Click here to see Ravens cheerleaders during the Week 9 game against Miami on November 7, 2010
Click here to check out a few photos of the Ben-Gals in action during Monday night’s face off with the Steelers.
KRGV
11/8/2010
McALLEN – Four of the famed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders called the Valley home last weekend–and one of them grew up here.
Sydney Durso, a 3-year squad veteran, was one of the four who signed autographs for a few hours at a planned Cheerleaders appearance in McAllen last Saturday.
Durso told CHANNEL 5 SPORTS that this trip is always one of her favorites because she gets to see family and friends during the brief time she’s here. She also told CHANNEL 5 SPORTS that even though the Cowboys aren’t having a great year, she and the squad are a part of the Cowboys family–and cheers the team on whether they’re doing well or not so well–and perhaps even a bit louder when the team isn’t playing as well.
Who’s got spirit? These kids do
By Bonnie Burch
Tennessean.com
November 10, 2010
BRENTWOOD — With a step, bounce and tumble, local kids learned to hooray their way to better cheer skills.
A six-week cheer and dance clinic is finishing up a fall season, with the last class held today at the Brentwood Indoor Arena in Crockett Park on Volunteer Parkway.
Presented by the http://www.wcparksandrec.com/”>Williamson County Parks and Recreation Department, the camp for elementary and middle school-aged children in kindergarten through eighth grade is staffed by former Titans cheerleaders with extensive dance and cheer experience. Each child got individualized attention to learn new cheers, choreography, leaps, jumps and games.
For more information about future clinics and camps, contact Jen Barnes at 615-377-653
Auditions Saturday, November 20
Do you like to dance?
Have you had any experience being a cheerleader?
The Beltway Bombers will be holding auditions/casting calls for their new dance team: the Bomb Squad!
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Bomb Squad or know someone who may, please contact:
Alexandra Tolbert, Director of Marketing & Entertainment : atolbert@beltwaybombers.com
Profiles and photos are now online for the Power Dancers. Click here to learn more about the ladies on the team!
This week, Sports Illustrated features dance teams from the Falcons, Texans, Seahawks, Vikings, Panthers, Bengals, Ravens, and Eagles. Click here to go there now!
By Local Tech Wire STEM News
Local Tech Wire
Nov. 8, 2010
WASHINGTON, D.C. and PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A cheerleader’s job is to be energetic, visible, and vocal to rouse the crowd. And, that’s exactly the kind action needed to get people excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
Darlene Cavalier, a former cheerleader for Temple University and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, is leading an effort to engage citizen scientists and help inform the public about scientific issues that have an impact on their lives.
But, she’s adding her own unique twist – along with a few pom-poms.
As a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, Cavalier was interested in citizen science projects – which is a term used for scientific work where volunteers, many of whom may have no specific scientific training, perform or manage research-related tasks such as observation, measurement or computation.
Working for Discover Magazine, she knew that much of the readership did not have the same scientific background of other science magazines that catered to those who did.
That’s when the Science Cheerleader was born.
LTW STEM News caught up with Cavalier to learn more about Science Cheerleader and how the positive exposure at the USA Science and Engineering Festival has helped expand her mission.
Why did you begin The Science Cheerleader?
I initially started Science Cheerleader as a blog to present people with more opportunities to get involved in science and to advocate for opening a congressional agency that would allow the public to come and talk with the scientists and representatives of Congress. But, the focus has shifted since then.
How so?
The citizen science component has completely outgrown the blog and evolved to its own business (http://scienceforcitizens.net/). What has emerged is a very unlikely focus because I was so adamant on not focusing on kids. Because of the name Science Cheerleader, I would find or someone would recommend to me a cheerleader who is majoring in chemistry or whatever. So I started doing these profiles of real science cheerleaders. Before I knew it, I had 50 of these interviews – mostly from the NFL because I did work for the National Science Foundation, NBC Learn, and the NFL to put together the “Science of NFL football” (an informative, 10-part video series that explores the science behind professional football).
What else did you learn by conducting these interviews?
One of the themes that I found in all of the interviews was this moment when asked what turned you on to science, and their answer was always some pivotal moment in middle school. It may have not been the first time they were exposed to science or even liked science, but there’s some moment in middle school, either good or bad, that encourages the pursuit of science.
What does a citizen need to know to be considered science literate?
I started reading up on the subject and discovered the work of George Mason University Professor James Trefil. Professor Trefil has written extensively about adult science literacy and in his book Why Science? he points out 18 points that everyone should know and understand about science. Some were simplified, like the universe is regular and predictable, but if you learn them and understand them, then you have a solid framework. Everything you learn afterwards can be folded into this framework.
How do the cheerleaders fit into this?
I met with Trefil to discuss a public awareness campaign that would pair one of his points of science literacy with a cheerleader from the Philadelphia 76ers. The result was the Brain Makeover. I borrowed a friend’s video camera and recorded videos of the cheerleaders saying one of Trefil’s concepts. We also came up with a quiz about the point and offered it up. It received more than 20,000 hits, and the campaign was picked up in the Fox News and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
What are some of the challenges of being a Science Cheerleader?
Cheerleaders have an expectation to be happy, look good, but don’t think or talk. But, then you have this other life as a scientist where you’re a deep thinker and not encouraged to look or behave in a certain way. It’s interesting to see how people balance those extremes.
Will there be more performances like you did at the USA Science and Engineering Festival?
We had 11 former and current professional cheerleaders performing at the USA Science and Engineering Festival. It was amazing. There are definite possibilities to do this again.
Star Search winner, L.A. Clippers dancer, a Sweetheart for Soldiers–this 27-year-old MRI tech embraces each opportunity to touch lives.
By Taylor Hooks, RT(R)(CT)(MR)
Advance for Imaging & Radiation Oncology
November 2, 2010
I still remember my first dance lesson–at age 5. My mom grew up dancing and must have passed on the gene. It became an immediate, lasting part of my soul. Throughout childhood, I took dance classes and participated in competitions, all the while maintaining a balance with my school studies. Balance is key–as third- and six-graders, respectively, my younger sister and I were great students while part of a five-person group that earned the title of Star Search “Jr. Dance Champions” in 1993.
But dance wasn’t our only family tradition. My father was a radiologist, as was his father. They instilled within me the importance of not only being the very best practitioner but also taking the time to care for each patient as if that patient were family. This simple-yet-powerful concept became a cornerstone of my character. At age 18–nine years after receiving scores from the one-and-only Ed McMahon–I entered radiography school.
After graduating with my radiologic technology degree, I furthered my education by completing the Special Imaging program at Loma Linda University. After passing the post-primary registry exams to add CT and MRI to my American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certifications, I began my career at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at age 20. Also at this time, my love for dance led me to one of the most exciting moments of my life: becoming a professional dancer for the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.
As part of the Clippers’ Spirit Dance Team, I performed under the lights of the Staples Center in front of 20,000 people–but just as importantly, I was able to meet, inspire and be inspired by some of the best fans in the world. Whether it was out on the court during a timeout routine, making an appearance in the greater L.A. area, or working at the hospital with the last patient of the day, I never forgot that one principle my parents taught me early on: Take the time to let everyone know they are special. That’s why the “Fan Favorite” accolades I received during my four seasons with the Clippers mean so much to me.
Since leaving the Clippers in 2008, I’ve been a featured model in Shape magazine (the August 2009 issue), discussing ways to live a healthy lifestyle while juggling an extremely busy schedule. Also, I was chosen in 2009 to join a nonprofit organization called Sweethearts for Soldiers (SFS), which allows me to continue this journey I began years ago. The SFS organization is composed solely of former NBA dancers and NFL cheerleaders who volunteer their time to make appearances and perform in charity events in their respective cities and around the world for active-duty soldiers and their families. I have the opportunity to entertain people during some of the most difficult times in their lives.
So whether it’s all the wonderful people I’ve met–and will meet–as a CT/MRI technologist or the many fans I encounter through dancing, my personal goal remains the same: to try to make each person’s day just a bit brighter.
Sidebar: You have NO idea how hard I tried to find those 1993 Star Search videos of “Girls of Paradise”. I’m still looking!
