ABC Philly: Local hopefuls prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders audition held at Lincoln Financial Field. Click here for photos.
March 6, 2011: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Show Group was on the road in Peoria, last night. The Peoria Rivermen ice hockey team rolled out the red carpet (literally) for the team’s performance during intermission. Afterward, the cheerleaders met with fans and signed autographs. Click here for photos on the Peoria Journal Star website.
More than 200 hopefuls come out in bid to join the team
By Tim Swift
The Baltimore Sun
March 5, 2011
Cheerleader tryouts for the Baltimore Ravens kicked off today as more than 200 hopefuls turned out in a bid to join the squad.
Newcomers and veterans alike will be fighting for team’s 60 cheerleading positions at the Merritt Downtown Athletic Club this weekend. It’s the first step in a month-long audition process that will culminate in an “American Idol”-like stage show at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel on March 26.
Today is all about initial impressions with most of the cuts happening tomorrow, says Heather Blocher, the Ravens’ advertising and marketing coordinator.
“If a girl’s hair is a mess or her makeup is off, we can take today to pull her aside and give her pointers,” Blocher says. “Then if she comes back tomorrow improved, she can move on.”
Around noon today, scores of women in fitted white Ravens’ uniforms filled the athletic club’s basketball court, getting their dance moves down pat before moving on the judging panel. As high-energy dance music blasted over the speakers, several curious gym-goers neglected their workouts and dozens of cameras flashed, giving the would-be cheerleaders a small taste of the attention they would receive on game day.
Blocher said about 40-50 members of last year’s squad have returned to try out again this year. They will be judged tomorrow and spent today helping and observing the new talent.
The cheerleaders aren’t just judged on athletics and appearance, Blocher says. The judges — including college cheerleading coaches, radio personalities and even a salon owner — evaluate the contenders on eight criteria such as poise and speaking ability.
Jennifer Rojas
Chargers.com
SAN DIEGO – When you think of the Charger Girls, images of beautiful women dancing and shaking gold pom-poms in front of 70,000 fans at Qualcomm Stadium comes to mind. But being a Charger Girl is more than the glitz on game day. The Chargers Girls spend much more of their time away from the field reaching out to the community.
“We expect the complete package in a Charger Girl,” said Charger Girls Director Lisa Simmons, who will oversee the April auditions. “We not only look at talent, performance and showmanship elements, but also for their passion to give back to the community.”
One of its largest programs, the Junior Charger Girls, allows girls ages 7-to-15 to learn a dance routine from the Charger Girls and perform on the field at halftime of a Chargers game. Since its inception in 1999, Junior Charger Girls has raised nearly $1 million for the Chargers Community Foundation and the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
“In just the last decade alone, the Charger Girls have raised nearly $400,000 to grant wishes for San Diego kids,” Make-a-Wish Foundation of San Diego President and CEO Chris Sichel said. “But they do so much more than raise money … they have brought hope, strength and joy to our wish kids, shared their hearts time and time again and serve as true role models to the many young ladies who participate in the Junior Charger Girls program. The Charger Girls are an amazing group of talented, caring and dedicated leaders in our community.”
To 15-year-old Make-a-Wish recipient Darren Sharks, the Charger Girls hold an even more special place in his heart. After learning of Sharks’ fight with cancer and his selfless wish of providing new uniforms to his football team at Patrick Henry High School, the Charger Girls invited him to be their water boy for the 2010 season.
“The experience is something I can never forget,” Sharks said. “I met so many new people and had the best time working with the Charger Girls. It was just fun. I’m also happy my story and my wish made such an impression on them. My ultimate goal is to help others and hopefully along the way change people’s way of thinking from “I” to “we”.”
Each year the Charger Girls select one organization to benefit from its calendar sales. The selected non-profit receives a percentage of the calendar sales, which can be as much as $10,000. Past recipients include the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, Rady Children’s Hospital, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“The annual swimsuit calendar is a great tool to help raise awareness of the great work organizations like the American Cancer Society and Rady Children’s Hospital do in the community. We’re happy to help in their effort in any way we can,” Simmons said.
Aside from preparing for their performance on game days, the Charger Girls make more than 300 community visits a year to homeless shelters, convalescent homes, hospitals and military installations. They also support causes like Becky’s House whose facilities provide transitional housing programs for survivors of domestic violence, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation by participating in mentor programs and walk-a-thons.
The Charger Girls work hard, committing themselves to being ambassadors of goodwill in the community as well as entertaining crowds on game day.
Charger Girls auditions are set for April 3-7 at University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion. A March 13 workshop will prepare dancers for the auditions. For more information or to register for the workshop and auditions, visit http://www.chargers.com/charger-girls/index.html.
Sydney Holmes, Staff Writer
Texas Tech Daily Toreador
March 3, 2011
Women love to hate them; men fantasize about them. They’ve been around since 1960, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are often thought of as all looks and no brains.
Shelley Roper-McCaslin, head recruiter for the DCC, came to Texas Tech to dispel this myth as well as team up with Tech’s Spirit Squads to promote school pride and enthusiasm.
Roper-McCaslin said she is impressed by the administration within the Spirit Squads at Tech and has had her eye on the pom and cheer squads for a while.
“Each year I will choose a couple of campuses that I would like to visit. The pom and the cheer squad (at Tech) are very established,” she said. “It’s worth it to us to reach out to those established groups because we find that they make excellent additions to our squad.”
Roper-McCaslin said she is aware of the high standards placed upon students at Tech, and she appreciates that students are being challenged.
“Their standards are high, as are ours,” she said. “(Well-established groups) understand about high expectations, and the performance quality, of course, is better.”
As far as the stereotype all cheerleaders are no more than a pretty face, Roper-McCaslin said she does not expect to see the perception change any time soon, though she would like it to. However, she is confident in the sophisticated nature of the girls on her squad.
“Our young women are very well-rounded,” she said. “They are bright and beautiful and know how to represent the Dallas Cowboys football team very well.”
Mia Mendez, a sophomore nutrition dietetics major from Mount Vernon, is not a member of a Tech Spirit Squad, but she was not shy about her aspirations to represent the Dallas Cowboys.
“DCC is definitely something I plan to try out for, so this is a great opportunity that Tech has provided for all the girls, pom or not, to get a heads up on some information,” Mendez explained. “You don’t usually get that when it comes to something as prestigious as DCC.”
Mendez, who recently auditioned for a dance minor, said even though she’s not majoring in dance, the art is an important part of her life.
“(Dancing) is something for me,” she said. “I’m going to school for a different degree, but I dance for me. It makes me happy, and I really enjoy it.”
Kathleen Busch, a pom squad member, shares Mendez’s sentiment when it comes to dance. The junior dance major and Plano native said oftentimes students confuse the pom and cheer squads.
“Everyone thinks that we’re the cheerleaders because we do the same kind of thing,” Busch said. “We don’t really get that respect level (we deserve) of dancing and being more performance-based than cheer.”
Busch plans to try out for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders after graduation but said she is apprehensive.
“I’ve had tons of friends go through (the audition process), and a lot of them didn’t make it,” she said. “I just know it’s a long process, and it’s very stressful because they’re looking for so many different things.”
Roper-McCaslin said although she can’t pinpoint one particular quality that is important in a DCC member, through the selection process she has noticed one common thread.
“Certainly confidence,” she said.
March 2, 2011 (WPVI) — 24-year-old Tracey Dunn desperately wants to be an Eagles Cheerleader and she’s leaving nothing to chance. She’s perfecting her dance moves, while flinging her long hair and flashing a brilliant smile. She made the squad twice already but surprisingly that doesn’t mean a thing! She has to train for tryouts just like the hundreds of girls she’ll be competing against.
“That’s the big thing, no guarantee that you’ll make it back,” she explained. “You’re always constantly fighting to keep your spot. But that’s good; it keeps you on your toes.”
We met up with Tracey while she was training at Bally Total Fitness in South Philadelphia.
[RELATED: Eagles Cheerleaders – Making the Squad]
Tracey grew up in the area and studied dance in college which she said helped her prepare for her first audition with the Eagles.
“I walked into a room with 500 girls that can be an eye opener and really get your nerves going,” she said.
Tracey stayed calm and endured several cuts all in the first day. The actual audition process takes about a month. Each contestant must prove she has the moves and looks physically fit.
One highlight of making the squad, the annual Eagles Cheerleader calendar shoot.
But Tracey said people only see the glamour. What would surprise them the most?
“The struggles we go through, you’re going to be tired, overworked and sweaty, it gets stressful.”
The women work hard training and you can follow Tracey and two other cheerleading hopefuls as they blog about their audition process.
The final auditions are set for Saturday March 26th.
Wisconsin boasts a bumper crop of TV stars
Duane Dudek
Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel
March 3, 2011
You can’t swing a snow shovel without hitting someone on television with a Wisconsin accent.
Random Lake resident Andrea Boehlke’s torch is still lighted on “Survivor: Redemption Island.” Milwaukee’s Naima Adedapo earned a standing ovation on this week’s “American Idol.” Robb Mariani of Milwaukee brings his love for big rigs to the Speed Channel on Thursdays with “American Trucker,” and was among the finalists on HGTV’s “Design Star” in 2007. Menomonee Falls’ Jessica Szohr is on “Gossip Girl” and reportedly dates Aaron Rodgers.
And “That ’70s Show” and “RoboCop” veteran Kurtwood Smith – who appears in the new CBS series “Chaos” – is from New Lisbon.
I’ve never heard of it either.
He also appears in the film “Cedar Rapids,” opening Friday, which is partly set in the state and was written by Neenah native Phil Johnston.
That probably only scratches the surface.
And let’s face it; as the budget battle, Madison protests, phone pranks and missing state senators play out on the national stage, the whole state looks like a dysfunctional reality show.
All of which demonstrates that geography is no impediment to notoriety or success.
“I love being from Wisconsin,” said Tanya Fischer, 25, from the CBS series “The Defenders.”
Fischer, who grew up in West Bend, spent her youth “daydreaming among the cornfields” about being an actress and was involved in “all sorts of activities” in high school. After graduation, she joined the Milwaukee Bucks’ Energee! Dance Team. She moved to New York in 2004 with “$1,000 and one suitcase,” slept on a friend’s couch and worked odd jobs. She didn’t have money for acting classes but got experience by working for theater companies and performing on stage. Through that, she got an agent and landed a recurring role on the short-lived ABC show “Life on Mars,” which was shot in New York.
“Then the stock market crashed and the industry changed,” she said.
She started losing roles to more established actors looking for work. So when a band she was in visited Los Angeles, she went to a “Defenders” audition, and after several screen tests she got the role. “The Defenders” stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Donnell as Las Vegas lawyers. The season finale airs Friday night at 7.
Fischer plays their secretary Zoey, whose competence is camouflaged by her coquettishness.
She said she drew on Judy Holliday in “Born Yesterday” and “Monkey Business,” an early Marilyn Monroe film, in creating the character, whose trademarks are brightly colored Post-it notes and a pink fuzzy-topped pencil, a prop Fischer pocketed when the series finished shooting.
Belushi is the star of the comedy-drama hybrid, but “The Defenders” is also an ensemble show, of which Fischer’s character is “the wild card. The random piece of the puzzle.”
“The Defenders” is produced and written by Whitefish Bay native Niels Mueller, with whom Fischer shared “handshakes and hugs” during the Green Bay Packers’ run to the Super Bowl, albeit behind Chicago native Belushi’s back. She said that Belushi “runs a tight ship” but is “open to improvisation if you come prepared.”
John Candy’s daughter is Fischer’s stand-in, and Belushi’s son Rob has appeared on the show.
Fischer had no such show business connections.
“I’m no producer’s kid,” she said.
Far from it. Her mother, Peggy Fischer, runs Shooting Star Travel in West Bend. Her dad runs a martial arts studio. Her younger sister attends the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and her brother attends her alma mater, West Bend High School.
When we spoke by phone last week, it was the day after she had finished filming her final scene of the season, and she was on a giggly adrenaline high.
“Right now, they’re packing up the stages until we get word” if the show was picked up for a second season, she said.
She is optimistic – “we’ve been pulling in good ratings consistently” – but also philosophical about the show’s future, and her own.
She said that when she interviewed for the commentary track on the DVD boxed set of the first season and was asked what she liked best about the job, “I had to say ‘everything.’ I’m not crashing on friends’ couches or eating food that restaurants throw away anymore. I like knowing my rent’s going to be paid for a while. And I can send my sister some dough for college. Who knows how long anything will last?
“But the work we are doing is something I’m proud of, and the audience seems to like it.”
And renewed or not, her dream is the same as it was in that cornfield: “To be a great actress.”
“I just want to keep at it,” she said. “I can’t wait to see after years of being around, the roles I can play when I’m a crazy old lady.”
By Michael Stetz
San Diego Tribune
March 2, 2011
It’s not just the players and coaches and front office people who could be impacted by the NFL labor unrest, so could the Charger Girls.
If a lockout occurs and games are ultimately lost, the cheerleaders stand to lose $75 per home game. (Suggestion: Um, maybe they should organize.)
They also receive two free tickets to each game and one parking pass. In addition, they get to see the game up close and personal, including really bad special teams play.
The good news? It appears that the Charger Girls off-season plans will not be interrupted by the labor mess. The NFL’s collective bargaining agreement remains on shaky ground even after the owners and players agreed to a 24-hour extension on Thursday. It’s now set to expire Friday night, which could result in a player lockout.
Some front-office people and coaches would see salary cuts.
But it appears doubtful that the Charger Girls will be disbanded or told to turn in their uniforms and pom poms.
They have scheduled a pre-audition workout for hopeful new dance members for March 13 at the Jenny Craig Pavilion at the University of San Diego. Auditions are scheduled for April 3-7 there as well.
Both events are still apparently scheduled to be held. They are still present on the Chargers website, which can be found here.
The Chargers confirmed that all things are a go.
“We’re moving forward with our annual preparations for the upcoming season – preparing for the draft, evaluating potential free agents, studying other teams, preparing practice schedules, etc – and that includes the Charger Girls,” said Bill Johnston, a team spokesman.
So it appears that the annual swimsuit calendar will still be shot, too.
FYI: This year’s calendar is still available and has been discounted to $10. It’s available here.
Last year’s audition attracted more than 400 women. The squad numbers only 28. The competition is intense because there is no other NFL team in Southern California, so women from throughout the region, including Los Angeles, try-out.
The Charger Girls don’t just dance and cheer at games. They appear at many charitable events throughout the year. Sport Magazine once rated them as the NFL’s best cheerleaders.
The Eagles Cheerleaders held a Mock Audition Workshop on Tuesday night to prepare contestants for the March 26 Open Call Auditions. Click here for photos from the evening.
By John Wenzel
The Denver Post
03/03/2011
Katrina Lairsmith had taught dance in nearly every studio in Denver, but in all her time as an instructor — and as one of the original Denver Nuggets dancers — she never found a group that fit her style or mission.
“Other than Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, there was no real contemporary jazz dance company doing what we wanted,” said the founder and artistic director of Damsels Contemporary Dance Company. “And finding the amount of talented dancers that had that same vision — that wasn’t easy because really good dancers want to get paid.”
Of course they do. But Lairsmith’s company, which will return this weekend after a five-year hiatus, isn’t shy about its goals — or the fact that it doesn’t pay its dancers. Damsels is dedicated to raising money and awareness for women’s issues, and each of the company’s performances benefits a different women’s organization.
Damsels’ newest show, “State of the Union,” debuts at Cleo Parker Robinson Theatre on Saturday, with all proceeds going to Denver nonprofit shelter A Gathering Place.
“It’s Denver’s only daytime drop- in shelter for women, children and transgender individuals, which is important because a lot of these women have nowhere to go,” said Mary Johnston, executive director of the Damsels and a former Denver Broncos cheerleader. “They might ride the bus all night or live in their cars, so there really is a need there.”
The 18 Damsels performing this weekend are an all-female crew composed of former Nuggets and Broncos dancers, former students at Lairsmith’s Colorado Contemporary Dance Studio and others from around town.
“I basically had a lot of dancers that were over 18 coming to class and wanting to dance,” Lairsmith said. “There was no real outlet for them.”
Lairsmith, who studied in L.A. with “So You Think You Can Dance” judge Mia Michaels, among others, has taught dancers who have gone on to work for pop stars (Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake) and dance in Broadway shows such as “Billy Elliot: The Musical.”
Her choreography is more nuanced than the flashy, matching moves of halftime entertainers and cheerleaders.
“I can see what the perception would be when hearing that I’m a former Nuggets dancer, or that a lot of (the Damsels) are Nuggets or Broncos dancers,” Lairsmith said. “But they’re all professional dancers, and pretty much everybody teaches currently.”
As the Damsels’ nonprofit mission and edgy, sexy look implies, it’s more about expression than conformity.
“Broncos and Nuggets dancing is about the team and everybody looking the same,” Johnston said. “The Damsels is more about letting the individuals shine with solos and small groups, so it’s more free-flowing and almost exactly the opposite of what those dance teams would be.”
Still, the regimen of dancing for a professional sports team — rehearsing 12 hours a week, going over the same moves hundreds of times — can’t help but inform the group’s sense of discipline and energy.
“It’s so nice to have some young blood in there,” Johnston said of the mostly new members of the company. “They’re willing to volunteer for anything and always ready for whatever we throw at them.”
