Samantha of the NY Jets Flight Crew
A Dallas Stars Ice Girl
By Robby General
Ball State Daily News
In 2012, Olivia was just another college graduate.
Now, she is living her dream, performing in front of 67,000 screaming fans as a cheerleader for the Indianapolis Colts.
“[Making the Colts’ cheerleading team] was incredible,” Olivia, a Ball State alumna, said. “It was a whirlwind. Super stressful, long nights, but definitely rewarding and exciting.”
Olivia’s life quickly changed after becoming a professional cheerleader. She has experienced a number of opportunities, such as traveling to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico earlier this year as part of the squad’s calendar photoshoot.
Between all the travel, late-night practices and tours, Olivia said the 27 women on the team view each other more as family than teammates.
“It’s like a sisterhood. We’re with each other all week every week,” she said, “We all have the same goals … We all have that common bond. We love to dance.”
While at Ball State, Olivia was a part of the Code Red Dance Team, a student cheer organization that performs at numerous school events.
During her time on Code Red, Olivia was coached by Amy Wilkins, whom she credits for motivating and mentoring her throughout her college career.
Prior to Ball State’s home game against Northern Illinois on Nov. 5, Olivia was back in Muncie, only this time as part of the Colts in Motion Tailgate Tour. The tour, which was making its fifth of six college stops across Indiana, featured an interactive traveling museum and gave fans the chance to win autograph memorabilia from Colts’ players and cheerleaders.
Olivia knows nothing can be taken for granted, and so she continues to work hard, use the connections she’s made and look to take advantage of the opportunities she is offered.
“Never give up. Just keep pushing, and don’t let anything get you down,” she said. “If it’s something that you really want and you keep trying, it will happen.”
Amber of Inglewood Blackhawks Ladyhawks Dance Team
Rhode Island has their first Pro Basketball team. The ABA Providence Sky Chiefs, and their first Pro Basketball Dance Team: The Providence Sky Chiefs Dancers.
[Sky Chief Dancers on Facebook]
[Spinners Registration Information]
By Jim Altman
FOXct.com
There is little question that the New England Patriots have left fans plenty to cheer about so far this season. But if you just head 10 yards off the field to the Gillette Stadium sidelines there is one more reason to cheer.Karen Link is a 23-year-old Patriots cheerleader from Terryville, Conn., and whatever team you root for, there is reason to cheer on Karen.
In 2007, on the way to taking her SATs as a high school senior at Holy Cross High School in Waterbury, Karen’s life came to a screeching halt–a car accident left her with a broken spine. “I knew I could not walk and I shouldn’t even try,” Link said. “There was a baseball sized lump on my spine and that was a sure sign of a broken vertebrae.”
Link underwent spinal fusion surgery and doctors told her she would never run or dance again as well as she had during her high school years.
Years of rehab followed, but through her college years Link found her rhythm once again by starting to work out, dance and by trying to regain the strength she once possessed. “I don’t do well with limitations,” Link said.
This year, without telling anyone, Link decided to go for the ultimate fourth and long shot and try out to be a Patriots cheerleader. About 320 women auditioned for the squad, and, after the final cuts, 11 new women were named to the team. “My mom actually called me, she saw [the roster] on line,” Link said. “I was just in disbelief that it actually happened!”
Tracy Sormanti, the director of the New England Patriots cheerleaders, said of Link, “I see courage, determination and discipline, it just makes her more beautiful than she already is.”
Lauren Schneider, another rookie Pats cheerleader added, “It’s inspiring to anyone who has had any setback or injuries in life to just keep going.”
As the Patriots drive toward yet another playoff bid, Link says to watch for her on the sidelines “To look behind me and see Gillette Stadium is absolutely crazy, good crazy.”
A Baltimore Blast Cheerleader at Saturday’s home opener.
Atlanta’s popular JEZEBEL Magazine released their annual list of the 50 Most Beautiful Atlantans and two Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders made the list.
By Emily Adams
Atlantafalcons.com
Atlanta’s popular JEZEBEL Magazine released their annual list of the 50 Most Beautiful Atlantans and two Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders made the list.
Each year, Atlanta’s popular JEZEBEL Magazine releases a list of the “50 Most Beautiful Atlantans”, showing off the city’s most attractive smiles, but also the philanthropic work and successful businesses behind each one. This year, two Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders made the list – rookie Cara M., Ms. November 2015 in this year’s calendar, and second-year vet Micki J.
Over a course of a few months, with questionnaires, interviews, a photo shoot, and the inevitable waiting-to-hear-back period compacted together, the finalists were notified.
The team had just landed in Newark, NJ, a stop on their way home from London, when Micki checked her phone and saw a congratulatory email. Immediately, she knew what is was and quickly found Cara, forcing her to check her phone in hopes that she’d be able to share this experience with her cheer sister.
Cara
When the surprise and excitement of making this year’s list subsided, both women reached out to their loved ones. Cara forwarded the email to her husband, Jeremy, the person who nominated her as a surprise, and to her mom. Micki blasted the email to her mom, who learned how to take a screenshot for a very special social media post about her daughter, her sisters, and her friends, including the one who had encouraged Micki to nominate herself.
“I was really excited,” Cara said. “I can’t believe they actually picked me. Looking through, these people have (great) jobs and I’m just a little girl in the world; just a small-town girl.”
Humbled by JEZEBEL’s decision, both women are still in awe. They each participate in local charities of their choosing, on top of cheering for the Falcons and having full-time careers. Their personalities are warm and encouraging towards anyone they meet, making them perfect, well-rounded choices for the magazine’s annual list.
Micki
“When I look at the people who made it, I’m just like, ‘Wow, I know some of these people,’ ” Micki said. “When I think of them, I think about the energy they give off. I guess it’s a beautiful energy. You like being around them, they’re cool. They are attractive in more than a physical way.”
Be sure to check out Micki (page 90) and Cara (page 103) in the 50 Most Beautiful Atlantans in this month’s digital edition of JEZEBEL Magazine.
Earlier this week, the NFL announced the list nominees for their 2014 Salute To Service Award. Among the nominees were the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders. Fans can vote for the squad by clicking here and tweeting their support.
The Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders travel regularly to active warzones to visit US military stationed in the Middle East, most recently to Iraq. While many goodwill military tours focus on larger installations, the Eagles Cheerleaders have volunteered to visit the most remote bases to boost the morale of troops serving consecutive tours of duty and where visits are extremely rare. The travel to these remote locations is considered more dangerous. For example, an attack had occurred in very close proximity to Camp Ramadi just two days prior to their arrival, yet the Eagles Cheerleaders have never let that deter them from volunteering. During their most recent visit to Kuwait, a sandstorm grounded their travel and extended their stay, which the cheerleaders embraced as an opportunity to spend the holidays visiting hospitalized servicemen and women and bringing a feeling of ‘home’ to members of the military at a time when they were missing their loved ones the most.
The Eagles Cheerleaders were proud to honor former teammate 1st Lt. Rachel Washburn as a Hometown Hero during an Eagles home game, which generated nationwide awareness for the accomplishments of women in the Armed Services. Rachel was an Eagles Cheerleader from 2007-2010 and now serves as a highly decorated Army Intelligence Officer, Platoon Leader, and one of the first female members of the Army’s Cultural Support Team, having served two tours in Afghanistan. Her intriguing story, brought to the forefront by honoring her as the Eagles Hometown Hero, sparked national appreciation for the bravery and sacrifices of women in combat.
In 2014, the Eagles Cheerleaders have been involved in volumes of programs and initiatives, a few which include: Volunteering during the USS Somerset commissioning in honor of the heroes of Flight 93 on 9-11; welcoming home World War II Veterans honored in Washington D.C. on the historic 70th Anniversary of D-Day; assisting in fundraising efforts for Wounded Warriors including the Walk for the Wounded and Wounded Warriors Amputee Football Team, visiting regional bases such as Joint Base McGuire-Lakehurst-Dix. After meeting Retired US Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills in February, one of only five quadruple amputees to survive combat in the Middle East, the cheerleaders became even more involved with specific veterans fundraising and awareness including volunteering with the National Veterans Wheelchair games, VFW posts, and Veterans Medical Centers.
