The Toronto Raptors have slowly but surely been updated their dance team pages. At long last, they’re done. Click here to get to know the 2009-10 Raptors Dance Pak!
Auditions for the 2010 Oakland Raiderettes are just around the corner. Click here to see what’s been going on in team’s audition prep classes!
2010 Cheerleader Squad Set
Mike Duffy
Baltimore Ravens
March 30th, 2010
Last week, the Ravens finalized their 2010 cheerleading squad, giving spots to 40 women that will represent the purple and black during the upcoming season.
Cheerleaders coordinator Tina Galdieri – with the help of several other judges – narrowed down a list of over 200 hopefuls over two days of tryouts, several rounds of interviews and a “practice” practice.
Galdieri noted several factors that contributed to building this year’s group into one of the best she’s seen, pointing to the Ravens’ on-field success and the popular swimsuit calendar as two excellent exposures.
“It’s a great group that has really shown improvement over the years, based on looks and talent,” Galdieri said on Tuesday. “Overall, the calendar has been a boon to us, and of course the team has done well. We’ve had more numbers, and we’re getting quality people.”
The Ravens have 14 new cheerleaders to go along with 26 veterans. In addition, there are 20 male cheerleaders, forming the NFL’s only club with dance and stunt teams.
“It was nerve-wracking,” said Sammi Jo, who returns for her third season. “It hasn’t gotten any easier in the past two years, but you have to really step it up every year and bring it every year.”
Galdieri said she was happy the new faces meshed so well with the veterans, and knew that an upcoming Bahamas trip for the calendar shoot would only solidify that team unity.
“Even though we had a large portion of girls that came back, and we were able to open up some more spots by growing the squad,” Galdieri explained. “The new girls really bring in a breath of fresh air to the team. Their enthusiasm really showed throughout tryouts. Not knowing what is going on kind of raises that excitement.
“I definitely think having 14 new girls brings a new perspective for the returning vets. And, I’ve seen the vets helping out the new faces. It’s been a really supportive atmosphere, which has been so positive.”
For the second year, the Ravens and 98 Rock radio personalities will be on-hand for the shoot, and you can join the 2010 Spring Fling at the Wyndham Nassau Resort and Crystal Palace Casino from May 2-9.
Congratulations to the 19 dancers selected to this year’s Houston Dynamo dance team!
Click on the photos below to view the full size version. (Click to open the photo, then click again to open the large size)
Click here for tickets and details
Auditions for the 2010 San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleaders started over the weekend. Click here to check out this photo blog from photographer Scott Kegley on the 49ers website.
By Shannon Liston
News Channel 8
March 27, 2010
TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleading audition process is a numbers game.
250 women start the process. 100 advance to the finals. Only a squad of up to 34 members is selected.
Candidates have 60 minutes to learn a series of 8 counts. Then, with the new routine learned, the women have 25 seconds to dazzle a panel of judges.
But 647 was the most important number Amber Rehman needed to remember.
“I just kept thinking about my number over and over again,” Rehman said. “I had to keep checking to make sure what my number was and then they called it. I was so excited.”
This is the first time Rehman has auditioned to become a Bucs cheerleader. Rehman was one of 70 new candidates to tryout as part of the open call process. From One Buc Place, Rehman advanced to the callback session inside USF’s Corral facility.
Instead of competing against fellow newcomers, the University of Tampa graduate squared off against veteran Bucs cheerleaders. Every member of the cheerleading squad has to reclaim their spot on the team. Tenure means nothing.
Rehman is hopeful that at the end of the grueling auditions, one of the possible 34 slots on the 2010 squad is slated for her.
“I love performing for people,” the 22-year-old said. “And being in a huge arena, performing for thousands and thousands of people would just be awesome.”
BC Lions
3/18/2009
Following a weekend of grueling auditions followed by an intense round of interviews in front of the judging panel, the 34 members of the 2009 Felions Dance Team have been selected and will make their debut at the Lions’ pre-season game versus the Edmonton Eskimos on June 23rd!
This past Saturday, more than 100 Felions hopefuls turned up at Vancouver’s Commodore Ballroom to audition under the watchful eye of Felions talent scouts, looking for just the right combination of beauty, talent and exuberance required to become a member of the Felions Dance Team. From this group, a number of girls were invited to further demonstrate their skills in a special Finalist Showcase at Metrotown’s Grand Court on Sunday afternoon in front of a celebrity judging panel.
The Felions are a team of 34 beautiful and talented women that represent the BC Lions Football Club at community, charity and corporate events in an energetic, informed and professional manner.
One of the premier dance teams in the CFL, the Felions set and maintain the highest standards of excellence in appearance, talent and dedication to community service. The Felions contribute to the exciting and interactive experience of game day at all BC Lions home games with energy, enthusiasm and team spirit. They are driven by their love and passion for dance, performance, CFL football and BC Lions team spirit!
Click here to view the 2009 Felions auditions photo gallery
By Marc Allard
The Norwich Bulletin
Mar 27, 2010
She’s always been a big football fan and she figured there was no better way to get closer to the action.
Brittany Bonchuk, a 2001 Griswold High School graduate, decided three years ago to audition to be a New England Patriots cheerleader.
She’s been with them ever since.
Unfortunately, this will be the last season for Bonchuk to cheer on NFL sidelines.
The Griswold resident once again successfully auditioned for the team over the last month and a half and was named a team captain for a second year in a row last week.
“It’s a great feeling to know I still have it and can perform with the younger girls,” Bonchuk said about being chosen for the team for a third consecutive year.
Team rules are pretty clear, however, that cheerleaders stay on the team for a maximum of three years.
“Every organization has its own rules, but it allows more girls the opportunity to participate and keeps fresh faces on the sideline,” Bonchuk said. “I’m sad, it’s a little bittersweet, but this has been a great opportunity and it’s been so worth it.”
Bonchuk has been performing ever since she left Griswold High where she participated in cheerleading and softball. She participated in several off-Broadway productions, performed with musical artists such as Neil Young and Rascal Flatts and was a member of the dance teams for the Hartford Wolf Pack and Connecticut Sun.
The idea to try out for the Patriots cheerleaders was in the back of her mind, but there was one mitigating factor.
“The commute was intimidating, but I felt it was worth a shot,” Bonchuk said. “It was a great opportunity to watch a game live.”
Bonchuk was named a team captain last year, the only second-year cheerleader chosen as a captain. That makes her the lead in that regard for this upcoming season.
“I was pretty honored by it last year. Now I have a year under my belt and I get to show the others the ropes,” Bonchuk said.
Being a Patriot cheerleader is a year-round job, according to the Griswold grad. The 25 members of the team will travel to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in about a month for the 2011 Patriots cheerleader calendar photo shoot.
It’s also a chance for the new members of the team — which comprise about half of the membership this year — to bond with the veterans.
“I think the part I enjoy most is the performance aspect, to entertain that many people, to meet new people,” Bonchuk said.
Bonchuk and the rest of the squad traveled to Afghanistan last summer to perform for the troops — and not just the troops in the more populated and safer areas of the embattled country.
“They took us out in Black Hawk helicopters to remote areas in the mountains where there were only at times some 100 troops,” Bonchuk said.
And the enemy wasn’t all that far away as the cheerleaders heard some relatively close fire.
“It was a little dangerous, but we were able to see firsthand what kind of situations our troops were experiencing,” Bonchuk said. “It brings you back to reality, but I wouldn’t have changed it. It was worth everything we encountered.”
Bonchuck is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and is a Connecticut licensed clinical social worker when she isn’t cheering on the Patriots.
“Most of my co-workers don’t even know that I’m a Patriots cheerleader,” she adds. “It’s my outlet, it keeps me in shape and I certainly don’t mind traveling.”
Bonchuck is also the dance team coach at CCSU where she will return after her last hurrah as a Patriot cheerleader to complete her doctorate degree.
“I don’t sleep much, I drive a lot and I work a lot,” Bonchuk said.
And she’s loving every minute of it.
Videos of this year’s NFL cheerleader auditions are surfacing all around the internet.
Click here to watch the Buffalo Jills tryouts
Click here to watch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Cheerleaders tryouts
