Fourth-year veteran Amber is a Fitness and Yoga instructor.
A Brooklynette
The Colorado Ice of the Indoor Football League (IFL) is pleased to announce the open auditions for the 2015 Snow Angels Dance Team.
Audition to become a cheerleader for the Colorado Ice Indoor Football team and enjoy many numerous opportunities such as:
Make public appearances throughout Northern Colorado in support of our communities’ charitable organizations
Perform for 5,000 fans during all home games
Model for the Colorado Ice Cheerleaders’ annual calendar poster
Create memories that will last a lifetime!
Tryouts for the Colorado Ice 2015 Cheerleader Squad will begin with preliminary auditions on December 7th and January 4th at Rocky Mountain Cheer & Dance Company in Loveland, CO. Final auditions will take place on January 11th at Rocky Mountain Cheer & Dance Company. All tryouts are closed to the public.
Preliminary Auditions
Sunday, December 7th
Registration: 1:30-2pm
Finalists announced: 6pm
Sunday, January 4th
Registration: 1:30-2pm
Finalists announced: 6pm
Finals (Closed)
Sunday, January 11th
Registration: 1:30-2pm
2015 Snow Angel Dance Team announced: 4pm
[Complete Audition Information]
The NASL Fort Lauderdale Strikers Dancers, under the direction of Jeanne Wolk, have just completed their inaugural year. Even bigger things are expected in 2015. Prep classes will begin in mid-late January, with auditions in late February.
[Strikers Dancers on Facebook]
A Washington Kastles Cheerleader
From Our Sport sCentral
The New Orleans VooDoo have selected Bridget Cordes and Brittany Warden to lead the New Orleans VooDoo Dolls, the franchise’s official dance team, for the 2015 season.
In addition to Doll Directors, the VooDoo have also reached a partnership with The Duke Academy to provide weekly fitness and wellness training for the Dolls for the upcoming season.
“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Bridget and Brittany into the role of VooDoo Doll Directors,” said VooDoo General Manager Brandon Rizzuto. “Both have a passion for dance and the VooDoo Dolls that is contagious, a high-level of energy that is unmatched, and a work ethic that is tireless. I am positive that they will put together a VooDoo Doll team that will mirror their own traits and represent our organization with the utmost integrity.”
Cordes, a former New Orleans VooDoo Doll and New Orleans Honeybee, brings more than 10 years of dance experience to the franchise. Cordes was a VooDoo Doll from 2004-08, and was the first VooDoo Doll chosen by the Arena Football League to represent the New Orleans VooDoo as a member of the “Dream Team” in ArenaBowl XVIII. In addition to her selection, she was also the co-choreographer for the ArenaBowl XVIII half-time performance.
Cordes brings an immense amount of dance and cheer knowledge to the VooDoo Dolls. Throughout her career, Cordes has been a dance member and fitness leader on the television production: “Get Fit With Leslie,” a Louisiana Tumble-N-Cheer Academy assistant coach, and a dance instructor at Lydia Spreens’ Dance Dimensions. Cordes has also been a scholarship recipient to the Professional Dance Teachers Association Convention, a cast member of the Moscow State Ballet Production of the Nutcracker, and a cast member in the filming of Disney’s Wild Animal Kingdom TV special.
Cordes currently owns and operates her own bridal hair and makeup company, Bella Bride.
“It is an honor for me to have this opportunity to help lead the VooDoo Dolls, which is where my professional dance career began,” said Cordes. “My passion is dance and I am looking forward to raising the bar for the Dolls. I am also very excited about working alongside Brittany, and our upcoming tryouts.”
Warden, a three-year VooDoo Doll veteran and captain, brings not only experience, but also leadership to the VooDoo Dolls. The vibrant red-head first became a VooDoo Doll in 2011, and was named captain in 2013. She also represented the New Orleans VooDoo as a member of the Arena Football League “Dream Team” in 2013 at ArenaBowl XXVI. Warden enters her fourth year as a dancer and first year as a director alongside Cordes.
“Being a VooDoo Doll has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and to continue this awesome journey with the organization is dear to me,” said Warden. “I know that with Bridget, the sky really is the limit for us as dancers, role models and people. I cannot wait to begin our season.”
Warden is a sixth and seventh grade math teacher at Riverdale Middle School in Jefferson Parish. She also spent five years as a sign language interpreter for the Jefferson Parish Public School System. Warden also works for the Just Keep Living Foundation that is dedicated to empowering high school students to lead active lives and make healthy choices. Through this foundation, Warden is the cheerleading coach at the New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School.
In addition to new directors, the VooDoo Dolls will also be under the fitness instruction of The Duke Academy for the upcoming season. Owners Duke and Michelle Rousse will instruct weekly fitness and well-being classes for the Dolls, promoting healthy lifestyles for those chosen to the 2015 team. The Duke Academy is one of the nation’s premier athletic training institutions that has been training professional, collegiate and prep athletes for over 11 years.
“Health and fitness has always been a passion of mine. Making others feel physically and mentally stronger and finding beauty in their strength is what I strive for,” said Michelle Rousse. “I am excited to get the opportunity to share my passion with the VooDoo Dolls this year and look forward to helping each one of them achieve their goals.”
(Pipe dream of course, but what if they invited ALL the NFL Cheerleading squads to the Super Bowl)
Cheerleading and dance squads from all the CFL teams competed for top honours Saturday, November 29, 2014 at the Vancouver Convention centre as part of the 2014 Grey Cup festivities.
Cricket follows dreams from Wildcat Stadium to Arrowhead
By Kyle Troutman
Cassville Democrat
For one Cassville High School alumna, being part of Chiefs Kingdom involves more than just tuning on the television on Sundays.
Cricket, whose full name is redacted per Chiefs’ policy, puts in a full day of work on game days at Arrowhead Stadium as a Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader.
A Kansas City native, Cricket moved to Golden when she was about 3 years old, attending Cassville elementary, middle and high schools. She first started twirling and dancing in the sixth grade, and as she got older, she got more and more into sports.
“I got more into sports and being a tomboy for a while, and I played football in the sixth grade as a safety and tight end, then I moved to wide receiver in seventh grade,” she said. “I joined the cheer squad in eighth grade because as the guys got bigger, I did not grow as quickly. So, I transitioned to cheerleading and stayed on the squad from eighth grade until I graduated high school.”
In her time as a Cassville cheerleader, Cricket was always up to help out the squad when needed, even when it meant donning the mascot garb.
“My sophomore year, we didn’t have anyone to be the mascot, and being an opportunist, I volunteered to be the mascot,” she said. “It was a lot of fun and something you don’t see a lot of females do.”
Cricket said her other favorite part about cheering at Cassville was the yearly camp, which was always at a different college in the area.
“One week out of the year, we would go to cheer camp at colleges like Missouri State or the University of Arkansas, and we got to meet the college cheerleaders,” she said. “That was a lot of fun and was one of my favorite parts of cheering at Cassville.”
Cricket took her talents to the college level at Missouri State, but had to overcome a little adversity when she got there. On prom night, Cricket tried out for the Sugar Bears dance team, but did not make the cut.
“I didn’t let that get me down,” she said. “I thought college would be a new experience, so I went and tried out or the Diamond Girls [dance and spirit squad for the Bears baseball team], and I made that, so I was on that squad from my freshman to senior year of college.”
When she was a junior in college, Cricket said she went to a Bears football game, and even though it had never crossed her mind prior, she thought getting back into cheerleading would be a good experience.
“I tried out for the Chiefs cheerleading squad in 2009, and I made the finals, but did not make the team,” she said. “So, I finished the one year of college I had left, and in 2010, I tried out again, and this time, I made it.”
Each member of the Chiefs cheerleading squad has to try out every year. After her first season in 2010, Cricket was cut in 2011, but once again, she did not let that get her down.
“[Trying out every year] makes the process a little more stressful, because you always have to show more and prove you can grow to meet the Chiefs’ standards,” she said. “I did not let it defeat me when I didn’t make it in 2011, and I’ve been on the squad from 2012 to now.”
A typical game day for Cricket at Arrowhead starts bright and early, as she always attends the 7:30 a.m. chapel service for Chiefs players and staff.
“It’s a non-denominational service that puts me at ease and helps me find my center of peace,” she said. “After chapel, it all starts going pretty fast. We have a pre-game meeting, go through our rotations for each quarter and our routine schedule, then we head to the field when they take the tarp off to rehearse our programs. We do different routines every game and don’t repeat any.
“Then, we go back to our room for about an hour of downtime before we get ready to go out for the pre-game tailgating. Something new we started last year is the pre-game parade, which includes [the mascot horse] Warpaint, the Rumblers, the cheerleaders, KC Wolf and the Flag Warriors. Then, head into the stadium at 11:25 to start our intro.”
Cricket said once games begin, they go by fast.
“It’s really fun to be on the field, but with all the cameras and the press, we end up having to watch the jumbotron a lot to see what happened in the game,” she said. “But as soon as the team breaks from the huddle, we turn around and watch so we don’t get hit by anything.”
Being a Chiefs cheerleader part-time, Cricket also has a full-time job, and said any young cheerleader who may want to go pro one day has to work for it.
“I know it sounds cliché, but if you want something, if you have a dream, go for it,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to fail because failing does not define who you are, getting back up and learning from failure and changing because of it defines who you are.
“For me, baby steps and a lot of determination was how I did it. And, the Chiefs community and all we do for the Chiefs community is what keeps me going and keeps me scamming back to being a Chiefs cheerleader.”
Cricket is a graduate of Cassville High School and a graduate of Missouri State University, with a degree in recreation sports and park administration, with an emphasis on therapeutic recreation. She also minored in psychology.
For the first time in history, we have a second generation
And this year there are two! And this year there are two! Heather and her daughter Taylor, Dawn and her daughter Kylie.
Kylie and her mom Dawn on the left. Taylor and her mom Heather on the right.
They can all say they’ve jumped and pranced and danced on the sidelines for the Seahawks!
“Taylor and I are kind of a part of history,” says Kylie.
Taylor says it bonds her even more with mom.
“We’ve always been so close but it’s just really nice to have something else that I get excited to come home and talk about that she’s excited for me and it brings up exciting times for her too. So it’s just really nice.”
Moms and Daughters pose outside CenturyLink.
Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader – Marissa
