The Mainichi Daily News
June 6, 2011
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Japanese professional cheerleader Emi Koike won a final audition in May and became one of the 40-member 2011-2012 New York Jets “Flight Crew,” the cheerleaders for the National Football League team for the upcoming season.
Since the 27-year-old has already worked as cheerleader for the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association, her latest success makes her the first Japanese ever to dance for the three major U.S. professional sport organizations.
“It has been my dream to become an NFL cheerleader since doing competitive cheerleading in high school in Japan,” said Koike in a statement released by NFL Japan.
“There has been little bright news in Japan so far this year due to the earthquake and tsunami. Cheerleading is the only thing I can do and I hope my performance and efforts in the United States will help encourage and raise the motivation, even if only slightly, of the people affected by the disaster and the NFL fans in rebuilding” Japan, she said.
According to the Japanese unit of the NFL, more than 300 people, including applicants from Japan, took part in the audition for the Flight Crew.
The final audition, held on May 7, was a competition between the 39 people, including Koike, who had been selected through interviews and skill tests from among all applicants, plus 25 members of the 2010-2011 Flight Crew. Koike and the 39 other successful applicants will dance and root for the New York Jets in the season starting in early September.
In the United States, Koike has been cheerleader for the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers and Nashville Predators, as well as for the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks.
The NBA Jam Van is in China for its seventh trip to that country. Jam Van touring hits the road every year to bring the NBA experience to millions of fans all around the world. They bring players, alumni, mascots, dance teams, and a 50-foot truck that transforms into over 1,000 square feet of basketball and interactive off-court activities. This spring, they are traveling through 20 Chinese cities, and Clippers Spirit Dancers Teresa, Jocelyn, Recee, Katrina, Brittany, and Jacquelyn are part of show! Here’s their diary about the trip so far: (Click here for more photos on the Clippers Spirit Facebook page!)
May 29, 2011, by Recee
Amazing opportunities like a 12 day trip to China don’t happen too often. So when Spirit Director, Audrea, called to invite me along, I was ecstatic!!! Traveling to Shanghai and Beijing to represent the Clippers is definitely a dream come true and I couldn’t imagine a better way to spring into summer! We arrived at LAX with multiple books, laptops, movies and any other entertainment to occupy our time during the 14 hour plane ride. The ride was long but there was much space to stretch our legs and walk around in the cabin.
We finally arrived at the Pudong Shanghai Airport and were greeted by our translator and escort, Tony. Tony immediately led us to our shuttle and set off for the center of Shanghai, about 50 minutes from the airport. Driving through the beautiful rural side of Shanghai’s surrounding cities was so peaceful and relaxing. It allowed us to see a different side of Shanghai, complete with vegetation and sprawling farmlands. Soon enough though, our scenery slowly transformed as we approached the bustling epicenter of Shanghai, which, as our guide Tony informed us, is the most recent location of the World Expo! Shanghai looks so much like New York City! The tall skyscrapers and modern buildings are extremely reminiscent of the magnificent Manhattan skyline! The city also boasts an efficient metro system which runs close to 260 mph. It was surprising and really comforting to see the similarities of the two cities.
Recee, Teresa, Jocelyn, Brittany, Jacquelyn, and Katrina
Our first two days of performance have been for the Boshiwa Kids Carnival held at the Shanghai Stadium. The carnival has been really busy and exciting! There is a rock climbing station, a shooting court, a stage and an area for autograph signing. After our signing, we were able to meet Golden State Warriors player, Jeremy Lin who is of Chinese descent. Amongst the media and press covering the event, are hundreds of energetic children. Signing autographs and taking pictures with fans who reside so far from our hometown has been life changing. Seeing the excitement on their faces made the 14 hour trip well worth it. Many of them had practiced English greetings just as much as we spent time learning how to say “hello” and “thank you” in Chinese. While communicating proves difficult at times, the desire to cross the unfamiliar cultural divide overruled and we are learning a lot from each other about our homelands!
May 31, by Spirit Team Director Audrea Harris
It has been an amazing five days for us all here in Shanghai! I pinch myself sometime realizing the awesome job I have. This is the third international trip the Clippers Spirit has been on since October, and we are so appreciative of the opportunities the NBA offers us. When I received the email with the invitation to Shanghai and Beijing, I of course did not hesitate to say YES!
As of 6:30 pm Tuesday evening Shanghai time(3:30 am Tuesday morning, Los Angeles time) the Clippers Spirit ladies have worked two days and have had two free days. The first two work days have been at the fun Boshiwa Kids Carnival at the Shanghai Arena. Lots of kids came out to enjoy the fun! The Clippers Spirit performed and signed autographs and made many new friends!
Free days have been spent shopping and sightseeing. We hope you are enjoying the photos we’ve been sharing!
Monday, May 30th:
The day was spent shopping, shopping, shopping!!
That evening we enjoyed the “ERA Intersection of Time in Shanghai Circus.” It’s similar to Cirque du Soleil. It’s a stunning acrobatic extravaganza and aerial show, the first of its kind in China. ERA’s inspiration is the combination of traditional Chinese acrobatic arts and modern technology. The lighting, sound effects, elaborate costumes, and original live music made for a phenomenal show. Our tour guide Tony said it was a MUST-SEE in Shanghai…and he was so right!
Tuesday, May 31st:
We went to the Jade Buddhist Temple. Our interpreter and tour guide Tony gave us an incredible history lesson and tour of the temple.
Our next stop was Riverside Park Waterfront. Skies were a little overcast, but we still had a great view. I can only imagine it is absolutely gorgeous on a sunny blue day!
Tony treated us to tea at a traditional Chinese Tea House. We sat around a table and were served numerous delicious teas. Our server, Zoe, described all of the different teas to us and also told us the health benefits of each one. My 3 favorites were: black, green, and jasmine. Many of the teas smelled as delicious as they taste. We then went to the Tea Market downstairs where we could purchase the tea, and various tea items, tea sets, etc.
Our final stop of the day was at Old Town Outdoor Market where we did a little more shopping and looking around. It began to sprinkle so we decided to call it a day. We are all relaxing a bit before dinner and deciding what we’ll do tonight. It won’t be a late night as the ladies have three autograph signing appearances tomorrow.
Two more days in Shanghai and then we are off to Beijing.
We’ll check in again soon!
Clockwise from bottom left: Recee, Teresa, Jocelyn, Audrea (Director), Brittany, Jacquelyn, and Katrina (center)
AtlantaFalcons.com
June 3, 2011
The 2011 Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders season officially kicked off Thursday night as coaches held a special rookies-only practice. Rookie cheerleader and AtlantaFalcons.com cheer correspondent Melissa Z. lets you behind closed doors of the first practice in her latest post. The full team will begin practices next week
Thursday was the night that I have been looking forward to since I made this team: the first practice. Not only was this going to be my first practice as an Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader, it was going to be my first practice as a rookie.
During the past two months, the squad set practice times amongst ourselves to prepare eight sidelines and about 15 fillers for Thursday. Sideline routines are each about a minute long, and fillers consist of between two and four eight-counts of fun and sharp dance moves. I am proud to say that I have not missed any of these practices, but that does not mean that I was fully confident in myself Thursday.
I was about 45 minutes early and was not surprised to see a handful of my teammates practicing inside a racquetball court room with my wonderful captain, Shamea M. It was a great feeling to know that my fellow rookies are dedicated and determined to know the material, and it was fantastic to know that our captains are always willing to help.
While on the topic of our captains, we have four wonderful ladies that represent the leadership and talent that this team stands for: Brandy K., Shamea M., Margaret M., and Zorah B. They sat us down and had an informative yet laid-back “rookie 101” meeting on what is expected of our rookie class. They were open to feedback and questions and were extremely helpful in making us feel comfortable and welcome.
Once our choreographer, Jakene Ashford, and our coach, Chato Waters, arrived, it was time to buckle down and practice.
We set up in our respective lines and ran through all of our filler material. We were encouraged to smile and use our strengths in the choreography to our advantage. I fumbled on a few of the newer fillers, but I immediately put myself in “focus mode” and was able to pick myself back up and move forward.
I feel as if my teammates have done the same, as well. As soon as they were given a correction, they fixed it immediately and kept smiling. I know that this particular positive attitude will continue throughout the season.
Post-practice was relaxed and fun. My “shortie” line stayed behind to go over the material a little longer. We all planned to meet twice (with our captain) before Tuesday’s practice so we can perfect everything and be confident in our material.
Shamea summed up the practice perfectly.
“Tonight was a great opportunity to get rid of the bugs and really get used to having our coach and choreographer watching us,” she told the rookies.
After hearing our captains and our coach give us beneficial feedback, my rookie class will for sure come prepared on Tuesday as well as the rest of the AFC practices this season!
Cheers!
Melissa Z.
Making the Magazine
By: Jay Adams
AtlantaFalcons.com
June 1st, 2011
The Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders do much more than cheer on the Falcons in the Georgia Dome and pose for swimsuit calendars. Each has their own personal aspirations, and Atlanta Falcons Cheerleader Denita C. recently reached one of her biggest goals by being published in this month’s Oxygen Magazine. Denita is featured in the Future of Fitness section of the magazine, and you can pick up a copy on newsstands now to see one of the Falcons’ best on a national stage
Earlier this year, Atlanta Falcons cheerleader Denita C. set a goal for herself. An aspiring fitness model, Denita made it her 2011 task to get into Oxygen Magazine — a women’s fitness magazine.
In late January, Denita submitted photos and completed a questionnaire to Oxygen in hopes of fulfilling that dream.
A week after submitting her photos and questionnaire, Denita received a call saying that she would be featured in an upcoming edition of the magazine.
You can find her in this month’s issue of Oxygen, in the Future of Fitness section. The feature, Denita says, gives readers the opportunity to share their ideas, stories and workout tips.
“I have hopes to be a successful fitness model. Just trying to find ways to get a break,” Denita said. “It is an honor to be selected.”
Pick up a copy of Oxygen Magazine currently on newsstands to see Denita’s full feature.
Click here to check out the Stockton She Wolves dance team! The Stockton Wolves, formerly the San Jose Wolves, are part of the Western Indoor Football Association. [LINK FIXED NOW]
DallasCowboysCheerleaders.com
June 2, 2011
Announced last weekend at Cowboys Stadium, welcome the candidates that will be going to the 2011 DCC training camp. The squad consists of 18 returning veterans and 27 rookies.
(Note: Last names only provided for veterans and those who have been featured on CMT’s “Making the Squad.” All other candidates are listed by first and middle name.)
