With the advent of the new season, NFL.com started up their cheerleader galleries. Click here to see what’s new.
DCC training camp is over and the squad has been selected. The most recent issue of the Dallas Cowboys Star magazine revealed the first photos of the team. 35 cheerleaders will perform on the sidelines this fall.
Thanks to Karla from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders yahoo group, we have scans of the magazine. Thanks Karla!
Rookies
Vanessa Jenkins
Sunni Cranfill
Mia Greenhouse
Malia Morales
Joannah Liad
Meagan McVay
Carey DePasquale
Ashton Torres
Jackie Bob
Brandi Kilby
Evan Anderson
2nd Year Veterans
Melissa Kellerman
Whitney Isleib
Crystal Trevino
Sydney Durso
Kelsi Reich
Michelle Keys
Cassie Trammel
Jordan Chanley
Jordan Baum
Kaitlin Ilseng
Amy Reese
Brittany Evans
3rd Year Veterans
Tia Williams
Abigail Klein
Meredith Oden
Kristen Gauthier
Meagan Sharp
Ally Traylor
4th Year Veterans
Brooke Sorenson
Tobie Percival
5th Year Veterans
Trisha Trevino
Sarah Gourley
Nicole Hamilton
Justine Phillips-Orf
Chris Turner
First Coast News
8/14/2009
JACKSONVILLE, FL — After going through the regular season undefeated and earning a first-round playoff bye, Saturday night you could have a chance to take home an Axeman or Maiden.
Beginning at 7 p.m., fans will have the opportunity to purchase various items at a silent and live auction.
These items also include the rugby and cheerleading squads. Winners of the auction will win time with an Axeman or Maiden. You could even ask an Axeman to do your yard work or clean your house.
The winner of the Axe Maidens will be accompanied by four of the squad to either a Jacksonville Suns game on August 20th or cosmic bowling on August 28th.
The auction begins at 7 p.m., at Time Out Sports Grill located at 13799 Beach Blvd. Other items up for grabs include Jaguars tickets and an autographed Jaguars helmet.
The team is using the auctions to cover the costs for their trip to New York for the National Championship game. The Grand Final will be held in New York City on August 29th. The Axemen only need to win one more home playoff game to reach the finals.
To visit the Jacksonville Axemen website with all the details, and to see the Axe Maidens, CLICK HERE.
©2009 First Coast News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten, or redistributed.
Story by Sgt. 1st Class Mark Bell
81st Regional Support Command
DVIDShub.net
08.13.2009
ORLANDO, Fla. – Nails, hair and boys.
It seemed like typical girl talk for nearly a dozen teenagers attending a weekend workshop with their parents during an Army Reserve Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program held Aug. 7- 9 here.
But like most events sponsored by the 81st Regional Support Command, nothing ever seems typical, and this weekend was no exception.
More than 75 sons and daughters of Soldiers who recently returned from combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan were signed up for the child care program designed to entertain the Army Reserve youth as their parents were busy learning how to reintegrate back into their families and communities after a deployment overseas.
For one young girl, the workshop agenda was a surprise to her and her friends.
“I thought I was just coming here for a meeting,” said 11-year-old Samantha Smith, from Lake City, Fla. “I never knew this was going to be so much fun for an Army meeting.”
As Smith and her friend, Brittany Hobby, performed sporadic cheerleading routines in the hallways and spoke coded conservations only young girls could grasp, one could only assume a daytime slumber party was the logical answer.
Instead, it was the appearance of three Orlando Magic Dancers, one of whom was newly crowned Miss Florida USA, that made teenage boys blush and girls shake with excitement during their unannounced visit.
As the older boys were gathered around an air hockey table battling to be the best of a white plastic puck, the arrival of Erin Gomersall and Kelly Rose Resciniti in their Orlando Magic dance uniforms ended any hopes of concentration.
The sound of a puck bouncing off the rails and slowly coming to a halt and the faint hum of air rushing through the hockey table was a sure sign the five youth were definitely caught off guard.
“So who’s winning here,” asked Megan Clementi, the current Miss Florida USA and captain of the Magic Dancers. “Come on; let’s see who’s going to win.”
The game abruptly ended and their focus shifted to the newest air hockey fans.
Like a deer staring into the headlights of oncoming traffic, the visible disbelief took several minutes to disappear as the dancers attempted to make new friends from a younger generation.
One older boy quickly turned around and ran his fingers through his hair and straightened up his shirt before turning back around with a large grin. Behind the dancers, several other boys could be seen texting on their cell phones – admitting later they were bragging to their friends back home about their new girlfriends.
“I was surprised they spent their time to come see us here,” said 11-year old Hobby, who aspires to someday be a University of Florida cheerleader. “I really liked them a lot. They were very spiritual and sweet. It makes me want to be a cheerleader even more.”
Within minutes, word spread throughout the hallway and other rooms that the dancers were there to see the younger participants of the post-deployment workshop.
Leaning up against a sliding door, several girls focused through the glass using their hands to get a glimpse of National Basketball Association professional dancers. As the door opened, the boys were quickly pushed aside and the mob-like atmosphere brought huge smiles to the energetic dancers.
“Wow, are you really a cheerleader,” asked one six-year-old girl.
“Close, but we are the Orlando Magic Dancers, not cheerleaders,” Gomersall said smiling as she gave the girl a hug.
“I can’t believe this,” another girl said over and over. “I have to go tell my mom and dad. Can I go get my mom? She won’t ever believe me.”
The boys slowly returned to their air hockey game as the dancers and the newest fans of the Orlando Magic slowly made their way to the hallway.
Gomersall, a four-year veteran of the Magic Dancers, said taking time on a Saturday morning to visit with Soldiers and families is an honor as a member of the community and an Orlando Magic Dancer.
“I think it’s important to connect with the military because they do so much for us whether we are at war or not,” she said. “We just want to continue our support for the military family. They deserve it, and sometimes I don’t even think they even realize how important they are in our communities.”
Answering a barrage of questions ranging from caring for their nails to being a professional dancer, the girls and the dancers fell into a noticeable routine like they were reunited friends.
As the girls asked permission to touch Clementi’s pageant sash, the noticeable wide-eye reaction meant a little more to Clementi than the average appearance, and said she hopes the boys and girls had fun and were able to take away a little more than just a visit from professional basketball dancers.
“I don’t think they get to see NBA dancers or Miss Florida USA,” she said. “I hope they remember us as being positive role models and just really nice girls. One day, they can be a Magic Dancer or be Miss Florida USA.”
As two girls were showing off their latest cheerleading routines, others were shaking the bluish metallic pom pons.
A young girl ran her fingers through Resciniti’s hair as she turned to her friend and giggled like she just had a brush with a movie star.
Resciniti, a veteran of Armed Forces Entertainment overseas tours, said she never forgets about the Soldiers and families that sacrifice so much during deployments while on and off the NBA court.
“Although we are over here entertaining and in the spotlight, we know what’s going on over there too, and we are very thankful and appreciative of what the troops and their families go through during this difficult time,” she said.
As Soldiers and families are separated for long periods of time during scheduled deployments, Resciniti said it’s just as important to take care of family members left behind.
“The girls here today are doing the same things we did while growing up,” she said. “They are trying to be regular girls doing things like dancing and getting involved in sports, and they did it without their dad or mother here. I can’t imagine how tough it could be during that time.”
With the last of the promotional Orlando Magic Dancer posters signed, Clementi, Gomersall and Resciniti quietly left the area to visit more heroes of the day– the Soldiers and spouses of the children.
As Hobby and Smith unsuccessfully begged to keep the three dancers around for a few more minutes, Gomersall reassured the girls that they would be visiting another Yellow Ribbon workshop in the near future.
“We have to come back again,” Smith told Hobby. “This is just too cool. Our friends are never going to believe us.”
After it was all done, Smith said making new friends was the best thing about the whole event – minus the early Saturday morning surprise. “Hopefully I will see them again and make more friends the next time,” she said.
As the new friends departed, Clementi said the 90-minute meeting was absolutely amazing and hopes the children truly understand how much Americans respect and honor their parents.
“Soldiers are overseas every single day fighting for our country,” she said. “I don’t think they really know how much we appreciate them.”
Clementi said they wanted to come here to just say thank you as ambassadors of the Orlando Magic organization and the state of Florida.
“It’s something little, but I think it makes a big difference,” she said.
Su Bacon
KansasCity.com
Aug. 11, 2009
Denise Evans is an athlete.
She averages 10 hours a week in training. In a gym in her Kansas City, North, home, she exercises, lifts weights and stretches. Weekly hot yoga and ballet classes are part of her regimen.
By all accounts, the former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader is in good physical shape. She can, for example, run 3½ miles without stopping.
But that run is a walk in the park compared to a 10-minute round on the dance floor.
“Dance is twice as hard,” said Evans, 42. “It requires intense bursts of energy – in heels, and smiling.”
Evans is competing in the Heart of America Ballroom DanceSport Championships this weekend in Kansas City. Some 300 dancers have registered to participate in different categories during the three-day competition.
Evans and her dance partner, Gert Roslender of Indianapolis, are entered in the pro-am international open standard division of ballroom dancing. Roslender is a professional dance instructor and Evans is an amateur.
On Saturday, they will fox-trot, waltz, tango, quickstep and Viennese waltz at three different times: 11:44 a.m., 12:18 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. In each 10-minute round, they will perform all five dances.
“Denise is the epitome of what ballroom dancing should be,” said Carmelita Beets, who saw Evans dance at last year’s event. “She embodies the heart and soul of physical movement and music coming together as an art form.”
Beets is a retired ballroom dance instructor and owns the Midwest Institute of Natural Healing in Kansas City, North.
To spectators like Beets, the dancers are a picture of elegance: men in tuxedoes and women in ballgowns swirling gracefully around the floor.
“The artistic, aesthetic part is visual,” said Angela Prince, national public relations director for USA Dance, the national governing body for DanceSport in the United States.
What the audience doesn’t see, Prince said, is the demanding discipline involved in reaching the high levels of athletic proficiency required to meet the rigors of competitive dance.
Roslender and Evans have been practicing about two years. Evans flies to Indianapolis about every other week for a four-hour session. On her return flight, Evans said, she feels both empty and full: “I am empty of stress and tension and my spirit is filled up.”
Evans returned to dancing after a seven-year break. In 2000, she won the national championship in the open pro-am international standard. Evans then took time off to write a book and give birth to a daughter.
She began competitive dancing again at the urging of her husband, who wanted their 5-year-old daughter to see her mother perform.
So, in 2007, Evans returned to the dance floor and to her roots.
She has been dancing since she was 6 years old when her grandfather taught her how to cha-cha. At the time, he owned a dance studio in Kansas City, Kan. Evans’ parents, LeRoy and Ginny Walters, are still in the dance business and are sponsoring the event in Kansas City.
While ability and agility are in her favor, there are some things dancers can’t control no matter how talented or how much time they’ve invested in perfecting their art. The music, the dance floor and the number of couples on the floor vary.
“We have no idea what songs we’ll have to dance to,” Evans said. “We know only that it will be a waltz or whatever dance we’re on.”
In addition, a couple must maneuver – with an appearance of ease – through the traffic on the dance floor, and the dancers must adjust to the surface of the floor. Floors that aren’t slick, Evans said, aren’t as “fast” and require different muscles.
Evans and Roslender have two more contests this year: Las Vegas on Aug. 22 and the national championships in Orlando, Fla., on Sept. 11.
Then, Evans said, she plans to retire from competition. But she isn’t hanging up her shoes.
“One thing I know for sure now is that dance will always be a part of my life,” she said.
Cameo shots and profiles have been posted for the Cincinnati Bengals Cheerleaders. Click here to check them out on the Bengals website!
By Heather Tocquigny
Backstage.com
August 11, 2009
“Start stretching,” a tall blonde in a business suit shouted in the distance. “Y’all have ten minutes until we begin.”
We’re at Mile High Stadium in Denver. My dad had driven me here from our home in Lafayette, Colorado—about 30 minutes away. At that moment I was standing in a long line of hundreds of pretty girls, all waiting anxiously. I was a few weeks shy of 18 years old.
The adventure actually started two days previously.
My hair in cornrows, I’d just returned from our senior spring break trip to Mexico, tanned and rested. I’d wanted to spend the weekend relaxing before school started again. Then Mom waltzed into my room, smiling excitedly.
“I heard on the radio there’s going to be a Broncos cheerleader tryout on Sunday,” she said. “You should go—for fun.” I think she secretly wished she could go herself.
I was attending Texas A&M in the fall, at which I aimed to perform on their dance team. I’d been a dancer for many years, but this was college level. So I figured why not? I could use the practice.
I was remembering the beatific expression on my mom’s face as I approached the registration desk. I handed the woman my wallet-sized senior picture, taken just a few weeks earlier.
The photo wasn’t pretty. Clipped to the back was my short, modest resume, which consisted mostly of high school credits. I glanced around. It was a far cry from the other girls’ photos: professional-looking 8×10 headshots, air-brushed, with a resume full of professional dance credits stapled expertly to the back. What am I doing here? I thought.
I signed in and was handed a big number “237” to safety pin to my pants.
I felt as ready as I could be—an hour before I’d had my usual quick breakfast of coffee and a banana. Seeking a space to warm up, I managed my way through a sea of excessively gorgeous young women. Many wore brightly rhinestoned crop-tops and exaggerated facial makeup. One bleached blonde—of the many—caught my eye. Wearing hot pink pants with a matching sparkled top, she looked as though she had stepped right out of a Barbie box.
In comparison, I was clad in my blue Target sports bra and some old black jazz pants, both of which I’d grabbed out of the laundry that morning. I felt a bit underdressed.
“Hey! There’s space over here,” said a girl in skimpy green velvet. She was vigorously brushing and spraying her hair as she waved me over. “Hurry and put on some makeup so you can stand out!” she exclaimed.
I looked around. Am I the only one here not wearing lipstick—at the very least? The idea of glamming up for a dance audition was strange to me, but ok. Digging through my tiny sparkle-less tote bag, all I could find was a Dr. Pepper-flavored Chapstick, which I applied immediately. However, it added no color—much less the blazing red color I apparently needed.
My new friend, whose name was Kate, told me this was her third year auditioning for the team. She was so earnest. “Well, I really hope you make it this time,” I said, smiling.
***************************
The first round of tryouts began with a simple across-the-floor routine. When it came my turn to go, I was put into a group of five. At first I was a bit nervous. But I reminded myself that this was just practice for the real audition in the fall at Texas A&M. When that failed, I tried my old standby: I imagined myself in my dance studio and pretended the panel of ten judges were nonexistent. I took a deep breath, and let myself go. It worked.
After about an hour, they announced that 150 dancers were moving on to semifinals. I glanced at the list. Amazingly I’d made it, and so had Kate.
In the next stage of auditions, we were asked to do a combination with a lot of what they call ‘hairography’—shimmying hips and thrashing to “She’s a Lady” by Tom Jones. Once we learned the dance, they put the song on repeat so we could practice the steps before they started the official round of tryouts. Although the judges were taking a short break, most of them stayed at the table and observed us.
I looked around. All the girls were marking through the dance, slowly and carefully. Here’s my chance, I thought. I’m going to get right in the middle of the floor and do it full out a few times to gain the judges’ attention. Be fearless!
I ran through them several times, and made sure that I’d knew the steps. Then I made my move. I managed my way to the front of the floor. There I stood, in the midst of dozens of girls just going through the movement and checking their marks, and waited for the song to end. Just as Tom Jones started swinging again, I hit the first mark with full confidence.
From the corner of my eye I caught a few of the judges glancing over at me. I made sure they saw my big cheerleader smile.
All of a sudden, I realized—in the middle of a dramatic turn and kick—that I really wanted this. I really wanted to make it to the final round. It wasn’t just for fun anymore. My competitive side had consumed me. I was unstoppable.
***************************
By the time the judges made their last cut for the day, it was dark outside. My dad had left me several messages, asking when he could pick me up. Once again, in the last call, my number was called out. I was one of only 65 remaining dancers.
“We will see you on Tuesday! Congratulations!” Wow, I couldn’t believe it! I was coming back for the finals! They handed us a packet of football facts to learn for the interview portion of the evaluation.
Just then, a tall African American girl approached me.
“If you want to make the team, take your cornrows out,” she said. “The judges want to see you with your hair all the way down.”
“Oh, of course.” I told her. “Anything to make the team.” But my competitive instincts told me something else. As I walked out of the stadium, I grumbled to myself, “No way am I taking my hair out.”
I ran outside to meet my dad. I threw my arms around him, I was so excited to tell him the news!
The next day, my folks and I bought my first black business suit. The clothes were the easy part.
For the next two days I studied every fact in the Broncos’ 15-page football packet. Some of my football player buddies from Fairview High helped, quizzing me on the finer points of football. I already understood the basics, but this packet housed minute details on every player. I even had memorize the names of second- and third-string players who had just made the squad.
On Monday night, I thought about what the girl had said. Was I being too rash and judgemental? Maybe she was being sincere. I really liked my braided hair style, but… So I discussed it with my mom, and she told me I would be crazy if I didn’t. So, that night I unbraided my beloved cornrows.
***************************
As I walked into the stadium, I looked around for Kate, but sadly I didn’t see her.
First up, there was a quick meet-and-greet with the judges. It was a madhouse. I had to fight my way past the others just to shake one judge’s hand! When I finally did meet a few, each of them recognized me immediately: “Hey, you’re the girl with the cornrows!” they all seemed to say. Wow, I guess they really had made me stand out! (And now, of course, they’re gone.)
Then came the questions. The first two girls answered very easy questions. Then, the judge turned to me: “How many defensive players are on the line of scrimmage before the play starts?”
I went completely blank. Of all of the facts, how did I manage to miss this one!? Calming down, I averted my eyes, and tried to think.
But another vision overcame me. I saw myself on the football field dancing my heart out for thousands of screaming fans, having the best seat in the house to watch the games, and kicking up the grass on the 50-yard line in my white cowboy boots.
I snapped out of this vision, and blurted out my lucky number, which never seemed to fail me: “Seven.” Right when I saw them smile, I knew I had gotten it right.
As I changed back into my blue top and black pants for the final dance audition, I realized I was transformed. For the first time I gave a performance that surpassed the best I’d ever given before. Something woke inside me that I knew meant I belonged here, on this professional stage, right now, with some of the top dancers in the country.
And I got it! They selected me.
I woke up the next morning and I kept saying to myself, almost disbelieving: “I’m a Denver Broncos cheerleader! I’m a Denver Broncos cheerleader!” And never looked back.
[View Heather’s page on DenverBroncos.com]
Born in Houston, Texas, Heather Tocquigny graduated with a B.A. in Theatre from USC. She is classically trained in ballet, jazz, tap, modern and hip hop, as well as a gymnast. She worked as an NFL cheerleader for the Denver Broncos for two seasons. She’s acted in over forty films, and has done commercial spots for Yoplait, Samsung, and McDonald’s. Heather’s most recent film was “Wishing Well” with Oscar-winner Ernest Borgnine. Her website is www.heathertocquigny.com.
Each year, the Hall of Fame game marks the beginning of the NFL preseason in Canton, OH. The football teams usually bring their cheerleaders along to add to the excitement of game day. This year, the Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders and Buffalo Jills hit the road to entertain fans at the Bills/Titans game in Ohio. The website Exposay.com has a photos from the game, including a few of the Cheerleaders. Click here to go there now.
East Kentucky Media|CINCINNATI – An NFL cheerleader will lead the East Kentucky Diamond Girls as the dance team’s choreographer. Letcher County native Sarah Gilliam – a member of the Cincinnati BenGals dance team – has been named Diamond Girls choreographer. East Kentucky Miners President of Basketball Operations/Head Coach Kevin Keathley has officially announced Gilliam’s hiring. Gilliam is nearing her first season as a member of the Cincinnati BenGals dance team. A two-year member of the Diamond Girls (official dance team of the East Kentucky), Gilliam welcomed the opportunity to return to the East Kentucky professional basketball franchise for a third season.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with the East Kentucky Diamond Girls out of a choreographer role,” Gilliam said. “It’s a great opportunity and I look forward to having the chance to return to the organization.”
Gilliam made the cut with the BenGals dance team earlier in the year. Her tryouts with the Cincinnati squad started in April and ran into early-May.
“We are so proud of what Sarah has been able to accomplish,” Keathley said. “To earn a spot on the Bengals dance team says a lot about her ability and passion for performing and entertaining fans. We as an organization welcome the opportunity to have Sarah back with the East Kentucky Miners dance team. She has proven over the last couple of years to be a professional in every sense of the word. I really appreciate her commitment to the Miners organization. We know Sarah’s role will be limited to some degree because of her new role with the Bengals. However, her expertise and input will be valued. Sarah is a great example for the youth of Eastern Kentucky.
She is proof that if you work hard enough and believe in yourself any dream is possible. She will be able to provide great leadership and mentoring to our new group of Diamond Girls. Sarah is a prime example of what this organization has been about – to give talented individuals the opportunity to hone the their skills in order to pursue their dreams at the highest level. Now, Sarah can come back and help make the next Diamond Girls’ dream come true.”
Tryouts for the East Kentucky Diamond Girls will be held during the second month of September. Gilliam will be present for the upcoming Diamond Girls tryouts. A date for the Diamond Girls tryouts is currently in the process of being finalized.
By Patrick Michels
The Dallas Observer
Jul. 27 2009
[Slide show]
It took talent and intensity just to make it past Saturday’s first round of auditions for the 2009-’10 Mavericks Dancers squad, but for Sunday afternoon’s finals, they’d have less than a minute to perform, competing with four other dancers for the judges’ attention.
Even a great performance couldn’t guarantee a spot on the team. The dancers’ longtime director, Shella Sattler, said she wasn’t looking for any number of rookies in particular — she’d invite back as many women as she felt were deserving. With a number of returning dancers in the mix, Sattler strolled through the ranks in downtown’s Elevation Fitness, calling out names and offering encouragement. Sattler said she’s looking for three things in new talent: “physical beauty, dance ability and personality.”
Danesha McGill was one of many who were hoping to make a return to the squad (she was a Mavs Dancer from 2003-2006), and when her turn came, she did seem to give a bigger performance than the first-timers beside her, looking more like she was playing to an arena of screaming fans than eight judges with notebooks.
As each group took a turn in front of the judges, the rest of the hopefuls looked on through glass doors, passing around mirrors and primping, following along with the routine, or sizing up the competition.
“Oh, yeah, she messed up,” one whispered to the woman next to her.
“As long as you do it fast with a smile,” the other dancer said, “they’re never gonna know.”
