From Fox5 San Diego
Former Charger girl, Lyly Koenig-Mendez, lost her battle to breast cancer on January 20, 2015 in Houston, Texas.
“After hearing the bad news of not being able to treat her for the breast cancer which had metastasized to her liver and had spread… we decided it was best to spend the rest of the time with family,” James Mendez, Lyly’s husband, said Monday.
Mendez, who many described as the life of the party, spent six years cheering in the NFL. Five of those years was spent with the St. Louis Rams. From 2001 to 2002, she cheered for the San Diego Chargers, where she met her best friend, former Charger girl, Tracey Lackovich.
Lackovich recalled what she remembered of Mendez during their time in camp, “[Lyly was] always so happy go lucky. So fun. Her high pitched voice coming into practice, having nicknames for everyone.”
She continued on to say Mendez was a true fighter.
“[Lyly was] like a rock. You wouldn’t even know she was sick… I’m just overwhelmed at the amount of people Lyly has influenced. She clearly left a lasting impression in the hearts and the minds of so many women,” Lackovich said.
Mendez was an orphan from Vietnam. She was rescued in “Operation Baby Lift” in the 1970’s. Camp Pendleton received the orphans rescued by the U.S. military during that time. That’s where her family adopted Lyly, then raised her in a town outside of St. Louis, Missouri.
Mendez’s battle with cancer was brutal. It started in 2006 when she was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer. After treatment, she was clear of cancer just one year after diagnosis.
In 2009, she was diagnosed with recurrent breast cancer.
“The time it attached to her rib cage, at her sternum,” her husband said.
Following more rounds of chemotherapy and radiation followed as well as surgery, she was said to be cancer free.
Soon after, she was a new bride to James Mendez of the U.S. Army. However, the day he was deployed to Kuwait in 2012, Lyly discovered she had Stage IV cancer that had spread to her bones, liver, lungs and lymph nodes.
One of her final requests before she passed was to have her ashes released in her birthplace of Vietnam, as well as her two favorite beach towns, including San Diego and Miami.The 40th anniversary of “Operation Baby Lift” is scheduled for the end of March, which is when her family hopes to bring her ashes to Vietnam to be reunited with her brothers and sisters. A fundraising website has been set up to help her family make that wish a reality.
From WESA.fm
Most teachers will watch the Super Bowl at home, cracking open a beer maybe, or yelling at their flat-screen TVs. Lauren Schneider will be right there on the sidelines, cheering on Tom Brady and her team just feet from the action.
Schneider, a middle school health and fitness instructor at Wellesley Middle School in Wellesley, Mass., is also a member of the New England Patriots cheerleading squad.
It’s a gig she’s always wanted — her mom likes to say she “came out dancing,” and she just never stopped.
For eight years, Schneider went on countless auditions — each year vying for a spot on the Patriots’ or Celtics’ squads. Each year, she came up short. She says she eventually took a year off to regroup, train and build her confidence for a final attempt at her dream.
Last year, when the final selections were posted online, it was her father who called to tell her the news: She had made it.
Schneider remembers her first game under the bright lights of Gillette Stadium was filled with surreal “pinch me” moments. Schneider knew that with cheerleading, where injuries are common, any moment could be her last. And next year, if she wants to be part of the team again, she’ll have to audition and win her place all over again — a team policy.
The Super Bowl marks the end of Schneider’s first year of professional cheerleading — a complicated year of balancing both professional lives.
“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster this year,” Schneider says.
She believes it’s a good thing it took her more than one audition to make the team. Handing the responsibilities of being a new teacher was challenging enough.
With the Super Bowl ending late on Sunday night, for the first time this year Schneider will have to miss class the next day.
But she planned ahead: “I haven’t taken a personal day all year.”
So on Sunday, in between your second helping of wings and the debates over which commercial was the best — keep your eye out for the blond-haired teacher cheering, smiling and soaking in every moment on the field.
Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador Caitlin at the Sideline Prep Workshop on Saturday
It’s the busy season for our good friend Sandy Charboneau. Her Pro Tour Productions has 6 (count’em 6!) overseas military tours going for Super Bowl Week. Sandy shared with us the promo cards from each trip.
[Pro Tour Productions on Facebook]
REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS
Auditions are open to candidates 18 years of age and older, as of March 21, 2015 who will receive a high school diploma or equivalent by the end of June 2015.
All applicants selected for the 2015 cheerleading squad must be able to travel to EverBank Field for all Jaguars home games and rehearsals.
All applicants must attend at least one audition class prior to auditioning with the option to attend additional classes for an additional fee.
Applicants must complete online registration and submit payment by Friday, March 6th.
AUDITION SCHEDULE
Audition Classes:
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m)
and/or
Wednesday, March 18, 2015(7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m)
and/or
Thursday, March 19, 2015 (7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m)
(All applicants must attend at least one audition class prior to auditioning with the option to attend additional classes for an additional fee.)
PRELIMINARY AUDITIONS
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Check-in opens at 9:00 a.m.
(Approximately 3 hours)
(All interested audition candidates must be checked in by 9:30 a.m. to participate in the audition process. Those selected to advance to the semifinal audition will be identified at the conclusion of the preliminary audition.)
[Complete Audition Information]
A Baltimore Blast Cheerelader from Saturday night’s game.
From 49erswebzone.com
Melissa Galvin, the popular former San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleader and more recently, one of the hosts of 49ers Total Access, has passed away Saturday night after battling breast cancer for a second time.
Galvin’s mother battled breast cancer and just six months after she passed, Galvin learned of her diagnoses.
49ers CEO Jed York tweeted out the news last night.
She was first diagnosed in 2011 after discovering a lump while breastfeeding her daughter.
Galvin was part of the Gold Rush squad from 2000 until 2005 and remained a mainstay on the sidelines during games helping to coordinate field events. Her public battle against breast cancer did a tremendous amount to raise awareness through her own fundraisers and was featured during the NFL’s breast cancer awareness campaign which runs every October.
Galvin, who was 34, leaves behind husband Patrick Dobson and two young children, Stella and Brady. She was a Stockton resident and ran Dance Xtreme, a local dance studio.
Read more at http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/79554-former-49ers-rush-cheerleader-melissa-galvin-passes-cancer/#xykXFt3L7vzxzujX.99
By Marla Toncray
Maysville Online
For Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleader Tina Rigdon, offering support to American men and women serving overseas is something she is extremely proud of.
Rigdon, who has been on the Ben-Gals squad four years, is one of four National Football League cheerleaders selected by Protour Productions to travel to Japan to meet and greet service men and women serving with the U.S. Army. The other women cheer for the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans.
Selection was made by each team’s cheer squad coach. Protour Productions coordinates the tour each year to promote the NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl.
Rigdon will leave Tuesday for a nine day tour that will take her to a U.S. Army Base Camp Zama, near Tokyo Japan.
During her tour, Rigdon will not only meet with military personnel at Camp Zama, but will also travel to outlying areas of Japan to meet with other U.S. servicemen and woman serving in isolated areas of the country.
“The purpose is to lift spirits and improve morale,” said Rigdon. “I love the fact they picked me and I think it’s awesome. I’m so proud to be an American.”
Before she leaves, Rigdon has been responsible for learning five new dance routines, which will be performed for the troops. She said when she and her fellow NFL cheerleaders step off the plane, they must be “performance ready.” The trip will also include signing NFL calendars and other items, while visiting and talking with the troops about what’s happening back home and of course, the upcoming Super Bowl game, Pro Bowl and the NFL season.
“We will be there and it gives them the NFL experience,” she said.
