple of weeks,” Carolyn said.
“We are pretty much ready, we just have to make sure we nail our routines, but I think it’s going to be an exciting season.”
The size of the squad has increased to 30 girls, with five different choreographers providing fresh and modern routines for the squad.
There will be fresh blood in the squad this season with only 10 girls from the old group returning.
“There is a lot of good young talent, I think the youngest is 18 and the oldest is 26,” Carolyn said.
“It’s good to have new girls there, they are keen and motivated about the new season and that’s what we want.”
National Cheerleading Australia and Cheersport North Queensland director Lyn Parker will manage the group. She said the new squad will showcase the girls’ athleticism and fitness while firing up the crowd.
[North Queensland Cowboys Cheerleaders]
By Lee Warren
BPSports.com
God designed women to be encouragers. That’s what Tina Gaa-Pulley believes, so it seemed only natural for someone whose first dance recital took place when she was 3 and who started her own dance school when she was 16 to become an NFL Cheerleader one day.
Of course, nothing in life is ever quite that simple.
While she loved to dance as a little girl, she had her sights set on playing basketball when she was in the eighth grade in Maryville, Mo., when a providential event occurred in her life. A couple of days before tryouts, as she was practicing with the other girls, she broke her thumb, forcing her to wear a metal brace and limiting her ability to shoot the ball.
When tryouts rolled around, she couldn’t hit a shot, and she didn’t make the team. While she says she was crushed, she did what came natural to her.
“I went to go watch them play their first game, and I stood up and started cheering for them,” Gaa-Pulley said. “I started a cheerleading squad. I ended up going to every game. I was the only one cheering, but by the end of the year, we had a couple of people and that’s how it all started.”
Even though she was considered small and disproportionate, she was the first alternate on the dance team the next season. She excelled there, becoming an All-American. She went on to perform in the Aloha Bowl, the Hula Bowl and the USA Spirit Squad.
She attended Northwest Missouri State University and was on the dance team there as well. The Bearcat Steppers were fourth in the nation during her junior year. She decided to forgo her senior season to start a wellness company with some of her professors, thinking that health and wellness would be her next step in life.
In 1993, she moved to Tampa for a job, and at the suggestion of a friend, she tried out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleading squad. She didn’t make the team initially, but somebody quit and it opened up an opportunity for her. She says she “cheered like I made it.”
Something else was going on in her life at that time. She had always gone to church, but she didn’t really know Jesus. She attended a worship service in Tampa and it stirred her soul — challenging her to live out the faith on a daily basis. Knowing she didn’t possess the type of faith the pastor spoke about bothered her — so much so that she never went back to church while she was in Tampa.
“I did not honor God during that year of my life,” Gaa-Pulley said. “I used [my position as an NFL cheerleader] for greed, pride, fame, for signing autographs, for getting into clubs, for the glitz and glory if it, for me. It was the glorification of me.”
She moved to Idaho for graduate school, got married, had two boys and then endured a divorce. One day in 2002, one of her sons asked her who Jesus was. She couldn’t answer his question, so she took her children to church to find out. She heard the gospel and says she was redeemed in an instant.
She decided to move back to the Kansas City area and immediately got active in a church there. She and her family — she’s newly re-married — are now members of Heartland Community Church in Overland Park. As she grew in the faith, she couldn’t escape the growing feeling that she was supposed to tryout for the Kansas City Chiefs’ cheerleading squad, knowing that if she got another shot, she would do things differently this time. She made the team in 2005, at age 32, and she began to pour herself into the other cheerleaders.
She only cheered for the Chiefs for one season, but the impact she made can be heard in these written words from a fellow cheerleader: “I love being around you just for the simple fact that I feel like you boost my spirit and morale. The way you talk about God is phenomenal …” Another cheerleader wrote, “You’re such a strong Christian woman. You inspire me to be a better person.”
In a sense, she became a cheerleader for cheerleaders, and it didn’t end after she stopped cheering for the Chiefs. She is still mentoring, coaching and speaking to Chiefs cheerleaders. She has written curriculum for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ Cheer Camp. And recently she started putting together a professional cheerleaders association in hopes of connecting cheerleaders in all sports. She’s also writing a book to cheer women through their daily struggles.
Recently she attended a Chiefs game in which they were losing handily, and even that gave her motivation to continue to cheer others on.
“By the end of the third quarter, the sea of red had become the sea of red heading out of the stadium,” Gaa-Pulley said. “People were angry — yelling profanities and getting emotional. I looked down at the cheerleaders and was reminded of what a blessing they are. They still had their smiles and they continued to dance and cheer as if nothing had changed. They knew the score, but that didn’t stop them from cheering — even in the fourth quarter. They stood by their team no matter what.
“What if we did that in our families, in our communities, in our careers, in our faith? What if we began to act our way into right feeling rather than feel our way into right action?
“It was a challenge to get off the sidelines and cheer like this in every aspect of life.”
Amanda, Justina, and Erin M
Photos and video of the Bandettes at their most recent game over at Phil’s blog.
The CIFL kicks off its season tonight. In Chicago the Slaughter are hosting the Milwaukee Bonecrushers, and the dance team, The Slaughter Girls, are excited to start cheering for their team.
The Slaughter Girls are under the direction of Wynne Lacey.Wynne’s previous experience includes five years as a dancer and captain in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. During that time she danced and captained with the AFL’s Chicago Rush Adrenaline Rush dance team.
Last Saturday I made my first trip ever to NYC’s historic Madison Square Garden, which I will admit I found impressive. The New York Titans were hosting the Calgary Roughnecks. It was another chance to shoot the Titans Dance Team, The Sirens. And I ran into some old friends as well.
Doris during a pre-game walk through
Opening performance
Amanda during player introductions
Sirens take the field
Danielle flips
Here are some former Phildaelphia Soulmates I ran into at the game. Second from left is Lindsay Rodolico. In the center is Lauren and on the far right is Gemma. So the question is what’s are these Philly Girls doing at MSG?
Well, it seems after the Arena League suspended the 2009 season the Junior Soulmates reorganized themselves as the Platinum All-Star Dance Team. They were booked to perform at half-time. The dancers are in high demand. They’ll be performing at Sixers and Phillies games and maybe even at NASCAR in Dover.
Director Christie Kirk and some of the Sirens in a fun shot.
More photos here. The lights are dimmed when the Siren perform, although there is a spotlight. Nevertheless, I didn’t get many good action shots.
The Baltimore Lady Mariners are having not one, but two calendar release parties: Friday, March 13th at Mosaic Night Club and Lounge and Friday, March 20th at Angels Rock Bar. Both locations are in Baltimore. Not only will fans have a chance to pick up the hot-of-the-presses calendar, they can watch the Lady Mariners perform as well.
Lady Mariners Director Audra Weaver was a bit secretive about the calendar telling us, “It’s a swimsuit calendar, but with a twist!” She says it’s definitely going to be something new and fun.
The teams takes the field for the first time Sunday, March 15th with new uniforms and we’re promised plenty of surprises all season long.
First the sad news:
Two retiring captains, a pair of seven-year vets: 2005 Pro Bowl Rep Jamie and Kelly.
And now the 2009-10 Captains and Co-Captains:
Captains Omarlla (10th year), Eileen (10th Year),
Nicole (6th year)
Co-Captains Katie (6th year), Christina (4th year), Jill (3rd year)
Ambassador Squad:
Captain Danielle (4th year) and Co-Captain Keisha (3rd year)
All the details at Phil’s Jills and Bandettes Blog.
Jills Auditions are Sunday, March 29th.
sRealtor and mom of three finds time to dance for the Bombshells
From NLL.com
Being a mother of three is a full-time job in itself. Stealth Bombshell Jennifer still finds time away from motherhood to do something she loves: dance. She may be a rookie to the Bombshells, but she is no stranger to the world of dance.
Jennifer has spent time in her dancing career as a member of the San Jose Saberkittens (Arena Football League) and the San Diego Wildfire (American Basketball Association). She’s been a dancer and cheerleader most of her life, and also a hip-hop dance instructor as part of a children’s after school program.
She heard about the opportunity to try out for the Stealth dance team and jumped at the chance. She had taken some time off from her dance career to spend time raising her family, and really wanted to show her three boys a side of her other than “mom”. She had always been a fan of lacrosse and was excited about working with the Stealth. “I love the intensity of the game and of course, the awesome fans!”
Outside of dancing and being a mom, Jennifer is also a realtor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Child and Family Development. A native of Southern California, she enjoys vacationing in San Diego, Calif., as well as her husband’s native country, Nicaragua.
“Being with the Stealth has been such a wonderful experience so far,” she says. “I am blessed to be a part of such an amazing, diverse group of women and do what I am most passionate about: Dance! Go Stealth!”
Like the poster says, the Sixers Dancers battled the Wings Angels in a Bowl Off last Friday at Pinsetter Bar & Bowl in Pennsauken, NJ. The winning team would donate tickets for a future Philadelphia 76ers or Wings game to local womens’ charities in the Philadelphia region. A team of fans/bowlers would also get the chance to face off against the winners.
Both Dance Teams pose for a photo before the competition begins.
Janeen in introduced
Jessica
Lauren concentrates
Lanes 17 & 18 were the center of attraction for the evening.
The Sixers win the Bowl-Off, 531-389. This prompted Sixers Head Coach Christian Naven to suggest that her dancers should take on the Phillies Ball Girls on the bowling lanes instead of the softball field in the future.
Another shot of Janeen
The rest of the photos here.
The Sonics may have left Seattle, but the WNBA Storm are still in town, and next month they are holding auditions for the Storm Dance Troupe.
Auditions are for boys and girls, ages 5-15 with experience in hip hop and jazz and have tons of energy and charisma! There are three rounds of auditions and the finals will be held for the public to see on Saturday, April 18th. Directed by former Sonics Dancer Sheena Shive, the Storm Dance Troupe performs at all WNBA Storm home games and has been a highlight for Storm Fans since 2000.
I don’t know how many 5-15 year-olds we have reading the blog, but if you’re a Seattle-area dance teacher or instructor and know some kids who might be interested be sure to pass this info along.
