Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
June 5, 2012
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — I never was a cheerleader in high school. I chickened out at the door the day of auditions. I was a cheerleader in eighth-grade; freshmen year, many thought I had been the mascot — who happened to be a first-grader.
Not everyone is cut out for a cheerleading squad, but a Wisconsin Rapids native can add professional cheerleader to her resume. If you look at the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders roster, one smiling face, listed as “Chelsea J.” might look familiar. Last names of the cheerleaders are withheld due to security policies of the organization, said Theresa Baugus, appearance coordinator for the cheerleaders.
Chelsea attended elementary school here and seventh-grade at East Junior High and still has family living in Wisconsin Rapids. She was a student at Dance with Pam from the age of 4 until she moved. Chelsea continued to dance, even after moving to Maple Grove, Minn.
“I was on the University of Minnesota dance team my freshman year, and we cheered at the college football and basketball games on the sidelines,” Chelsea said. “I kind of got a taste for cheerleading. Being part of it on the sidelines, a front-row seat is definitely a fun experience.”
Some of her friends were Vikings cheerleaders and enjoyed it, Chelsea said. She decided to give it a shot.
Auditioning was not a piece of cake. At the first day’s open auditions, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., judges made four rounds of cuts.
“You learn a dance, then you perform it and then there are cuts,” Chelsea said.
Fifty-five women moved on to the two-week intensive training camp — less than half of the original hopefuls. Forget ponytails and sweat pants — the women arrived every day with full make-up and their hair done.
“Every day is like a new audition,” Chelsea said.
There were interviews and tests on football knowledge — and a pageant, which included speaking onstage and a swimsuit segment.
“Definitely, the scariest part for me was the pageant, because I had never done anything like that before,” she said.
Finals included a performance for the public at Mall of America. The winners were chosen by a combination of judge’s scores and online voting. More than 30,000 online votes were cast, according to the organization’s website.
Chelsea is one of 11 rookies on the 35-member squad and attends three, 3 1/2-hour practice sessions a week.
“It’s a part-time job right now,” she said. “I would say on average, 15 hours a week.”
A May 2011 University of Minnesota graduate, with degrees in health and wellness and child psychology, Chelsea also teaches preschool full-time for an organization providing services to homeless children and their families in Minneapolis. Cheerleaders have to have a full-time job, be a full-time student or be a mom. They also participate in about 400 community appearances and charity work.
“You’re surrounded by successful, well-rounded women,” Chelsea said.
Now in the public eye, Chelsea has to “step back and look at (cheerleading) as a job.”
“(I have) to portray a professional, responsible image,” she said. “That’s definitely a big change, to always be very conscious of that.”
And, with much of her family residing in Wisconsin Rapids, the question was bound to come up:
Packers or Vikings?
“I think the bottom line is they were proud I was going to be an NFL cheerleader,” Chelsea said democratically.
The Local
June 3, 2012
More than 350 women with a bounce in their step tried out on Saturday to be cheerleaders for the Brooklyn Nets — but the vast number went home unhappy.
Most of the former New Jersey team’s current dancers will return when the team begins its first season at the Barclays Center this fall, leaving only a handful of slots for the newcomers.
But that didn’t prevent us from covering the event and posting this athletic slideshow [click here].
About 50 women received callbacks for today. From that group, about 30 will try out for the half-dozen slots.
And, of course, several local journalists donned their tightest sports bras and courtside-worthy Spandex to try out, too. Daily News reporter Amanda Mikelberg looked the part, but didn’t make the cut.
By Amanda Mikelberg
New York Daily News
Sunday, June 3, 2012
My mom loves to tell this story: I was 3 and wearing cat ears, a tail and a bow tie when I brought down the house at the Palisadium in Cliffside Park, N.J.
I was putting on the Ritz with other tots from Miss Alice’s Dance School when I had my moment in the spotlight: I twirled my tail and did my shuffle over and over as the crowd roared and Miss Alice had to come scoop me off the stage.
That was the first and last time anyone was impressed with my dancing.
So no, I didn’t think I had a real chance to be the Nets’ new spin machine.
But I thought that if I showed some of that same Ritz spunk from my childhood I might make an impression, just not the kind that would send me to the hospital across from Barclays Center, where the winners will be dancing.
And being a Jersey girl who moved to the city, I thought I might have something in common with the Nets as they make the leap across the stream.
When I stepped out onto the court, flexible women were scattered from sideline to sideline, net to net. My pink Ombre sports bra fit perfectly in the bubble-gum spectrum. I had done my hair and makeup, too, plenty of hairspray. The similarities ended there.
I went in for a stretch near a girl in a neon crop top with the words “Choose Love” written across.
“I’m Jasmine,” she said. “People call me Jazzy.”
Hi, I’m Spazzy.
Within two minutes of the warm-up routine the 350 experienced dancers around me were doing pirouettes and kicks.
They lost me at “now turn.” I kicked myself off the court and decided to be my fierce self on the sideline, where I got the chance to talk to Adare Wellington, the Nets’ Rihanna look-alike dance coach. She had just finished up a video shoot with Usher for his new single “Scream” yesterday.
“I thought I was going to be among a big group of women for the video,” Adar, who also starred in a video with Kanye West, told me. “But it was it was just me and him in there.”
“It was just the two of us doing the moves for the video. We got really close. Really close. But Usher made me feel comfortable.”
Pretty fly, in my opinion. If Usher had seen my moves, he would have run far, far away.
A Bloomfield dancer was among hundreds of women who competed for eight spots at an open-call audition in Brooklyn on Saturday.
By Paul Leonard
Bloomfield Patch
June 3, 2012
Hit… Step… Lean. And repeat.
That’s what more than 300 women managed to do at a grueling three-hour long open-call audition for the Brooklyn Nets’ dance team in Brooklyn on Saturday.
“Being a Nets girl would be a dream come true,” said Brooklyn resident Olivia Crosby, 19, who along with other hopefuls prepared to go in front of a panel of judges at LIU’s Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center in Fort Greene.
Like many others at the audition, Crosby is an experienced dancer with a cheerleading background—in her case, as a member of John Jay College’s basketball cheer squad.
But that wasn’t a definite recipe for success at Saturday’s tryout. Led by Nets entertainment execs and coaches, the audition involved two rounds of carefully choreographed dance moves that had young ladies from New Jersey to Connecticut spiraling, strutting and splitting to the latest hip-hop and pop grooves.
“I’m still shaking,” said Taylor Thomas, 18, of Bloomfield, N.J. “Before it was just nerves. Now it’s because I’m exhausted.”
Thomas was one of around 150 women fortunate enough to make it through the competition’s first round, in which dancers performed a piece or choreography provided weeks earlier.
In the audition’s second round, the pressure was on the women to learn a complicated (to this flatfooted news editor, at least) set of moves, both as a group and in teams of four dancers.
At the end of the audition process, 30 women were selected to attend a special summer training camp.
However, of that number, only eight will get the chance to cheer on Brooklyn’s first home team in more than 50 years when the Barclays Center opens for basketball this autumn.
For Brooklyn Nets event marketing and community relations senior vice president Petra Pope, the goal wasn’t just to get the most talented dancers, but to find a team that mirrored the borough’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity.
“We’re going to be cutting edge…we’re going to be hot…we’re going to diverse,” Pope said, noting that women identifying with 150 nationalities and speaking 136 languages were represented in the LIU gym.
But in the end, it all came down to the right moves on Saturday.
“First and foremost, you must be able to dance,” Pope said. “Talent is still number one.”
Photos by Matthew Hampton.
Click here to check out the new photos posted on the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders website!
Twenty women will be chosen to perform at all Nets home games this upcoming season
By Jonathan Lemire AND Amanda Mikelberg
New York Daily News
Sunday, June 3, 2012
PHOTOS: BROOKLYN NETS DANCER TRYOUTS
Clad in Spandex and sequins, they are trying to become the new queens of Kings County.
Nearly 350 women packed the gym at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus Saturday, vying to become the first set of dancers for the Brooklyn Nets.
The women, who wore multicolored sports bras and tights, battled their nerves as they pranced and danced under the judges’ watchful eyes.
“I have been dancing my whole life — 20 years, from when I was a baby,” said Michaela Stanley, 22, who is on the St. John’s University dance team.
“This is the most women I’ve seen at a tryout.”
The contestants formed a line that stretched for blocks before they were let into the gym for the first of three days of tryouts.
Alikhlas Boxx, 19, was the sole male contestant — and he was tripped up by a bum ankle.
“I think I did great but I could have done better,” said Boxx, who is on the John Jay High School cheerleading team. “There were just so many girls.”
Twenty women will be chosen to perform at all Nets home games this upcoming season. But 15 of those trying out danced for the team last season and are expected to return — meaning only five slots may be available.
“We want a well-rounded, confident woman. She needs to be global, well-spoken, talented and have good technique,” said Adar Wellington, 28, a former dancer who now coaches the squad.
“If you don’t have the passion, it won’t show,” advised Tiana Hester, 21, a former dancer for the Golden State Warriors who flew in from the West Coast to try out.
“I would love to be in Brooklyn — even though I’m not from here, I would be able to represent.”
NY Daily News
06/02/2012
The Nets have a new logo and a new home in Brooklyn. Now they’re looking for new dancers.
The team held open auditions for the Brooklyn Nets dance team Saturday.
Over a hundred women lined up at the Fort Greene campus of Long Island University for their chance to take center court.
“It’s all about standing out, having your unique characteristics and showing you have technique and dance skill, that you’ve been doing this for a while,” said Alexandra Sack, who tried out.
“I love to dance,” said Cammie Blake, who also tried out. “I love basketball. I love the energy of being in a stadium.”
“We want to represent the diverse borough of Brooklyn, so we want women who are diverse, who are athletic, who are highly skilled and who actually serve as ambassadors for the Brooklyn Nets,” said Kimberlee Garris, the Nets’ entertainment director.
The field will be narrowed down to 50 call backs, who will perform again on Sunday.
30 finalists will perform for a chance to make the troupe on June 13.
So I heard the news about Richard Dawson’s passing this morning. During the course of my googling, I came across an article about the Family Feud that mentioned one episode back in 1980 when the Dallas Cowboys played against the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. And there was video – score!
I came here to post the video, and wanted to say something nice about Richard Dawson. However, the only thing I remember about him was that he was know for flirting with all of the women on the show and kissing every one of them right smack on the lips. Back in the day, I guess most people were amused by it and viewed it as harmless. But I have to tell you, 32 years later, he comes across as downright creepy. That’s all I’m going to say, since the man just passed. Rest in Peace, Richard Dawson.
Titansonline.com
June 1, 2012
The Titans Cheerleaders crossed the halfway point in their swimsuit calendar shoot today, shooting eight ladies on the beach this evening.
• PHOTOS: Day II | Day One Recap
The group experienced their first ever rain delay when the morning shoot was canceled due to the weather. However, the team rallied to finish with a spectacular late afternoon shoot on a private island beach that was just a short boat ride from the Emerald Grande Resort.
Captain Cathy and her First Mate “Cracker” floated the group to the small island in the Gulf. The lighting was perfect as the sun set over Amber and Jessi, the final two cheerleaders to shoot. With locations on the sand, in the dunes, and across some gorgeous rocks, the setting was perfect and the photos were incredible.
The Cheerleaders concluded their night with several team building activities and the unveiling of the traditional big and little sisters, where a rookie is paired with a veteran cheerleader who will mentor her “little sister” throughout the season. In this way, the annual swimsuit shoot trip is more than just taking photos for a great calendar, it’s a way for the ladies to grow as a team and form bonds that often last a lifetime.
