By LAURA WISELEY
Delco Times
Sunday, March 25, 2012

PHILADELPHIA — Nikki Battaglia goes to a few Eagles home games a year. She’d like to attend all of them — but from a much better seat.

“I was always that cheerleader who paid more attention to the game,” said the Glenolden resident, who used to cheer for Springfield High School. “So this is something that I’ve always wanted to do.”

What Battaglia wants to do is earn a spot on the Eagles’ cheer team — a group of 38 women selected to cheer at home games and participate in various charitable activities throughout the Delaware Valley. Saturday, along with about 500 other hopefuls, she participated in Round One of an audition process to fill out the team.

“This is my third time trying out, so I’m hoping that the third time is the charm,” she said. “This is the most confident I’ve ever been in myself. I’m learning that it’s OK to let loose and be myself and show them who I am.”

The audition process started just after 10 a.m. at Lincoln Financial Field. Barbara Zaun, the team’s director of cheerleading, said that about 275 women had pre-registered for the event by attending team-sponsored workshops leading up to the auditions; another several hundred were expected as walk-ins.

All told, they’ll compete for 38 spots on the cheer squad, although 30 of the team’s current cheerleaders are re-auditioning for their spots.

The benefits of making the team, Zaun said, are immeasurable.

“If they make the squad, of course, they’ll get the opportunity to cheer before 67,000 fans at every Eagles home game,” she said. “Only 26 NFL teams have a cheer squad, so when you do the math, only a few hundred women ever get the chance to put on an NFL cheer uniform. Plus, the Eagles team is considered among the elite in the NFL.”

The women who make the squad will spend a week in the Bahamas, shooting photos for the nationally-available Eagles cheer-team calendar.

“For them, it’s like living the life of a supermodel for a week,” Zaun said. “Then there’s the friendship, the camaraderie, the great exercise — so many great benefits.” Continued…

Cheer-team members also fan out throughout the community, doing promotional and charitable events. Last year, they cheered at the Senior Bowl in Alabama and at Super Bowl promotional events in Canada.

Those events, in fact, are one of the main reasons why Media’s Paige Bell is trying to make the team for the fifth straight year. A Strath Haven High School and West Chester University graduate, she spent her college years cheering on the Eagles, and would like to do it again this year.

“What makes being an Eagles cheerleader special is the work we do,” said Bell, 22. “When we go to Children’s Hospital and the kids see us, you feel like it makes their day a little better. Those times are what makes doing this so much more rewarding.”

Getting the chance isn’t easy, though. Hopefuls started the day learning a 15-second dance routine, which they performed later in front of a team of judges. They were also judged on beauty, fitness and personality over the course of the eight-hour first-round tryout process.

Clad in a white warm-up jacket adorned with a rhinestone Eagles logo, coach Suzy Zucker watched every move the women made during their dance routines.

“This is the only one here who made me want to watch,” she said, pointing to a dancer wearing a sparkly green top. “The rest of you look like you’re in the middle of dental work, or maybe a really hard math exam. It’s all about first impressions. The judges want to like you — they’re not here to see you fail.”

That wasn’t in the plans for 21-year-old Candace Clark of Brookhaven, a former Sun Valley High School cheerleader who was making her first try for the team.

“I’ve been wanting to try out since I was 18, and I never did,” she said. “But this year, I’ve worked really hard to make this team. I really want it. I think I’ve got this routine down.”

So, too, did Battaglia, who was hoping to make it to the next round of auditions and be one of the final names called when the process wraps up at the Kimmel Center on April 24.

“Eagles cheerleaders are ambassadors who love the city and what it stands for,” she said. “I feel pretty confident today — the most confident I’ve been since I started trying out. Everything feels good, and I think I’m ready for this.”

Baltimore Ravens
03/17/12

The scenes from the Modell Performing Arts Center At The Lyric, as the final 60 members of 2012 Ravens Cheerleading Squad were selected in front of a crowd of people.

Photos| Video

By Eugene W. Fields
The Orange County Register
3/21/2012

[photo gallery]

ORANGE – Conrad Frisch said the Lakers are his idols, so when the 12-year-old from Orange got a chance to meet two Laker Girls at a local Carl’s Jr. on Wednesday afternoon, Frisch showed his enthusiasm.

While many of the 100 or so fans stood between the Laker Girls with their arms at their sides for photos, Conrad wrapped them firmly around the cheerleaders’ waists.

“They’re so pretty, I couldn’t resist,” Conrad said.

The promotion is part of a community outreach by the Laker Girls, who are visiting 20 Carl’s Jr. locations throughout Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties through Saturday, April 7.

Fans who came to the third promotion received an autographed photo of the entire Laker Girls squad and Carl’s coupons.

Cesar Gonzalez of Placentia was first in line, arriving 15 minutes early.

“Not everybody gets to meet the Laker Girls every day,” said Gonzalez, 23.

Luis Aldana of Orange brought his 6-month-old son, Matthew. Father and son wore matching Lakers jerseys.

“It’s a memory for him,” the dad said. “We can show him this picture when he gets older and tell him that he got to take a picture with the Laker Girls.”

To see the Laker Girls schedule for Carl’s Jr. restaurants: www.nba.com/lakers/lakergirls.

It’s March, and the Major League Soccer season is well underway. The ChivaGirls, dance team for Chivas USA have hit their stride. With only two games under their sparkly belts, they’ve experienced both the highs and lows of pro sports entertainment. The home opener on March 11 was a blast. It’s always exciting to get back out there after a few months of hiatus. The girls mingled with fans before the game, signing autographs and taking lots of pictures. They also performed two short dance routines on a stage outside of the arena. Their performance at halftime was a real marathon, with a kickline, individual introductions, and a full out routine to Flor Rida’s “Good Feeling.” The crowd’s energy was up and all the girls were riding high after the game.

Click here to check out the photos from the home opener.

Game two was six days later, on St. Patrick’s Day. All week long, local meteorologists broadcasted dire warnings about major storms over the coming weekend. (This being Southern California, “major storms” consist mostly of some rain and maybe some wind, but around here it’s a BIG deal.) It was cloudy and cool during the pre game rehearsal. All of the ChivaGirls were bundled up, until they got warm enough from dancing to peel off layers of scarves and sweatshirts. No one said it, but they were all thinking about how cold they were in sweats, and how much MORE fun the weather would be once they ‘d changed into their uniforms. Spandex has many outstanding qualities, but warmth isn’t one of them.

When it was time to go out and meet the fans, the girls marched out with their chins up. Not a one of them complained as the signed autographs for fans who were bundled up in blankets, hats and scarves. The girls just kept smiling and while the wind flipped their skirts around and blew their hair every which way.

It was cloudy during rehearsal. It was cloudy before the game. It was cloudy during pre-game. And it was cloudy as the girls headed out for halftime. But everyone was jazzed because we’d escaped the big rain storm. The halftime performance was a novelty dance to “Shake Your Groove Thing.” There were some cartwheels involved in the choreography, and no one had looked forward to cartwheeling on a muddy soccer field in the rain.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was in a snarky mood that night. It started drizzling just before the girls took the field, and turned into a full on downpour during their routine.

And then just as they hit the ending pose, the rain stopped.

I don’t think it rained again the rest of the night. How fortunate we were that the sixty-second rain storm took place entirely during the ChivaGirls halftime performance. But these girls are pros. The photos don’t tell the true story. Yeah, there are rain spots on their uniforms and a little stringy-ness to their hair, but otherwise you can’t tell at all they were freezing their pom poms off the whole night. Good times, ladies. Good times.

Click here to check out the rest of the photos from game 2.

Making the cut: Photos from the 2012 Cheerleader Auditions
MontrealAlouettes.com
March 07, 2012

MONTREAL – The Alouettes roster for the 2012 season may still be coming together, but the cheerleaders finalized theirs at their annual auditions this past weekend.

Over 130 hopefuls turned up at Molson Breweries’ John Molson Room on Saturday to vie for one of the coveted 28 spots available on the 2012 edition of the squad. Each year, every cheerleader but the captains must try out for the team, and at this year’s tryouts, seven rookies were chosen to join the 25 returnees.

The competition was fierce and emotions ran high, but luckily our team photographer was there to capture all of the behind-the-scenes action.

Get your first sneak-peak at some of the girls that will be on hand this year at Percival Molson Stadium by visiting the gallery [click here], and be sure to check back soon for our exclusive video from the event.

Tampa Bay Times: More than 200 women attend the open call, preliminary round of auditions in hopes of becoming a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleader. Each person has 20-30 seconds of a freestyle dance, plus a jazz walk, to prove to the judges that they belong on the squad.

Darren Savage
Toronto Sun
March 17, 2012

Watch the video

TORONTO – They came. They saw. They did a little dancing.

That was the story Saturday when fierce competition met the Rennaissance Hotel and close to 100 hopefuls attempted to become Toronto Argonauts cheerleaders for the upcoming 2012-2013 season.

An intensive two-day process, the tryouts are a demanding blend of physical workouts and personal interviews that seek to discover who will work best on the team of 30.

“We’re looking for a combination of three things: great performers, great physique and an outgoing personality,” says Jorie, who is beginning her third season as head coach of the squad. “We’re always trying to build upon the success of last year but it’s especially exciting this year for the Grey Cup.”

Toronto will host the 100th anniversary of the Grey Cup. Cheerleaders are expected to participate in over 20 events throughout the city every year, but that number will increase this season in light of the momentous occasion.

It’s a commitment that exerts plenty of pressure on the girls, many of whom are also developing their careers in fields as diverse as marketing, engineering and chiropractic. Despite having gone through it before, some of of the girls from last year may not make the cut.

“We had a great team last season but you get nervous for the returning girls,” says Co-Captain Jessica, entering her fifth year on the squad. “There is new part of the process this year with the fitness test that focuses on core strength and your ability to maintain composure.”

Soon after the successful candidates are chosen, the team will head to Boot Camp. There they will develop their fitness and bond as a team. It’s all in the interest of entertaining the fans.

“I know what I want to see,” says Rudy Blair, avid Argos fan and judge for the past nine years. “Women who enjoy life, who enjoy what they are doing. Some of them just have that ‘it’ factor and others just will not make the cut.”

The Miami Heat website has finally updated their dance team pages. Click here to learn more about the 2011-12 Miami Heat Dancers!

Patriots.com: The New England Patriots Cheerleaders hosted the final round of auditions on Saturday, March 17th in the Putnum Club at Gillette Stadium.

Video|Photo gallery

Ben-Gal Laura Vikmanis’ book is out this week and a movie is in the works
Lauren Bishop
Cincinnati Inquirer
Mar. 15, 2012

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a Cincinnati Ben-Gal?

Or what it’s like to be the NFL’s oldest cheerleader, dancing for three hours alongside women young enough to be your daughters in front of 64,000 fans, in weather ranging from blistering heat to driving snow?

The answers are in a new memoir by Cincinnati Ben-Gal Laura Vikmanis of Springboro, who still holds the title of the NFL’s oldest cheerleader at age 43.

“It’s Not About the Pom-Poms: How a 40-Year-Old Mom Became the NFL’s Oldest Cheerleader – and Found Hope, Joy, and Inspiration Along the Way” (Ballantine, $25) hits stores Tuesday.

Vikmanis also is beginning a publicity blitz that includes the “Today” show Tuesday, Joseph-Beth Booksellers Saturday, and is expected to include more national TV appearances. And there’s more to come: Screenwriters are now working full-time on a script for a movie based on her life story.

The book is the first time she’s told her whole story to the world: Details about her abusive 16-year marriage and how she escaped it; how she found herself again through the Ben-Gals; and what it’s like behind the scenes at Paul Brown Stadium.

Vikmanis doesn’t know quite what her cheerleading teammates, her family or her ex-husband, who still lives in this area, will think of the book. But she has no regrets about her decision to share her life story.

“It’s just the truth and you can’t change it,” Vikmanis said in a recent interview. She wore much less makeup and hairspray than she does on game days and an aqua shirt that made her eyes look even bluer. “If you want to know who I am, that’s me.”

The world first started to find out who Vikmanis was through a two-minute video that was posted on Yahoo.com in January 2011. Things haven’t slowed down much since. By the end of March of last year, she had sold the rights to her life story to New Line, which hired screenwriters Emily Cook and Kathy Greenberg (Gnomeo & Juliet,” “Ratatouille”). The movie has not yet been cast and likely won’t hit theaters for two or three years.)

Then Vikmanis’s agent connected her with the co-author of her memoir, Amy Sohn, whose books include a companion guide to HBO’s “Sex and the City” and the novels “Run Catch Kiss” and “Prospect Park West.” After an initial four-hour telephone conversation last March, they met in person in New York City in April to shop the book to publishers.

Ballantine, a division of Random House, jumped on it. Vikmanis and Sohn spent the next five months working on the book over the phone and in personal meetings, when Sohn would fly from Brooklyn to Springboro.

“Laura just has this very genuine, bubbly energy that you really don’t fake. She’s just a very positive person,” Sohn said. “When you hear a story like hers, how she went to the darkest side of the universe and came back from it with full force and better than she was before, it makes you realize how lucky most of us are not to have to deal with the kinds of challenges she went through in her marriage. It also inspires you to be more forgiving and more loving of the people around you.”

Partly as an escape from uncertainty about how to support herself on a dietitian’s salary, Vikmanis married at 22, despite having dated the man who would become her husband four only four months and experiencing warning signs of violence. She writes in the book that she endured years of verbal abuse and insults, and she finally told him she didn’t want to be with him anymore, only to be served with divorce papers. A custody battle for their two daughters ensued, and Vikmanis eventually won custody, although the fight cost her $50,000 in legal fees.

After years of taking care of her husband and daughters and feeling emotionally and physically insecure, Vikmanis decided she needed to do something for herself – something that didn’t involve a man. A 2006 Bengals-Browns game at Paul Brown Stadium showed her what that could be. Enthralled by the Ben-Gals’ dance routines, Vikmanis – who danced and cheered from ages 3 to 17 – told her date that she wanted to be one of them. She was 38.

“Honey,” her date told her with a smile and shake of his head, “you’re too old.”

She believed him. But at another game nearly a year later, she decided to prove him wrong. She didn’t make the squad the first time she tried out, in 2008, but after a year of training and dieting, she made it.

What follows in the book is a revealing look at the world of NFL cheerleading. She criticizes policies such as twice-weekly weigh-ins and worries that they cause some women to use drastic measures to meet their personal weight goals. She points out that the $75-per-game pay amounts to just $2.50 an hour when you add up the time spent practicing and cheering at games. “We are like a one-ring traveling circus within a nine-billion-dollar corporation,” she writes.

But NFL cheerleaders are unlikely to fight for better working conditions because they’re a transient workforce. And for most cheerleaders, the perks outweigh the drawbacks. “Poor pay and hard work aside,” she writes, “there is nothing like the thrill of being on an NFL field when your team wins.”

Longtime Ben-Gals director Charlotte Jacobs, who has read the book, said it fairly portrayed the world of NFL cheerleading. But ultimately, that’s not what the story is about, said Jacobs. Clearly she had a keen interest in the topic, but she said she couldn’t put the book down.

“At first I thought, OK, this is about a girl becoming a cheerleader. Are there going to be that many people interested in how someone becomes an NFL cheerleader?” Jacobs said. “But to me, it was so much about a journey. And it’s a common journey that lot of women, a lot of people, go through.”

Sharing her story with Sohn was like a year of intense therapy, Vikmanis said.

“What’s so great about it is I can let it all go,” she said. It’s gone. It’s just over and done with. It’s very freeing.”

She said she didn’t know who she was when she got married at 22, and that she’s still evolving. Her views on relationships, for example, are radically different now. She believes it’s critically important for each partner to have their own separate interests, as well as ones they share. And although she’s in a committed relationship, she has no desire to walk down the aisle again.

“I fully support a committed relationship that is treated like a marriage,” she said. “But I will not go into a legal agreement that will cost me money on the front end or on the back end ever again. If you want to give me a ring or have a ceremony or have a party, let’s do it. But I will not sign a legal agreement with the state of Ohio or any other state.”

Will she try out for the Ben-Gals again this year? Yes, she said. But after that, she doesn’t know. She’ll see where life takes her.

“I’ve learned that who you think you are constantly changes,” she said, “and I’m OK with that.”

So you want to be a Ben-Gal?
Here are some things you might not know about Cincinnati Ben-Gals cheerleaders, as revealed by Laura Vikmanis is her new memoir:

• Ben-Gals must be at least 21 and either work full-time or be enrolled in school. There is no maximum age.
• Practices are held two to three times weekly. They include not only cheers, but also conditioning such as Zumba, yoga, Pilates, plyometrics and drills – all while wearing full makeup and fully styled hair.
• Ben-Gals who don’t make weight have to stay after practice for “fat camp” – an extra half-hour of high-intensity conditioning. Your personal goal weight is set over the first month of practice. Once it’s set, you must weigh in at every practice. If you are more than 3 pounds above your goal weight, you’ll be benched for the next game.
• The only acceptable absence from practice is for your wedding, when you can miss a week’s worth of practice without penalty.
• Ben-Gals are paid $75 per game.
• Even though Ben-Gal uniforms show the midriff, T-shirts that show the belly are strictly prohibited away from the stadium – as are body piercings and glitter.
• Fraternization between Ben-Gals and Bengals is strictly prohibited.
• Ben-Gals call their husbands and boyfriends “Ben-Guys.”
• Until recently, Ben-Gals were required to wear Revlon lipstick in a much-hated shade called Orange Flip. Now it’s a warm red called Cherry Pop.
• Not all of the Ben-Gals get along. “The most prominent division on the Ben-Gals is not between the young girls and the older girls but between the Real Boobs and the Fake Boobs,” Vikmanis writes. “This is despite the fact that at any given time, a third of the Real Boobs are considering implants.”

Still want to try out? For information about this year’s auditions, visit www.bengals.com/cheerleaders/auditions.html.