Congratulations to the 16 young ladies selected to the newest edition of the Anaheim Bolts Dance Team! And a special woot woot to all the veterans, all of those who auditioned made it back for another year. Click here to visit the team on Facebook.
The TV show “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” returns to CMT tonight at 9.
Lynn Hoppes
ESPN.com
9/7/2012
Judy and Kelli eyeball the talent
“We live and die by the Cowboys every year. No matter what they do on the field, they are winners in our eyes,” said Trammell, who has been head choreographer since 1991. “You can’t help become so attached to them. They are a part of our lives. But I’m not going to lie: We want to go to the Super Bowl.”
On Friday, Country Music Television will broadcast the start of the seventh season of “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” at 9 p.m. ET.
Trammell, director Kelli McGonagill Finglass and vice president Charlotte Jones will spend 11 episodes narrowing the field as it heads to the first performance at Cowboys Stadium and an appearance in the swimsuit calendar.
“Our one stipulation for doing the reality TV show is that it has to be real,” Trammell said. “We have a limited time before our first game, so we can’t just perform for the cameras. We have a job to do.”
Trammell said the positives of doing the show are obvious: “It’s good for the girls and good for the brand.”
But there is a downside: “I just don’t like the idea of making cuts on camera. You’re also revealing the real personal lives of these dancers. But that’s just part of doing reality TV. It is what it is.”
Ni Hao from China
By Michelle Nigro
Swampscott Reporter
September 6, 2012
Swampscott — All of a sudden I felt very short. “Hi ladies, my name’s Lebron,” he said as he stuck out his hand to shake.
I was backstage in an arena waiting to be announced as one of the representatives of the NFL at the Opening Ceremonies of the Nike Festival of Sport in Shanghai, China.
As if the festival itself wasn’t enough to take in, basketball star Lebron James was introducing himself to us and Rudy Gay, Paul George and Amar’e Stoudemire — all NBA stars — were behind him.
I traveled to China on Aug. 21, with three other Patriots Cheerleaders and our coach to promote the NFL at the Nike Festival. On our first day we were thrust into the fast paced lifestyle of Shanghai — one of the most populated cities in the world — and the excitement of the weekend. The festival took place from Aug. 23 to 26 and thousands of people visited the Nike events around Shanghai’s stadium each day.
I can only describe the opening ceremony as something I would picture a Justin Bieber concert to look like: Hundreds of fans screaming for the athletes as they were introduced and to our surprise, for us too!
Despite having difficulty understanding what the emcee was saying to the crowd in Chinese, I had chills as I stood on the stage full of both Chinese and American athletes, as we were greeted with shrieks and applause.
After the first day, the other cheerleaders and I realized this was going to be a trip we would never forget. During the festival, our job was to generate an audience at the NFL field where a flag football tournament was going on. During each game, we cheered on the teams and performed for pre-game and halftime. Between games, we circled the festival passing out game schedules and saying “Ni Hao, wo de mingzi jiao Michelle” — which means “Hello, my name is Michelle” in Chinese — to as many guests as possible.
Many people responded in English, but we had fun learning as many sayings as we could in Chinese anyways; we were interviewed live on television in front of a crowd and our pronunciation of “Ni Hao” earned us quite the applause!
We spent most of our time in the NFL section for games with former running back and NFL representative, LaDainian Tomlinson. We were also lucky enough to participate in many other exciting sections of the festival throughout the weekend.
Nike Skateboarder, Omar Salazar, and other professional skateboarders skated around us with video cameras as we danced on a platform in an indoor skate park. It was dizzying, but thrilling at the same time, to dance as skateboarders were doing tricks on the ramps next to us. That was definitely one of my most memorable performances as a cheerleader.
We had an amazing tour guide throughout the trip who showed us hidden alleyways of filled with incredible shopping and the unique architecture of the city. I was taken aback by the breathtaking view of the skyscrapers in Shanghai’s Pudong district, along The Bund, which lines the Huangpu River.
After spending time exploring the beautiful city, I know I want to return someday. I would love to visit with my mom, who would really enjoy the famous soup dumplings!
This trip was hands down one of the best experiences I’ve had in my life so far. It opened my eyes to the beauty of China and the intrigue of exploring a foreign country and diving into its culture. I am forever thankful to the New England Patriots, NFL China and Nike for the opportunity and will always cherish the memories and friends I made in Shanghai. The passion for sports at the festival was incredible and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it.
The Vikings website has been updated. Click here to learn more about this year’s squad.
You may notice that the uniforms in the headshots are similar, but not identical, to uniforms in the team photo. Why do they need two Viking wench outfits, you ask? They don’t. The ladies wore the old Helga uniform for the headshots because the new Helga, aka “baby Helga” uniforms were still in production. The group photo was taken later, after the new outfits were delivered. Old Helga has since been put out to pasture. (You know how it is. When a new baby comes along, the older kids get screwed.)
Off with the old, on with the new.
Godspeed, old Helga
I have to say the Vikings Cheerleaders have a sweet deal, having The Line Up right in their back yard. It seems like they have some new, super cute uniforms every year. Not to mention audition wear. And swimwear for the calendar. And heaven knows what else they’ve got that we haven’t seen yet. (MVC jammies, anyone?)
Toni Basil’s hit song “Mickey” was released on September 4, 1982. Let’s hear it for the most famous cheerleader song EVER.
Updated profiles for this year’s team have been posted on Raiders.com. Click here to go there now!
By JULIANA A. TORRES
TBN Weekly
Aug. 30, 2012
PINELLAS PARK – Lindsey Klinesmith, 20, has been cheering since she was 3, but she isn’t sure exactly what prompted her to try out as a Tampa Bay Lightning Girl.
“I just went out and did it, and I don’t know why,” she said.
“Because you miss cheerleading?” her mom and former Thunderbird organization president Kris Klinesmith asked.
It was her first time trying out at a professional level, and while Lindsey thought she would make it past the first round of cuts, she didn’t think she expected to make the team.
“I’ll be happy if I just make it to the finals and don’t make it past that,” she remembered thinking. “And then when I got the call, I was really excited.”
She told her mom the news first, who was so excited for her that she started crying.
“I was really proud,” Kris later said.
Lindsey said the audition process in July was fun, but challenging. In the second round of cuts, she and dozens of other hopefuls competed with seven other veterans from the previous season for 14 spots on the team. Lindsey said she realized that she was up against a lot of pretty, talented girls.
“We had to learn a dance in like 20 minutes, and then it was nerve-wracking with (the veterans) being there and them already knowing what was going on,” she said.
The last step of the auditions was an interview.
Lindsey said she didn’t tell many people that she was trying out for the team, in case she didn’t make it.
This year is the first she hasn’t coached with the T-birds, deciding to give herself more time to take extra classes to finish her associate’s degree at St. Petersburg College. She hopes to graduate next semester and get into a radiography program. Usually, the T-bird season is a big time commitment, with practices five days a week and games on Saturdays, not to mention at least three cheerleading competitions later on in the year.
“Without cheerleading, I probably wouldn’t have half of my friends that I have right now. It’s taught me to be on a team with other girls. It’s been a really fun experience,” Lindsey said. “We all went through cheerleading, and then we all went back to volunteering to coach. So it’s pretty much our lives.”
Lindsey also cheered at Pinellas Park High School, making captain of the team in her senior year. Currently, she works at the Winghouse in Pinellas Park, and admits to being more of a football enthusiast than hockey. When the Lightning team has its first game in October, it’ll be the first time Lindsey will see a hockey game live.
“I’m nervous to be out in front of everybody, because that’s a huge stadium. But I’m excited,” she said. “My coach said that, ‘It’s going to be a really great experience your first time.’”
Her other teammates come from all over the Tampa Bay area, the closest one living in Clearwater. Lindsey said she hopes to try out for the team at least one more year.
“I’m excited to start,” she said.
August 25, 2012 – Emma, a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader, preps for pre-game rehearsal.
More pics from this set on the official DCC facebook page.
Click here to go there now!
Ashlee, Geneva, Norie, and Emily
