This season, former New England Patriots Cheerleader Carrie Binette appeared on TLC’s hit show “Say Yes to the Dress.” Last year, Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Kari Pujadas appeared on the southern incarnation of the show, “Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta.” Now here’s another interesting factoid: Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Brandy K. is a Casting Director for Say Yes: Atlanta. Here she is with two members of the cast: Lori Allen, owner of Bridals By Lori, where the show takes place, and Monte Durham, Fashion Director for Bridals by Lori.

The Titans Cheerleaders are busy prepping for the upcoming season, and they recently completed their team photo shoot. Click here to check out an extensive gallery of photos from the shoot!

The Girls of Paradise … Ashton and Kelsi
By Mickey Spagnola
Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine
(by way of DallasCowboysCheerleaders.com)
June 16, 2011

Day 7 of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar photo shoot was scheduled for Chico’s Paradise, just south of downtown Puerto Vallarta where photographer Wade Livingston was busy climbing over rocks, through creeks and along a path of bamboo trees trying to find the right spots to shoot Sunni Cranfill and Sasha Agent. Seemingly, for hours.

But back where the crew set up its home base on the patio of an adjacent restaurant, there sat Ashton Torres reading, immersed in trying to keep up with the work she was missing at the University of Texas-Arlington during the seven days of classes she would be out during the calendar shoot, not to mention agonizing over the finals hovering over her head when she would return to school that second week in May.

Ashton Torres

“The last three years have definitely been very difficult,” Ashton says. “I made the team and I’ve been taking 12 to 15 hours a semester, and (going to) summer school when our training camp takes place, so it’s definitely been hard to juggle homework. When you have a job, you work until 5 and stop, then go to practice. But with this, you go to school all day and then study all night.”

That’s after practice.

And Ashton isn’t the only one involved in these marathon days, the sacrifice that must be made to be a part of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders while trying to attain a college education at the same time. There’s Kelsi Reich, Cassie Trammell and Melissa Kellerman, just to name a few.

Let Ashton, who passed on the opportunity to attend Texas A&M and live the big-time college experience just to dance with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, give you a feel for what life is like for the two-year veteran heading into her third season with the squad while taking classes at UTA, especially during the fall when practice lasts at least from 6 to 10 four nights a week, and sometimes longer.

“Say we get out of practice at 10:30, then I get home around 11 or 11:15,” Ashton says. “If I haven’t eaten dinner, I’ll try to eat something small and start my homework, but sometimes it’s so difficult because I’m so exhausted and I just pass out and I have to wake up early to try to get some of that homework done. But I do try to get at least six hours of sleep. Then repeat the whole cycle all over again the next day.”

With an eye toward graduating in May of 2012.

Kelsi knows the routine, too. She’s been doing this for the three seasons she’s been a member of the DCC, attending Dallas Baptist University, normally taking 16 hours a semester.

“It’s hard going to school fulltime and being a cheerleader,” says Kelsi, who grew up in The Woodlands, Texas, from which she moved after making the squad in 2008 and finding a college to attend in the area. “I pretty much go to school all day, then a couple hours of studying and maybe a snack or a nap or work out and then go to practice all night. That’s my routine.

“Then in the offseason we only practice three nights a week (off on Mondays and Fridays) so now I’m doing Monday night classes for five hours. I just never get a night off because I’m either at school or practice. I’m just ready to be done. I’m almost there. I graduate in December – hopefully – if my classes are available. I see the finish line … it takes up a lot of time, but I would never complain about any of it because it’s worth it. You can only be a cheerleader for so many years of your life. Why not suck it up, give up a few years of your life and enjoy all of it.”

Kelsi Reich

The Girls of Paradise … Ally Traylor
By Mickey Spagnola
Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine
(by way of DallasCowboysCheerleaders.com)
June 14, 2011

If all goes well during training camp this summer, Ally Traylor will be the senior member of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders this coming season. She has already put in four years, and is gunning for one more, her fifth.

By her count, from 2007-2010, she has lined up on the sideline of either Texas Stadium or Cowboys Stadium 42 times, eight regular-season and two preseason games each year plus two NFC playoff contests. Not bad for a girl who grew up in St. Charles, Mo., and began watching football, predominately the Cowboys, as a child so she could spend time with her father, a huge fan of the team.

At such an early age, Ally declared to her father, Joseph Traylor, “That’s what I want to be when I grow up,” seeing the Cowboys Cheerleaders on the sidelines while watching those Dallas home games.

Well, that’s what she became, all right, and little did she know she would be tugging her parents along for what’s been a memorable ride with the DCC.

“Watching those Cowboys games was definitely a family affair when I was growing up,” Ally says. “And now I get to share with them all of the joy and the memories I’m making now being a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. They, too, have been to all 42 of my games.

“I’m kind of a nerd, the girls tease me about being a nerd, always writing things down – kind of, I don’t know, geeky – and I just thought, auditions are coming up, I’m going into my fifth year and my parents have never missed a game. That’s dedication, and obviously I know they love me, but man, they really love me.”

Sometimes love comes at a cost, even if a joyful one at that. So Ally pops out her calculator to start crunching numbers and figures out her parents, Joseph and Nancy, have traveled more than 30,000 miles over the past four years “to be a part of something that is really special to me.”

And it’s not just the miles, driving or flying. It’s hotel rooms and meals, and not to mention the cost of those personalized DCC T-shirts they wear, proclaiming on the back to be “Ally’s Mom” and “Ally’s Dad,” along with taking Ally shopping, of course, on those weekends. Those expenses to share 42 weekends with their daughter living in the Dallas area have to add up.

“Thanks, Mom and Dad,” Ally says, “and I guess it’s a good thing I got a free-ride scholarship to college because I’m guessing it’s balancing out now.”

New headshots have been posted on the Vikings.com!

There are a few photos on the Charger Girls Facebook page. Click here to check ’em out!

This fall, the Anaheim Bolts will commence their inaugural season as part of the Professional Arena Soccer League. The Bolts are looking to provide an exciting entetainment package for fans, and they’ve hired Taylor Hooks as Director of Game Entertainment to make it happen. Taylor is a former captain of the Los Angeles Clippers Spirit dance team, and one of the most popular performers in the team’s history. Fans were sad, sad, sad, when she retired, and I know this, because some of them emailed me to ask what’s up with THAT? I too loves me some Taylor. She’s a super-talented dancer and has also choreographed for other teams in the league, so it’s no surprise that one of the first items on her agenda is putting together a dance team for the Bolts. The dancers will perform at all 12 Bolts home games between October and March, at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. They will also be featured in dance team calendar.

This is your chance to get in on the ground level with an exciting new organization. For more details, visit the Anaheim Bolts website, and Facebook page.

Jet Blue, the official airline of New York, is also the official airline of the New York Jets. The company recently unveiled the new Jets-branded Airbus A320, and members of the Flight Crew Cheerleaders were invited to participate in the photoshoot for this new project. Click here to check out the photos.

New headshots have been posted for the Toronto Argonauts Cheerleaders. Click here to check ’em out. (No profiles or uniform shots yet, but the CFL season starts this month, so I expect updates will be posted sooner rather than later.)

By Ana I. Herrera / Staff Writer
Gables Homepage
June 14, 2011

To Lara Ryan, cheerleading is more than just dancing and looking cute.

A resident of Coral Gables, the 22-year-old was recently selected as one of the 42 young women making up the 2011-12 cheerleading squad of the Miami Dolphins.

“Cheerleading helps you be a more mature person, be organized, kind, work well with others, and be on time to everything,” said Ryan, adding that the best part about her job is getting to meet and serve the community.

Ryan was chosen among 76 women who competed in the final round. Approximately 300 applicants from different parts of the country had tried out in the preliminary competition.

Originally from Dallas, Ryan graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s in economics and minors in chemistry and psychology.

An only child, Ryan said not having brothers or sisters to show the way forced her to be very independent. She considers her main virtue to be honesty and said the person she admires the most is her mother, for her strength and perseverance.

A soccer player in her early school years, Ryan began her cheerleading career in middle school. She was also part of UM’s dance team.

“I feel so blessed to be given this opportunity,” said Ryan. “I’m truly grateful, so many girls seek this. What you learn from the choreographers and coaches is priceless.”

The Dolphins’ cheerleaders practice three to four times a week, for three to four hours each night. But their work is not limited to performing at games. Throughout the year, they participate in various charity events, parades and festivals.

“Lara was chosen not only because she is beautiful and talented, but because she possesses that special spark we look for when choosing the squad,” said Miami Dolphins staff assistant Katherine Milliken. “We look for ladies who are confident in themselves and who can bring a positive energy to the team.”

Milliken said that while the Miami Dolphins cheerleaders have transformed since their inception, the idea behind them has remained the same: to positively represent the diverse women of South Florida.

Ryan’s goals for the future include opening a studio where she can teach dance, as well as pursue a master’s in business administration.