Joe Elerson
Athens Review
May 20, 2015
Malakoff senior Raylee Stearman is one step closer to her dream of becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.
“I am very excited to say I will be a 2015 training camp candidate for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders,” Stearman said. “I am currently looking for an apartment in the Dallas area to move up there by June 1.”
Stearman made it to training camp June 1 with the hopes of making the final roster by the end of the summer.
“No one is officially on the 2015 Cowboys team,” Stearman said. “We will know at the end of the summer. They will announce it with a team picture.”
Stearman said her senior year has been the best year of her life.
She was the Malakoff High School homecoming queen and graduates Thursday, June 4th.
“This has been my favorite year of high school. Coming in as a freshman, I would have never expected this,” Stearman said. “With theater and homecoming and all of the different things this year coming together, it has been an extraordinary year.”
The Malakoff community has helped Stearman in so many ways during the past two weeks.
“Malakoff has been so supportive. The school announced it and all of my wonderful fellow students and friends have congratulated me,” Stearman said. “My teacher Jessica Bentley helped watch my solo the day before and they have been patient with my random schedule. I could not have done it without Malakoff.”
With votes on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders website and making it to the panel interviews and final audition, Stearman was anxious during the announcement for the candidates.
“Kelli Finglass, Judy and Charlotte Jones-Anderson all went to the front and starting listing girls names,” Stearman said. “I was just sitting there praying and hoping my name would be called. It got towards the end and I was one of the last names called. I thought maybe it was not my year.”
She said the support of the community was appreciative in reaching this goal in her first attempt.
“It really helped me through the process knowing I had that support group,” Stearman said. “It meant so much to me and this process is emotionally tough. Once the word got out there and the paper was put out there, I started seeing all of the support with people rooting me on no matter what the outcome was.”
With training camp less than two weeks away, Stearman knows it will be tough for her to adjust to the transition.
“It will be tough. First-year training camp is my first time moving out of home,” Stearman said. “That is more of my concern that I will living with a friend away from home for the first time for the whole summer.”
She knows heading to Dallas will be a time for growth and excitement.
“Being 18 and heading off to college and doing all of this, I am expecting personal growth,” Stearman said. “I have made some great friends and learning some great experiences and life lessons all at once. I am really excited for this chance.”
By Danielle Bertiger
Tennessee Titans
May 20, 2015
After working three consecutive 17-hour days, the photo shoot for the 2015-16 Titans Cheerleaders calendar has wrapped.
The Panama City Beach News visited the cheerleaders before their early morning shoot. Around lunch time, a few of the cheerleaders helped out at a Car Wash and raised over $600 in just under two hours for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.
In the evening, the team wrapped up its final shoots and celebrated at the beautiful Oceans Restaurant on location at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort.
Tomorrow morning they head back to Nashville, where they will start training camp next week.
View Gallery | 51 Photos
Day 3 of 2015 Titans Cheerleaders Calendar Shoot
Titans Cheerleaders Begin Calendar Shoot at Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort
By Danielle Bertiger
Tennessee Titans
May 18, 2015
Last night, the 2015 Titans Cheerleaders arrived at the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort for their annual calendar shoot. They enjoyed a decadent meal at the famous Firefly Restaurant, where country music star Dierks Bentley and President Obama have both dined. This morning the first shoot began on the beach just at sunrise. The cheerleaders continued at Hombre Golf Club, where the PGA Qualifying Tournament was held, and mingled with several Titans fans who were out on the course today. Finally, the day concluded with Titans-themed swimsuits on the beach at dusk. Check back for more updates throughout the week!
View Gallery | 106 Photos
Day 1 of 2015 Titans Cheerleaders Photo Shoot
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Titans Cheerleaders Conduct Beach Bootcamp at Calendar Shoot
By Danielle Bertiger
Tennessee Titans
May 19, 2015
Hard to believe the Titans Cheerleaders are more than halfway done with this year’s calendar shoot. This morning, they made great use of the beautiful waterfalls at Edgewater Beacn and Golf Resort for a few of the shoots. Afterwards, Captain Anne P. led an intense beach bootcamp workout (just minutes after she shot)! During lunchtime there was a meet and greet at Edgewater’s onsite restaurant, Oceans, for the guests of the resort. In the evening, the crew headed over to Laketown Wharf to do some more shoots during their famous fountain shows.
View Gallery | 121 Photos
Day 2 of 2015 Titans Cheerleaders Calendar Shoot
Keep checking back for more updates throghout the week!
Lots of great stuff on Sports Illustrated!
Cheerleader of the Week: Charo
Miami Dolphins Cheerleader Auditions
Chicago Blackhawks Ice Crew Girls
Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader Auditions
Cheerleader of the Week: Cassie
Cheerleader of the Week: Samantha
By ANNETTE WHITE
The Daily Tribune
May 12, 2015
After a whirlwind weekend of panel interviews, kick routines and solo performances, former Mount Pleasant High School Tiger Doll Colby Hanks was named the winner of the 2015 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders fan vote, granting her an automatic invitation to DCC Training Camp this summer.
“It was pretty surreal to hear my number called out as the fan vote winner,” Hanks said. “It made it even more special that I was able to share the experience with people that I cherish and adore. To know that my fans are a part of what made it happen made it pretty amazing.”
Hanks said she was overwhelmed at the support she received from her hometown, as well as all of her friends and family.
“I love my hometown so much,” she said. “I even wore black and gold during my solo.”
Hanks, who currently works for her family’s Leesburg-based business Eastex Crude, said the hard part of her journey is still to come.
“The hard work begins at training,” she said. “Training camp is widely known as a transformational process for your dancing, as well as character-building. It can be hard because there’s a lot of time and effort that goes into it, and everyone there is juggling careers and cheerleading, trying to get our lives together so we can maintain a good sense of balance in our lives.”
Hanks said practices run every weeknight in June, July and August, until football seasons kicks off.
“We’ve all cleared our summer calendars,” she said. “We’re all very thrilled to be continuing the journey together.”
Hanks was selected with 45 other finalists to attend the training camp. She said 82 candidates participated in the final auditions last weekend, including 23 veterans and 59 rookie candidates.
According to Hanks, 13 of 36 Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders retired after last season, essentially leaving 13 open spots on the squad.
“As a rookie this was an exciting year to come into the organization,” Hanks said. “More girls chose to retire, leaving more spots available. There’s a great sense of excitement among the girls.”
The 46 candidates attending training camp consist of 20 veterans and 26 rookies. However, Hanks said many of the rookie candidates selected are alumni from other professional teams, such as cheerleaders from the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Dallas Stars.
Hanks also confirmed that the audition process, as well as training camp, will air in the 10th season of “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team” this August. The show will premiere on CMT.
GuideLive.com
May 11, 2015
With the shiniest, fluffiest pompoms and wide-stretched eyes filled with glitter, I’ve never seen such an overflow of glamour and glitz in one room. Caches of makeup were sprung through out, nestled up to rows of full-length mirrors. Every single power outlet was occupied by a curling iron and there was a buzz of nerves and chatter that electrified the room.
Saturday, May 9 marked the “make it or break it” day for many Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders training camp hopefuls.
23 veterans returned for auditions to AT&T Stadium in hopes of securing a spot on the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader squad again, including Australian-born Angela Rena. Rena first came to the United States four years ago in hopes of making the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team.
“I wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader because of the traditions and standards that it holds,” Rena said. “It’s A-class all the way.”
Check out the gallery below for photos from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions.
Rena danced for the National Rugby League (NRL) in Australia before flying across the ocean to try and earn her Cowboys Cheerleader boots in Texas.
“My director at the NRL has always been infatuated with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the organization and what it stands for, so she took me under her wing from a very young age and was trying to develop me into trying out,” Rena said.
Initially, Rena was resistant to the idea, as she wanted to pursue her collegiate career in the field of science.
“After finishing my two science degrees, I came to my director and said ‘I think I’m going to go try out’ and she was ecstatic that I wanted to take the plunge,” Rena said.
After a plane ride to Dallas four years ago, a couple weeks before auditions, her hopes came true as she was invited to be a member of the team. She recounts watching the CMT series Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team at home in Sydney with her fellow Aussie family and friends.
Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Angela Rena, pictured at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on August 21, 2011.
Michael Ainsworth/Staff Photographer
And after four years of squad experience under her belt she was still nervous for her fifth year of tryouts. With a CMT camera crew documenting every moment of the audition process, I can imagine how nerves would run deep.
“The veterans definitely get very nervous for auditions because they’ve [coaches] seen us dance,” Rena said. “So if we don’t dance our best at auditions, they’re going to question why they’d take us back on the team again. We are fighting to keep that uniform.”
Rena says the camaraderie between the rookies and the veterans is very strong. She has served the squad as second leader, which is comparable to the role of a squad captain. She enjoys this role, as she’s gotten to work closely with many of the rookie team members. And as an outsider, observing the interactions among the candidates, the vibes appeared genuine and positive. Through out the entire audition process, the women were cheering each other on with polite applause and the occasional “woo.”
“We take them, train them and coach them into what we want the team to be,” Rena said. “We work so hard to maintain our reputation that we want them to go out on appearances and represent the organization with pride.”
Although auditioning for this squad requires limberness, pearly whites and a hair-teasing comb, it also requires patience.
Each candidate got her time to shine on the mammoth of a Jumbotron Saturday afternoon. Judges, including Cowboys Cheerleader director Kelli Finglass, head choreographer Judy Trammell and fitness trainer Jay Johnson, inspected each candidate on the larger-than-life screen.
Upon performing the “power pom” routine and renowned kick line on the AT&T Stadium field, in groups of four to five women, the camera panned on each candidate to get an up-close glimpse of her. The women looked relieved at the conclusion of each audition, with America’s Sweethearts smiles stretched across their cheeks.
After more than two hours of the group auditions on the football field, the auditions were finally over around 5 p.m. The women were corralled off the field and you could see relaxation set in over many faces. Although there were still several hours ahead, waiting on the judges’ deliberating, at least the performance component was finished.
“If I make training camp tonight again, I’ll be going out to dinner with my brother and sister, who flew in from Australia,” Rena said.
Rena wasn’t alone in celebrating the conclusion of the day with a delicious meal. Within minutes of the women finishing their auditions, they were all allowed access to the stadium’s cafe. Upon returning from the cuisine stash, many returned with heaping nachos and thick burgers. I was shocked to see people of such slim stature pack away the food like that. I must admit it made me like them ever more: my kind of girl.
As the results were announced for the 2015 training camp attendees, Rena’s name was on the list for a fifth year in a row. Rena, 30 years old, is the oldest returning veteran on the squad. And to make her audition experience that much sweeter, she will be heading to training camp with former roommate, long-time friend and former Dallas Mavericks dancer, Chantel Jones.
By Jay Betsill
Special to DFW.com
May 11, 2015
Audition Gallery 1: Finalist Solos (219 Photos)
Audition Gallery 2: Choreography and Kickline (234 photos)
Audition Gallery 3: Best of (42 Photos)
ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders audition process began last weekend as the preliminary and semi-finals featured over 500 candidates from 32 states and four countries. For the finals, the 59 candidates that survived the first weekend joined the 23 returning veterans from last year’s team at AT&T Stadium in hopes of being one of the 45 ladies selected to the training camp roster.
The finals began on Friday as the panel interviews began at 10 a.m. at the stadium. Four ladies at a time met in 20-minute increments with Brenda Teele Jackson, Neal McCoy, Scott Padgett, Judy Trammell, Kelli Finglass and Charlotte Jones Anderson in a suite overlooking the field. They were asked their opinion on a variety of topics including current events and quizzed on past and current Dallas Cowboys facts.
The second component of the finals got underway on Saturday morning shortly after 9 a.m. as the judges arrived to the AT&T Star Club on the south concourse of the stadium for the individual talent presentation that is better known as the “solo.”
“For this portion, simply stated, our judges are looking for entertainers,” DCC Director Kelli Finglass announced to the 82 candidates. “That is defined as someone who can ignite, excite, amuse and hold the attention of their audience. Each and everyone of you has 90 seconds to show us your craft.”
CMT’s cameras filming the 10th season of Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team were in place and it was time to get started. Returning veteran Jacie was the first up for the solos portion and about two hours later, Melissa wrapped things up with her performance.
Jacie
Melissa
“I feel like I am more nervous auditioning as a veteran than I was in my first year,” said Jacie, trying out for what would be her fourth year as a DCC. “We turned in our uniforms on Wednesday, so it was a close to a great Dallas Cowboys season and it is always so hard because there is no guarantee that you are going to get it back. After closing that chapter, literally the same day, my next chapter opened as I took the DCC auditions test and learned the finals dance.
“Being the first person to kick off solos is a huge honor,” she continued. “So that alone got me a little emotional when I arrived today and saw my number. In last year’s auditions, I was last to go, so this was a lot better on my nerves as the day went on.”
After the individual talent presentations were concluded, there was an hour break before the ladies reconvened down on the field clad in their navy rehearsal attire. The judges were sitting up in section C-210 with a 50-yard line view of the huge HD video board.
The ladies took the field in groups of five to perform the finals routine and the iconic DCC kickline. Following their second kickline performance, they stood and waited as the judges’ panel gave them one final look-through on the same screen that will be in full view of over 80,000 Cowboys fans this fall.
“For the veterans, being in the empty stadium to rehearse is totally normal,” said Paige, auditioning for what would be here [sic] third season. “That’s what I told myself, that it was a normal practice for a game, so what’s different about it. Earlier during the kickline I was shouting at the other girls, pumping them up like we do during games because that is who I am…I really appreciate this whole process and its honestly because it’s really about making this the best team.”
Then came the wait as the judges retreated to discuss all of the candidates and put together the group to take to training camp. This part can be the most relaxing, yet most anxious time during the audition process as the some of the ladies get to sit around and chat with friends old and new while others that are at the point of mental and physical exhaustion opt to take a nap. The one thing they all have in common is in the back of their minds, they are wondering if they will hear their name called and three weeks from now be at Valley Ranch or moving on to the next chapter in their lives.
At stake for the ladies who had auditioned was not only the opportunity to perform at the Cowboys home games but to be ambassadors for the organization all over the world from visiting U.S. troops overseas, corporate functions, charity events and television appearances to traveling to the exotic locations for their annual swimsuit calendar photo shoot.
Just before 9 p.m., the candidates were back in their seats and Kelli Finglass returned with Judy Trammell and Charlotte Jones Anderson with the news that would forever change the lives of many of the ladies in the room.
As Finglass announced the final name that would be invited to training camp, the rookie candidate who was voted in by the fans on the DCC website, there was the inevitable fact that several veterans who had hoped to return to the sidelines would be bidding the team farewell.
It was the perfect storm of ecstasy and agony for the veterans who heard their name called but were faced with the mixed emotions between the joy of their personal opportunity while knowing that their now-former teammates’ dreams had come to an end. The DCC summer-long training camp begins on June 1 and will culminate with the official revealing of the team later this summer.
Save the date!
The playoffs are on and the Clippers are on fire. Don’t you wish you were part of it? Well, maybe you can be next season. Auditions for the amazing, glamorous, talented Clippers Spirit dance team are coming up in July. The team is hosting two pre-audition workshops to help you put your best foot forward. This is your chance to talk to the director of the team and current members, learn about their dance style and choreography, learn a dance or two, and get some invaluable advice on how to prepare yourself for auditions.
Photos: Cheerleading hopefuls show off their moves at Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions
GuideLive.com
May 10, 2015
Cheerler hopefuls auditioned to be part of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on May 9, 2015.
Check out the gallery [here] for photos from the auditions.
So I was thinking about how Seazun Clark just made a comeback to the Ben-Gals after retiring from Indiana Pacers dance team following the 2008-09 NBA season. And then I just realized she isn’t alone. Another NFL cheerleader has popped back on the scene after an extended hiatus.
I was looking through the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders 2015 roster, when I came across this lovely lady:
Jamie R. Hm…she looks familiar. I thought about it and thought about it. And finally, it came to me. This is someone I saw just the other day, when I was updating our Sisters, Twins, Moms, Daughters, and More” page. Holy cow! That’s one of the Cramer twins, flying solo!
Jamie and her sister Jennifer were on the squad for five seasons together (2001 to 2006). Jamie stayed on for an additional season after her sister retired. She was a team captain for two years and also represented her teammates at the 2007 Pro Bowl.
This was Jamie back in 2005.
This is Jamie now. She’s back, she’s blonde, and clearly better than ever.
She looks a-freakin-mazing. Congratulations, and welcome back. We’re so excited to see you back in action this season!
