Highlights from the 2009-2010 season.

Click the links below for photos from the recent Mermaid tryouts.
[Gallery 1]
[Gallery 2]

By Allan Valente
Bearsden Hearald (UK)
1/21/2010

BEARSDEN cheerleader Anna Robertson and the Scottish Rockettes defied the big freeze to once again produce a swimwear calendar in a bid to raise money for charity.

The top UK pro dance team produce an annual calendar, with this year’s proceeds going to Cash for Kids and CHAS [The Children’s Hospice Association Scotland].

Anna, a former Boclair Academy pupil from Killermont View, is currently enjoying her first season in the squad and is delighted the Rockettes can do their bit.

She said: “We get paid to go abroad and perform and stay in fancy hotels and it is great to be able to give something back.

“We do a lot of charity gigs as well, which we don’t take fees for, and we help with the running of the night, as well as entertaining guests.”

The Rockettes enjoyed a busy 2009 which saw them wow crowds at SPL football games and appear on Hogmanay programme Only an Excuse, as well as continuing their weekly performances supporting the Glasgow Rocks basketball team at Kelvin Hall on Sunday nights.

The cheerleading squad looked to keep the costs down during the shoot in order to maximise the profit going to charity.

Anna said: “We all chipped in and used a photographer that we knew for the shoot. The G1 Group provided us with locations at various nightclubs in Glasgow, like Kushion, and we all did our own make-up.

“The calendar is a great way to raise money. This isn’t just a part-time job for us, we like to do what we can for charity as well.”

By Melissa Farenish
For The Daily Item
January 28, 2010

WILLIAMSPORT — How does a girl go from NFL cheerleader to National Geographic explorer? Mireya Mayor made the transition more than 10 years ago when she took an anthropology course at the University of Miami.

“I fell in love with it,” she said.

Mayor, an English and philosophy double major, joined the Miami Dolphins cheering squad because she liked to dance. Her Cuban mother, who Mayor calls “my role model,” expected her to become a teacher or nurse after college.

Instead, Mayor chose to chase monkeys and gorillas in the jungle.

“My anthropology professor talked about her experiences chasing monkeys in the jungle, and that fascinated me,” Mayor said.

Soon, she was reading about primatologists like Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall. Once Mayor watched the Fossey biography “Gorillas in the Mist,” there was no turning back — she wanted be the next Fossey or Goodall.

“They were my role models,” Mayor said. “I wanted to be biggest achievement is the discovery of the world’s smallest primate.

Like most discoveries, “it was completely by accident,” Mayor said. The creatures she caught in Madagascar didn’t fit the description of lemurs in her reference books. After a series of genetic testing, she announced the discovery in 2004 and earned her place as a top anthropologist.

Last summer, Mayor was on the History Channel show “Expedition Africa: Stanley & Livingstone” The show stars four explorers who follow in the footsteps of journalist Henry Morton Stanley’s 1871 trek through Tanzania wilderness to find world-renowned explorer Dr. David Livingstone. That meant they had no GPS, no maps, and no tents.

The “essence of that place is still the same,” according to Mayor. The danger of predators such as lions and crocodiles and diseases like malaria is still there. Each of the explorers was sick at least once. One explorer, Benedict Allen of England, contracted malaria.

The rest of the group had to decide whether to leave him to die or continue their trek with him. Thankfully, Allen pulled through and was able to finish the exploration.

Mayor will speak about her experiences at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31 at the Community Arts Center, 220 W. Fourth St., as part of the National Geographic speaker series. Tickets cost $5 for students,range from $20 to $25 for the general public and are available by calling (800) 432-9382. Bring this article to the box office the day of the show for an adult ticket for $10.

Patriots.com
1/28/10
Members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders will travel to China for a series of appearances leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. The group will visit the cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing on a nine-day whirlwind tour starting on Sunday, Jan. 31 and wrapping up Monday, Feb. 8.

Foxborough, Mass. – As proof that American football is truly an international sport, members of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders will travel to China for a series of appearances leading up to Super Bowl XLIV. The group will visit the cities of Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing on a nine-day whirlwind tour starting on Sunday, Jan. 31 and wrapping up Monday, Feb. 8.

The Cheerleaders will watch the big game from Beijing and, with a sizeable time difference, it might allow for some “Monday morning quarterbacking” in real time. With kickoff scheduled around 6 p.m. in the United States’ Eastern time zone, Super Bowl XLIV will be broadcast live at 7 a.m. local time on Monday morning in the Chinese capital.

“We’re very excited to once again travel to China and to have the opportunity to celebrate the excitement of the Super Bowl in Beijing,” said New England Patriots Cheerleaders Director Tracy Sormanti. “We hope to continue our mission to increase awareness of American football, the NFL and the New England Patriots in China, and to show our support to the many fans we already have there.”

The trip marks the fourth visit by Patriots Cheerleaders to China in the last three years, but also includes their first appearance in Guangzhou. Most recently, a group of Patriots Cheerleaders helped train dance teams before the opening ceremonies of the 29th Olympic Games.

By Bill Husted
The Denver Post
01/29/2010

Katie Layman is 24, lives in Aurora, studies at the University of Colorado Denver, wants to be a teacher and really wants to be Miss America.

You can watch her on the Miss America Pageant @ 6 p.m. Saturday on the TLC network.

Layman spent the week at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, where the contestants have been rehearsing. “It’s been the experience of a lifetime,” she says.

And she’s done a lot in her lifetime. She’s been a Denver Broncos cheerleader, and she’s been a Rockette in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Her pageant talent is contemporary lyrical dance. But Layman knows the minefield at a pageant is the Q&A at the end.

She already received a preliminary grilling from Rush Limbaugh and Vivica Fox — and that’s a wild duo to pepper you with queries.

Layman is well aware of the famous flub from Miss South Carolina at the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. Here’s Caitlin Upton’s answer to a question about why one-fifth of Americans can’t find the United States on a map. It’s been viewed more than 35 million times on YouTube: “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and, uh, I believe that our, uh, education like such as, uh, South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., uh, or, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our children.”

Layman says, “They can ask you anything they want. You just have to be honest and go with your heart. It’s really something when you are on that stage and the whole world is watching. It can go either way.”

So good luck kid. We’ll be watching, and 50 friends and family members will be waving Colorado flags and cheering in the audience.

One last reminder: auditions for the 2010 AVP Dancers are tomorrow! So if you live in the Los Angeles area and you can dance, you might want to put this on the agenda for mañana.

Orrrrr…you could spend the summer NOT having fun performing at the beach. Totally up to you.

Audition details [here].

by Tech. Sgt. Brian Bahret
Joint Information Bureau Homestead
AFL.mil
[hi-res photo]

1/28/2010 – HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) — National Football League representatives visited Airmen, civilians and earthquake victims Jan. 27 at Homestead Air Reserve Base.

The visit, which was unannounced, was a surprise to many and helped lighten the mood during ongoing relief efforts.

“They didn’t expect us at all,” said Julie Warner, a line captain for the New England Patriots cheerleaders.

Ms. Warner was one of seven Pro Bowl cheerleaders and two team mascots who visited the base. According to NFL officials, other cheerleaders visited locations throughout southern Florida.

Ms. Warner said she enjoyed meeting the men and women at Homestead ARB. She and the other NFL representatives visited people at the base’s evacuation reception center, the deployment processing center and locations on the flightline.

“It was rewarding to chat with them to see where they’re from and how they’re feeling and tell them thanks for all they do,” she said.

Airmen from across the United States have gathered at Homestead ARB to support the relief efforts. Since Jan. 15, Airmen here have delivered more than 2 million pounds of supplies to Haiti.

Additionally Airmen, U.S. Customs officials, American Red Cross workers and a variety of emergency professionals from across the United States have welcomed more than 3,000 evacuees here, helping them connect with friends, family and loved ones in the United States.

The NFL has held a close relationship with the U.S. military by supporting servicemembers whether at their home stations or while deployed to combat operations or humanitarian relief efforts.

Tiffany Pearl, the Miami Dolphins cheerleading squad captain, said her years with the Dolphins have created opportunities she deeply appreciates.

“We get to do these incredible events,” said the four-year NFL veteran. “One of them is reaching out to the community and coming here to the Homestead military base.”

Ms. Pearl has conducted two overseas tours to visit servicemembers.

“I feel like the U.S. forces are everywhere. When anybody needs help we’re there to help,” said the 24-year-old cheerleader. “It says a lot about our country and I’m really proud to be an American and to see what you do and support you and show you how much I care. I personally am such a geek about everything that has to do about military and enjoy anything that we can do to participate and bring joy into these guys’ lives because they do such an amazing job helping people.”

Not all the military guests present were from the United States. South Korean Lt. Col. Chang Lee, the South Korean army military liaison for U.S. Southern Command, was waiting at the Homestead ARB deployment processing center for a military airlift flight to Haiti when the NFL cheerleaders visited.

“I’ve saw [sic] them on TV, but I’ve never been to the football game,” he said, his English heavily accented by his native language. “It feels like they wanted to encourage the soldier. It’s a good job.”

Engineers from the South Korean army are deploying to Haiti to help rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Colonel Chang is the advance officer for a 250-person team of South Korean engineers joining Operation Unified Response, the multinational relief that more than 20,000 U.S. servicemembers are currently supporting.

Colonel Chang said everyone needs a morale boost right now.

“Everyone needs a good mood, a good feeling,” he said. “Right now (the cheerleaders) make us happy for a while.”

Along with Colonel Chang, Army Soldiers from the 377th Theater Sustainment Command were awaiting transportation to Haiti when the NFL visitors arrived.

Army Reserve Col. Sam Pearson, the 377th TSC support operations officer, said his tour in Haiti will be his fourth deployment. His last three were to Afghanistan and Iraq.

“This time instead of defeating tyranny, we’re going down to assist a bunch of folks who need some help,” he said.

Like most military members deployed to Haiti, Colonel Pearson doesn’t know how long his command will remain in country, but he believes the experience will be rewarding.

“I think this is a long-term opportunity for us to work with the Haitian government,” said Colonel Pearson, an Alabama resident. “This is a good opportunity to … develop that relationship so they can feel confident that when they have a problem we’ll be available to help out.”

Visiting with the NFL cheerleaders and seeing their genuine support helped boost morale for the Louisiana-based unit, he said. He said when the military is deployed it’s usually for a dynamic mission under uncertain conditions and usually under tense circumstances.

“When you have the cheerleaders or any other organization that comes in and lightens the spirit, that’s a really good opportunity for the Soldiers to get the mission off of their mind, and that’s critical,” he said. “They have to have a release and this is one of the best ways to do it.”

Like most of the Airmen and civilians deployed to Homestead ARB supporting relief operations, Staff Sgt. Brandon Saludares left his home with very little notice and he’s unsure of when he’ll return to Beale Air Force Base, Calif.

“I’m away from my family right now and working long hours and crazy shifts,” he said. “For the NFL cheerleaders to come out and give up a morale booster, it’s wonderful and really helps out while we’re deployed.”

Senior Airman Mitchell Kincaid, an aerial porter from the 73rd Aerial Port Squadron from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base at Fort Worth, Texas, agreed.

“I’m a Charger fan; born and raised,” he said. “It was nice having one of the Charger cheerleaders out here from home. It’s nice when stuff like this goes on and breaks things up a little bit.”

Airman Kincaid is one of 180 Airmen deployed to Homestead ARB. He helps load supplies destined to Haiti and off load Haitian earthquake victims as they arrive here on military airlift aircraft.

“It’s pretty cool to see that people are thinking about us and want to come out and hang out with us,” he said. “It’s nice to have a break in the action.”

As for the NFL visitors, their Pro Bowl selection is one of the highlights of their careers, but sharing time with the men and women who are selflessly giving their time to help Haitians is truly something to remember, said the Dolphin’s Tiffany Pearl.

“This is a remarkable experience I’m going to take with me for the rest of my life,” she said.

The 2010-2011 Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders and Ambassadors have been selected. This year’s squad includes 26 Cheerleaders and five Ambassadors. Congratulations!

Denver Broncos Cheerleader auditions will be a little different this year. The Director of Cheerleaders explains on DenverBroncos.com:

Letter from Teresa Shear, Director of Cheerleaders:

Yes, it is that time of year again! Auditions are right around the corner and I wanted to fill everyone in on a few changes we have for 2010 as well as dates, times, workshops and everything you will need to know to prepare you to have the best audition possible.

The biggest change for 2010 is that our audition will select 26 members to the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders and select 10 women to the Denver Outlaws Dance Team. The Outlaws Dance Team is open to women ages 18 and up, and we are excited to see all the young talent that is out there coming to our audition. Both teams will be selected from the finalists from the audition process. The Denver Broncos Cheerleaders will only select women 21 and up by the deadlines listed on the audition forms.

The process will be very similar to last season’s audition. Our preliminary round will consist of a short combination (4 eight counts) of basic dance technique. A turn, a leap, right and left kicks and simple choreography will be taught on the spot and participants will perform that combination for the judges in groups of three. After all participants have performed, 100 participants will be selected to move on that day to the Semi-Finals.

During the Semi-Final round, the participants will be taught a routine very similar to routines performed on game day by the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders. Again, the choreography will be taught on the spot and the semi-finalists will perform in groups of 3 for our panel of judges. The field will be narrowed down to 60-70 women who will be our finalists for both the Denver Broncos Cheerleaders and the Denver Outlaws.

Finalists will be evaluated over the next two weeks in a series of workshops on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Finalists will be interviewed, tested on football knowledge, judged on work ethic during rehearsals and observed on interaction with the other finalists during the process.

Don’t miss our Audition Workshop on Saturday, April 10th. This workshop will give you inside information from former Denver Broncos Cheerleaders, and the women that run the DBC program.

We are excited to once again open up our Final night of Auditions to the public. Last year we hosted a sold out crowd of 500 and this year we expect the turn out to be even larger so buy your tickets early. The evening is full of entertainment, from the opening group number, to the beautiful kickline sequence, solos by the finalists, performances in groups of 3 on more technical choreography, and a final performance by the new 2010 Denver Broncos Cheerleaders. It is a fun night for all ages!

Please click on the links below for dates, times and more information on 2010 Denver Broncos Cheerleader and Denver Outlaws Auditions!

Don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions.

Cheers!

Teresa Shear
Director of Cheerleaders & Game Day Entertainment

Click here to download a 2010 Denver Broncos Cheerleaders/Denver Outlaws application.
Click here to download a 2010 Denver Broncos Cheerleaders/Denver Outlaws audition workshop application.
Click here for the 2009 Cheerleader Auditions photo gallery.