South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 1, 2010
On a recent Saturday in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, more than 1,200 community members took to the pavement at Markham Park to raise awareness about domestic violence and to raise funds for the much needed programs and services offered by Women In Distress.
The “SAFEWALK” united community leaders, families, student and professional groups, companies, and more, including 61 teams in taking a step to end domestic violence. More than $85,000 was raised in support of the crisis intervention and shelter services offered by Women In Distress.
As honorary chairs of the event, the Miami Dolphins’ Cheerleaders kicked off the morning with their official cheerleader warm-ups for the crowd and spearheaded the eager walkers and runners to the starting line of the race.
Also welcoming the crowd was Broward County Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, who spoke of the need for more domestic violence education and prevention. According to the FBI, one in three women is a victim of domestic violence and, in Broward County, domestic violence homicides are on the rise. Fortunately, Women In Distress and its supporters offer hope.
Scattered throughout the race course were red silhouettes, “silent witnesses,” representing each victim who lost their life to domestic violence this past year and participants received event t-shirts that included the Women In Distress crisis line prominently displayed on the back. Helping to make the event possible, key sponsors included JM Family Enterprises, SE Toyota, Sun Sentinel, Panera Bread, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, and other dedicated friends of the organization.
The “SAFEWALK” website will remain open through the end of the year, with photos of the event and an opportunity to make a donation active at http://www.safewalk2010.kintera.org.
Women In Distress of Broward County is the only nationally accredited, state-certified, full service domestic violence center serving Broward County. Their mission is to provide victims of domestic violence with safe shelter, crisis intervention and resources, and to educate the community in order to Stop Abuse For Everyone (SAFE) through intervention, education and advocacy. For more information on Women In Distress of Broward County or to make a donation visit http://www.womenindistress.org.
Bill Lubinger
The Plain Dealer
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Pat Otto was on a business call a few years back when she noticed the bubble-wrapped frame on the floor of her client’s Lakewood office.
“I said, ‘Oh, my God, is that…?'”
It was — in all it’s sexless glory — an old Browns cheerleader outfit. Otto, an account manager for an employee-benefits firm, hadn’t seen one since she turned hers in after the 1971 season.
She was Patti Adamson then, a 17-year-old Rocky River senior and a Cleveland Browns cheerleader. She was one of 19, or 20, or 32. It’s been so long, no one seems to remember exactly.
The Browns? They had cheerleaders?
Yes, believe it or not, but they’re a mere footnote in the team’s storied past because they vanished faster than a fourth-quarter lead.
And because the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, they were not.
“We had them one year. They looked crazy. It was ridiculous,” Pat Modell, wife of the former Browns owner, said recently. “It was so cold in Cleveland that it almost looked like they were wearing wooly pajamas.”
Art Modell said in a recent phone interview he didn’t even remember the team having cheerleaders. Although some of the former cheerleaders recall being told at the time that it was her creation, Pat Modell said it was hatched by someone on Art’s staff.
“Whose idea was that?” she called out to Art in another room. “It was the biggest flop.”
Maybe, but a nugget of Cleveland football history nonetheless. And still meaningful — maybe more meaningful to some — with the passage of time.
“It was a blast,” said Robin Byall Paisley, a ’73 Rocky River grad and now a nurse in Portland, Ore. “To be out there in front of that crowd. At that age. Oh, wow, a Cleveland Browns cheerleader.”
The group was mostly juniors and seniors from local high school drill teams and cheerleading squads. They practiced on Saturday mornings at Edgewater Park, learning basic dance routines to the songs of director Frank Strasek’s Cleveland Browns pep band.
Perks were few. With no access to a dressing room, they had to arrive on game day in uniform.
And, oh, those uniforms. Strictly Pittsburgh Steeler-chic: white satin knickers with brown stripes down the side, brown knee socks, orange turtleneck sweaters, orange and white pom-poms and saddle shoes.
“It was really unflattering,” Paisley said. “We kind of looked like referees.”
The cheerleaders performed only at home games. They weren’t paid, but were allowed to bring a chaperone, which their dads, brothers and boyfriends lapped up. They went largely unnoticed, except by Steeler fans, who, as one former cheerleader recalled, tossed garbage and beer cans at them.
Paisley and her older sister, Lynne, Otto and a few friends were all recruited by their Rocky River pom-pom coach, who they believe had a connection to the Browns.
So the teens didn’t have to try out. But they did have a page-and-a-half of rules. Among them: No gum-chewing or consuming alcohol while in uniform. No excessive jewelry. No grooming on the field. No fraternizing with or dating the players. And, apparently, no cheering.
“One thing we could not do, we could not incite the crowd beyond, ‘Go Browns!'” said Lynne Byall Benson, now a college professor in Boston.
It’s not like they didn’t have something to cheer about that year. The Browns, under new head coach Nick Skorich, finished 9-5 before losing to the Baltimore Colts, 20-3, in the playoffs.
The cheerleaders were gone after 1971. Some actually quit before the season ended because it was so cold. They weren’t allowed to wear coats unless they all matched, but were told the Browns wouldn’t buy them.
They were to turn in their uniforms at season’s end, but Benson was so upset when the Browns reneged on a promise to invite them to the team’s year-end banquet that she kept hers. It’s still in a trunk at home.
The Browns have no record of the 1971 cheerleaders. No photographs. No mention in the media guide or game programs. They haven’t had cheerleaders since — one of the few NFL teams without them. The others: the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New York Giants and the Steelers.
The Browns actually fielded cheerleaders before 1971, but that fact has been misreported.
Former Plain Dealer Sports Editor Hal Lebovitz, answering a reader question in 1979, wrote that the Browns had majorettes with a team band starting in 1946, but only the one season with cheerleaders.
The Plain Dealer’s Emerson Batdorff reported in 1960 that the team debuted “a talented crop” of six cheerleaders that season, in white sweaters, brown corduroy shorts and white earmuffs.
The Browns have a 1962 photo of four women who fit that description. One was Elaine Hybil, now Elaine Arndt of Wisconsin. They were all Brush High School majorettes who got to be Browns cheerleaders because the school band director played in the Browns’ pep band.
There were six cheerleaders in 1961 and four in ’62, including Sheila Lefkowitz, now Sheila Myers of Beachwood, who said her sister was also a Browns cheerleader in the late ’50s.
“They probably were there so the women had something to watch while their husbands were intent on the game,” Batdorff wrote back then. “Coach Paul Brown thinks of everything.”
The experience in 1971 was definitely a mixed bag, said Rocky River grad Rita Salah, now Rita Allen, a retired consultant living in Belgium.
“Part of me doesn’t want to admit that I did this,” she said. “And part of me is pleased to say that I did.”
This is the second post of a weekly LA Times series that helps you get to know the Laker Girls
Mark Medina
LA Times Lakers Blog
November 28, 2010
Laker Girl name: Bria
Years on squad: Five seasons
Hometown: Los Angeles
Resides in: Harbor City
College/high school: Graduated UC Irvine; St. Bernard High School in Playa del Rey
What prompted you to want to become a Laker Girl? I used to dance for the Los Angeles Sparks, as a SparKid when I was younger … and looked forward to one day auditioning to become a Los Angeles Laker Girl. It seemed like the only, right next step up for me as a dancer.
At your audition, what do you think stood out about you to the judges? I feel that my positive energy showed through my performance. Also, I hope in my interview they could tell I was a team player.
What do you think makes a good Laker Girl? Definitely being a team player and a good role model for your teammates … but, more importantly, for any Lakers fans and children that interact with us.
What is your dance experience? I started dancing when I was 7 years old. I am trained in ballet/pointe, modern, jazz, tap, hip-hop and other stylized genres (character, flamingo, etc.).
Favorite dance routine while a Laker Girl? There was a dance routine we did a couple years ago called “Ciara Mix” that was really fun to perform because it was fast and high energy — like a lot of our routines!
Favorite uniform? My favorite uniform was one we called the “Mac ‘n’ Cheese” dress uniform. (We called it that because of the color.) Plus, it’s my favorite food! (ha ha)
Favorite Laker? Derek Fisher
Favorite Laker Girl memory so far? It would have to be walking down the stairs, while we entered the L.A. Coliseum for the 2008-09 NBA Championship Celebration! Not to mention performing in front of all those fans! It left me speechless, and it was an incredible experience.
What do you like most about being involved, as a Laker Girl, at local charity/community events? I love being able to meet the dedicated fans up close and personal. I especially enjoy meeting kids that we can impact and that look up to us for more than just our dancing. I guess I would say that I really feel appreciated by them all — and that alone is priceless.
What would you say is your beauty secret? Being genuine and really caring about others — that is beauty to me.
What diet/workout tips do you have? Take dance classes for exercise. It keeps you active in a fun way that you won’t become bored. You should try a zumba class, pilates or yoga.
What are your hobbies? Volleyball, swimming, running, and I enjoy doing hair and makeup.
Career aspirations? I would like to open an optimal performance training facility that offers rehabilitation and dance classes for athletes (especially dancers). I also plan on going to medical school.
–Mark Medina
It’s cold here. (Well, cold by Los Angeles standards.) When it’s cold outside, I start thinking back to summer and warmer days. And when I think about last summer, I think “ChivaGirls.”
I got to go to quite a few Chivas USA games, and it was really a fun time. The ChivaGirls and their Director welcomed me like a member of the gang, and trusted me with a level of access that was truly an honor.
There are photos from the Chivas USA vs. Seattle Sounders game, where the local dance teams got to perform with the ChivaGirls during halftime, and the dance team from the NBADL Bakersfield Jam drove down for a visit.
There are photos from Chivas USA v DC United, where thousands of tiny little senors and senoritas performed before the show.
This is also the game where the Chivas folks tried to get me into one of those fluorescent yellow vests the photographers wear. I was all jazzed like “hey, check me out, I have a vest like the pros!” And then I realized that the reason they want me to wear it is the reason I don’t want to wear it.It’s so they can spot me when I sneak into places I’m not supposed to be. Like on the field during pregame. Drat.
There are photos from the Chivas USA v. New England Revolution game aka heroes night in honor of our SoCal firefighters and police. The girls wore shirts courtesy of the Orange County firefighters.
The arena was pretty empty that night, so the ChivaGirls had to work extra hard to get the fans into it.
There are photos from the Chivas USA vs Los Angeles Galaxy. There was a lot of craziness leading up to an extra special halftime performance that night. Chivas USA and the Galaxy share the Home Depot Center. The Galaxy doesn’t have a dance team, so Chivas USA wanted to show those Galaxy fans what the were missing. Fans of both teams LOVED the half time performance. Unfortunately for me, Murphy’s Law was in full effect, and I had some technical difficulties and didn’t get as much of it as I would have liked (Grrrr…)
Toward the end of the summer, I got one of those nifty little Flip video cameras. The girls were my cheerful guinea pigs while I figured out how to work the thing. I trailed around behind them, capturing the performances, the rehearsals, the random moments, and the hard work that goes into everything they do. I saw girls who weren’t feeling well, girls with their hair in curlers, and girls who better stop crossing their eyes at me or that footage is going to start showing up on the internet.
Over the long weekend for Turkey Day, I finally found some time to sit down and think about what to do with all of the video I shot over the summer. Watching the video clips reminded me how much fun the summer had been, and I decided to put together a little highlight reel for the ChivaGirls. I am no Sasha Ford Coppola, so this turned out to be a bit more difficult than I expected. However, after learning some new software and producing several sad attempts, I finally managed to produce the video below as my thank you to the ChivaGirls for all the good times.
For them, it’s meant to be a reminder, sort of a video scrap book, something to show their friends and loved ones what they’ve been up to. For the rest of you, who are every bit as nosy as I am, it’s a peek behind the scenes on game day. From field rehearsals, to autographs, to Chiva Town, to rehearsing in that tiny little closet of a “suite,” to pregame and halftime, it’s a little slice of life as a ChivaGirl.
Had a great time, wish you were there!
Tessa Harrington’s involvement with the Sea Gals and their charity auction on Dec. 6 is a way to remember Travis Britt, her high school boyfriend who died of cancer.
By Clare Farnsworth
Seahawks.com
Nov 27, 2010
Tessa Harrington’s charitable work as a member of the Sea Gals isn’t just a labor of love; it’s a way to remember a lost love.
Her involvement with the Seahawks’ dance team began because of Travis Britt, her high school boyfriend who died from a form of bone cancer in 2007 at the age of 19. Her continued commitment – including serving as co-chairperson for the Sea Gals’ 22nd annual charity auction on Dec. 6 – allows Harrington to honor his memory.
“A lot of people love giving back and it’s like, ‘Oh yeah, it means a lot,’ ” Harrington said. “But I think being connected with where the money is going it just means so much. Travis is there with me while I’m doing this.”
The charity auction, which benefits Broadview Women’s Shelter and the Sea Gals’ Children’s Hospital Guild, will be held at Fox Sports Grill, 1522 6th Ave. in Seattle. The silent auction that begins at 5:30 includes sports memorabilia, spa packages, weekend getaways and restaurant and hotel certificates that have been solicited by the Sea Gals, and will continue through halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and New England Patriots. There also will be a live auction during halftime as well as raffle drawings for prizes throughout the evening.
“One of my favorite things with the Sea Gals is fund raisers,” Harrington said. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s totally beneficial.
“And because of Travis, we spent our whole senior year at Children’s Hospital. So it’s very fun to give back, because just going through that we received so much support. So it’s like an honor to have the opportunity to give back.”
Harrington, 23, began dancing at the age of 6 and was a member of her school dance teams in junior high and at Kentridge High School. It was Britt’s stepmother who suggested she try out for the Sea Gals, right out of high school.
“The Seahawks were very active with Travis’ treatment,” she said. “They would visit him at Children’s. And in 2006, his Make-a-Wish (request) was to go to the Super Bowl. He was going even before the Seahawks went, so he looked at one of the players and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to the Super Bowl. I’d really like it if you would go.’ ”
The Seahawks did just that, beating the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship game at Qwest Field to advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl – against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field in Detroit.
“So we went to a lot of Seahawks’ games that season,” Harrington said. “His stepmom said, ‘Hey, you should try out for the Sea Gals.’ I was like, ‘OK.’ It was just random. I saw an article in the paper about the tryouts and I just showed up.”
She’s still showing up, because of Britt.
“He was very proud of me,” she said. “Travis loved the Seahawks. He was a huge fan. So I think me making the squad is something I do in his honor.”
Harrington credits her enthusiastic outlook on life to watching Britt handle his situation.
“I’d be crying and he’d say, ‘Why are you crying?’ Then he’d make me laugh,” she said. “He just had a great outlook, and I think that’s where I get my outlook in life – from him.”
Harrington’s life includes finishing the program to get her teaching credential at the Des Moines campus of Central Washington University, with her student teaching starting in January and graduation set for June. She also is a part-time nanny, coaches a dance team and works in marketing at Snoqualmie Casino.
But there’s always time for the annual December visit to Children’s Hospital for the Seahawks’ Captain’s Blitz.
“I still see some of the nurses and doctors from Travis’ time there,” she said. “So it’s very special.”
By: Brandon Rizzuto
New Orleans VooDoo
November 23, 2010
The New Orleans VooDoo held its final audition for the 2011 VooDoo Doll Dance Team on Saturday at Mardi Gras World in front of over 300 spectators, and the field was narrowed down from 27-to-20 young ladies to represent the VooDoo this upcoming season.
“We have selected an amazing group of young women to represent the VooDoo, and we were thrilled to see so many VooDoo fans in attendance,” said Rachel Vicknair, Director of Corporate Sponsorships and the VooDoo Dolls. “We have already received several appearance requests and can’t wait to get the Dolls out and about in the community.”
The 20 ladies to make the team are: Jenna from Boutte, Jasmine from Kenner, Danielle from Metairie, Tia from New Orleans, Amanda from Meraux, Rayne from Mereaux, Nia from Baton Rouge, Brittanie from Marrero, Megan from Luling, Sabrina from Kenner, Ashley from Metairie, TaylorAnne from Los Angeles, Victoria from Montz, Shelley from Metairie, Abby from Des Allemands, Nicole from New Orleans, Jamie from Harvey, Brittney from Destrehan, Brittany from Thibodaux, and Brooke from Lafitte.
Of the 2011 VooDoo Doll Dance Team, five were former VooDoo Dolls: Jenna from Boutte, Jasmine from Kenner, Danielle from Metairie, Tia from New Orleans, and Amanda from Meraux.
“I’m very excited to be a VooDoo Doll again. There are a lot of things to look forward to this upcoming season, both on and off the field. The excitement is back,” said Jenna from Boutte.
“It just means everything to be a VooDoo Doll and to represent the New Orleans VooDoo this season. I’m so passionate about dancing and also the VooDoo being back! I’m very honored to be able to represent the team,” said Ashley from Metairie.
“I’m so happy to be able to dance for the VooDoo. The opportunity is awesome, and I’m very thankful to be selected. The season cannot begin soon enough,” said Nia of Baton Rouge.
Stay tuned to the official New Orleans VooDoo website: www.aflvoodoo.com for photos from the first official VooDoo Doll photo shoot, courtesy of Romaguera Photography, and bio information on the 2011 New Orleans VooDoo Doll Dance Team.
By Andrew Hanon
Edmonton Sun
November 24, 2010
[watch the video]
Johnny Campbell, you created a monster.
A high-flying, gravity-defying, move-busting monster.
That’s the only way I can describe the Edmonton Eskimo Cheer Team, which will host the 2010 Grey Cup Cheer Team Extravaganza on Nov. 27.
Campbell is the man credited with inventing modern cheerleading at the University of Minnesota in 1898.
DUDES CHANTING
Back then it was an all-male affair known simply as “yell-leading” because, well, that’s all it really was: a bunch of dudes chanting through megaphones at the crowd during football games, trying to get everyone cheering for their team.
According to cheerleading lore, they began performing acrobatic shows during stoppages in play in order to keep fans from wandering outside the stadium to drink.
It wasn’t until the Second World War and a shortage of college-age men that female cheerleaders became commonplace.
My own impression of organized cheering goes back to the decadent, disco- era 1970s, when the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders debuted their skimpy outfits and gyrated like strippers on the sidelines. Like every other teenage boy in North America, I barely noticed the football game going on in the background.
That’s what I was thinking when I crashed a recent Eskimo cheer team practice at Perfect Storm Athletics in the West End.
No sweat, I thought as I strode in. Anything they can do, I can do better. After all, back in my university days, I was a real athlete — one of the guys the cheerleaders were cheering for. How hard can it be to wave a pom-pom, jump around and scream like a girl?
It was then that I noticed a woman flying eight metres into the air, spin around and land delicately into the arms of two male team mates.
Mouth agape, I thought, this is way higher than it looks from the 30th rows up at Commonwealth Stadium.
“It’s a little more work than it looks,” says Dianne Greenough, the team’s coach and owner of Perfect Storm. In fact, she chose the location specifically because of its 30-foot ceilings. “They get up there pretty high.”
The team is divided into two squads: the stunt squad and the dance squad. Most are university students but still devote 10 -15 hours a week to perfecting their moves.
Oh, yeah. I’m ready to show them how it’s done.
My first task was to take >Chelsea, a petite fourth-year economics student at the University of Alberta, and toss her around like a rag doll.
“Are you sure?” I asked her, feeling like a heart surgeon about to perform his first solo.
“Of course,” she said, not a hint of fear in her eyes.
Next thing I knew, Chelsea was standing on my hands, which I held a shoulder height.
On either side of us, several other pairs in the same position were rotating around us like a chorus line.
Next I had to toss Chelsea in the air and catch her by the waist while Dylan and Mitchel made sure I didn’t drop her.
When she landed safely I was soaked in sweat, some from the effort, most from terror.
“You did great,” Chelsea said kindly as I sobbed with relief.
Next up, the dance team.
When Cheryl, who has her master’s degree in translation and plans a career in the diplomatic corps, informed me that she’s been dancing for more than two decades (which must mean she began in the womb), a tiny whimper escaped me.
I was placed in the middle of the front row and made to perform a series of contortions that included “washing my hair” (I know, I know. I got the irony) and finishing up “sexy” — which couldn’t have been further from truth. It looked more like I was having a seizure.
SORE BACK
When the ordeal was finally over, I had a sore back, a throbbing hamstring and a whole new appreciation for cheer teams.
Next time I go to a football game, I’ll ogle their artistry and athleticism.
The Grey Cup Cheer Team Extravaganza, which features seven-minute routines from all eight CFL teams, will be at Grant MacEwan University on Nov. 27.
Doors open at 4 p.m. and the show begins at 5. Tickets at the door are $15.
A short video abut the Boston Blazers Sparks Dance Team’s photo shoot for the upcoming lacrosse season.
Cincinnati.com
November 23, 2010
Cheerleaders are known for doing somersaults, having team spirit and for being “peppy.” They’re not usually known for their business acumen.
For Traci Napier, who is launching a new business in the midst of one of the toughest recessions in American history, the two go hand-in-hand.
Napier, formerly a Ben-Gals cheerleader and now coach (you can see her on the sidelines at every home game), will be combining her outgoing personality with her dream of being her own boss when she opens Traci’s Sports Lounge & Grill, at 784 Loveland-Miamiville Road in Loveland, Friday, Dec. 10.
The path to success has not been without its pitfalls.
Napier, 37, graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1995 and began working as an administrative assistant for a local company.
Over the next 15 years, Napier said she worked hard and prospered, all the while working part-time with the Ben-Gals.
In 2010, her company succumbed to the recession and went out of business, leaving Napier facing an uncertain future.
With few job prospects available, she decided to make her own job by starting a small business.
She was unsure which direction to take until she remembered something her old boss always said.
“I heard him complain countless times that he couldn’t understand why sports bars used cheap furniture and paid so little attention to the location and height of TVs,” she said.
He used to complain constantly that his neck hurt from TVs mounted too high, Napier said.
With that, Napier’s idea was born: open a sports lounge with lots of extremely comfortable chairs and barstools with ergonomic footrests and lots of TVs placed for easy, unobstructed viewing, no matter where you’re sitting.
She had a dream and a plan, but finding and financing a location would prove to be a bigger challenge.
It seemed that extending a lease to a young, single woman with little business experience was considered a risk in these uncertain times, but her perseverance, and a lot of negotiating, led to a lease in August.
Traci’s Sports Lounge & Grill will feature 12 carefully placed, flat-screen TVs, oversized padded bar stools and comfy chairs throughout 4,000-square feet.
“We designed this for everyone – from the serious fan who wants to watch the big game to someone who wants to enjoy drinks with friends,” Napier said. “On top of that you can see four low-hanging flat screen TVs from every seat in the house.”
Traci’s Sports Lounge & Grill offers more than 65 varieties of beers, a full bar and appetizers and full meals.
In a demonstration of optimism that has been the hallmark of Napier’s career, both as cheerleader and entrepreneur, she is already making expansion plans for additional locations of the Traci’s Sports Lounge & Grill concept.
Fox Sports has a small collection of photos of NBA dancers on game day. Click here to go there now.
