All posts in cheerleaders

(photo by Brian Murphy)

The Washington Redskins haven’t won a game in nearly two months, seemingly lose at least one starter a week due to injury and give fans little hope that things will get better any time soon.

So basically, ‘Skins fans are left with the following choices — embrace the losing in hopes that it lands a top five pick in the 2012 NFL Draft or find other ways to pass the time on Sundays.

Because I am a man of the people, I figured it was time to do my part and help make gameday more manageable for the burgundy and gold faithful. With that in mind, I humbly present to you a gallery of my photos spotlighting Redskins cheerleaders.

There might not be much to cheer for during the actual games, but at least the First Ladies of Football are still bringing their “A game.”

(photos courtesy of Washington Redskins)

MEET NICOLE

 She’s 27, from Burtonsville, Maryland, and enjoying her second season as a member of the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.

Speaking of your regular job, what do you do and are there any similarities between your two jobs?

I am currently a teacher in Maryland. This will be my sixth year teaching high school science. I enjoy working with students, helping them become self-directed learners. I love that I get the chance everyday to help better prepare students for the real world.

What is the difference between ambassadors and cheerleaders?

I had the privilege to be a Washington Redskins Cheerleader Ambassador for one year and I enjoyed getting to meet fans one-on-one during game day. I helped pep the fans before the game in the Touchdown and Tailgate Club. I also had the wonderful opportunity to visit the suites at FedEx Field and interact with the fans as we cheered the ‘Skins on side-by-side.

I loved having the chance to meet so many adoring fans – we truly have the best fans in the NFL. Now, I have the honor as a Washington Redskins Cheerleader. One of the biggest differences is that I am on the field cheering during game day. We do various appearances in the stadium before the games, but there isn’t as much fan interaction between the cheerleaders and fans at FedEx Field because we are strictly dancing on field or around the stadium pregame. Our fan interaction takes place at the various community events that we attend throughout the year. Both opportunities were amazing and I am so happy that I’ve become a part of the family of Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and Ambassadors.

MEET ABBY

She’s 29, from North Potomac, Maryland, and in her fourth season cheering on the maroon and black.

Since cheerleaders don’t travel with the team, what do you do on the weeks when the team has an away game? Do you watch the Redskins game with other cheerleaders? Are you off that week?

When we have an away game we are usually off that weekend; although, we sometimes attend promotional appearances in the D.C. area. We have held parties at sports bars and restaurants to watch the game and invite the public to attend as well. We are also very busy helping with our Junior Cheerleaders program that practices most Saturdays. If we don’t have an appearance to make, then of course we are watching the game with family and friends! Sometimes we do coordinate special get togethers to watch the game as a team. The week of an away game we are very busy getting ready for the next home game with practices during the week.

Tell us one thing people would be surprised to learn about being a cheerleader for the Redskins.

There are several things people are surprised to learn about being a Redskins Cheerleader. We all have full time jobs, or are full time students, or mothers. (which is more than a full time job!) We are Redskins fans as well as Redskins cheerleaders and are invested in the game and the NFL season. We don’t travel with the team, but travel a lot overseas on military appreciation tours, (most of us take leave without pay from our full time jobs to participate.) We tour more than any other NFL Cheerleading team and pride ourselves on our dedication to giving back to the men and women who sacrifice and fight for our Country and freedoms. We do this job because we love it, not because we get paid.

(photos courtesy of Washington Redskins)

MEET CHELSEA

She’s 22, from Stafford, Virginia, and is back for her third year as a member of the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. Here’s what she had to say.

We know the Redskins cheerleaders recently went on tour to Europe to entertain the troops. Can you tell us about your experiences overseas?

The Europe tour was a once in a lifetime experience, I learned so much more about what are these amazing men and women are doing for us overseas. Even though they aren’t in a war zone, I think people underestimate the amount of work and pressure that they do have on a daily basis. The troops were more than accommodating in every country we went to. They would cook us dinner, show us their work stations, and come support us as we put on our hour and a half variety show. I hope they enjoyed our visit as much as we did and I hope to be able to go on tour again soon!

Speaking of your regular job, what do you do and are there any similarities between your two jobs?

I am currently working as a marketing/event coordinator at Potomac Point Winery down in Stafford, Virginia. We have a huge event wing where we hold weddings, festivals, conferences, birthdays. You name it, we do it. My job is to assist in the booking of our different spaces that we have for rent and then work as the day of coordinator. I also work on any marketing materials and advertisements for any in house upcoming events or specials. We are actually going to be on the cover of The Bella weddings guide in January 2009. So if your in the mood for a wine tasting, or just want to get away for a day, come visit our beautiful Mediterranean estate building and vineyard.

MEET KLOHVER

Klohver is 23, from Germantown, Maryland, and is a second-year member of the Redskins cheerleaders.  

Speaking of your regular job, what do you do and are there any similarities between your two jobs?

Well, I have a very interesting job actually. I am a lawyer licensed to practice in Maryland and Washington, D.C. I have practiced in many different areas of law, but I like disability law the best. I help disabled people acquire health care and benefits that they need. I have an opportunity to work with many different people from the area who are in desperate need of legal representation who would not otherwise be able to afford such. My job is very rewarding and I love the work that I do.

What’s it like being a part of the Washington Redskins cheerleader calendar photo shoot?

This year for the calendar shoot, I had an opportunity to shoot my photos with a horse. It was extremely exciting, I love horses, and the scene was breathtaking. I was on the beach with the sun rising behind me and while I was posing on the horse it felt surreal, like a dream. The horse began to buck a little bit because I believe he was a little frightened by the people, but he eventually became calm.

(photos courtesy of Washington Redskins)

MEET STEPHANIE

She’s 18 years old and is orginally from Baltimore, Maryland (but we won’t hold it against her). This is her first year on the team and she’s in the mood to answer some of your questions.

FedExField is the largest stadium in the NFL. What was it like for you the very first time you stepped in front of 90,000 fans? Were you nervous?

The first time I ever stepped on the field in front of 90,000 fans I was very nervous. I took every minute of it in and it was the best feeling ever. The fans are amazing. It’s a great feeling to step out there knowing you’re doing what you love.

What is the most and least rewarding part of being a cheerleader with the Washington Redskins?

The most rewarding part of being a Redskins Cheerleader is the friends you make, the fans you get to know, and being able to pursue your dream. The least rewarding part of being a cheerleader would be all the stress you obtain for hoping your team will be the best in the NFL.

Since cheerleaders don’t travel with the team, what do you do on the weeks when the team has an away game? Do you watch the Redskins game with other cheerleaders? Are you off that week?

When we don’t travel with the team, I tend to stay home and watch the games. I never miss one. I enjoy going out with the girls, and cheering on our team.

MEET ANABEL

As a fourth-year cheerleader, you’ve probably noticed Anabel on the sidelines by now. If not, then you’ve probably seen her in Sports Illustrated, FHM or Maxim. Yeah, she’s big time.

Tell us one thing people would be surprised to learn about being a cheerleader for the Redskins.

One thing that people would be surprised to learn about being a cheerleader for the Redskins is that we arrive four and a half hours before kickoff on gameday. We are die-hard fans just like everyone else!

(photos courtesy of Washington Redskins)

MEET HEATHER

She’s 29, originally from Stafford, Virginia, and is enjoying her fifth year as a member of the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. And most importantly, she’s kind enough to answer your questions.

On average, how many hours a week do you work out with the cheerleaders? Workout in the gym? Work your regular job? And how many other events a year do you work as a cheerleader for the Redskins?

The cheerleaders have practice Tuesdays and Thursday from 7-10:30 p.m. Early in the season, or if it is a game week, we may add extra practices. Some ladies workout a lot, while others use our practices as their weekly workouts. I personally work out six days a week for about 45 minutes to an hour and alternate cardio and lifting. I have a nine-to-five job that is pretty flexible on when I work, but every week its 40 hours. All of the cheerleaders do around 20-30 charity and promotional events throughout the year. These are chosen by each individual cheerleader based on their schedules. These can range from performances, autograph signings or events helping around the community.

Speaking of your regular job, what do you do and are there any similarities between your two jobs?

I am an engineer and a consultant for the Defense Department, mostly with the Navy. My focus is with materials and paints. Yes, I’m a nerd. There are absolutely no similarities between my two jobs. This is great because it allows me to use both sides of my brain. When my day job gets rough, I always have the ‘Skins to clear my head.

Just how often do you get hit on by fans at a typical Redskins game? What’s the funniest/most bizarre thing a fan has done or said to try and impress you?

It definitely happens to all of us, a handful of times per game. It’s probably the best, when the fan is seated in a higher section and tries to give you their phone number and get you to call using sign language. I once had a fan who wanted me to do a promotion event that was two hours away. He sent me tons of mail, including a picture of the venue with a cutout of myself taped to it and a map that highlighted the route from the stadium to the event.

MEET JAMILLA

She’s 32, originally from Newport News, Virginia, and is in her sixth year as a Redskins cheerleader. She’s also a captain of the team, so don’t get on her bad side.

Why did you want to become a cheerleader? What made you initially try out to be a Washington Redskins Cheerleader, and just how tough was it to make the squad?

I love performing and I am a huge Washington Redskins fan, so it gives me the opportunity to cheer for my favorite team and enjoy what I love to do – DANCE! I initially auditioned for the team because a friend of mine was a member of the squad. She helped me prepare for auditions, but I got my best information from attending prep classes. This gave me the opportunity to learn the dance style of the team and workout with some of the current members of the squad. Auditions are pretty tough because there are several rounds to get through – freestyle, choreography, interview, but attending prep classes definitely helped a lot.

We’ve heard that the Redskins cheerleaders don’t get paid. Is that true? Also, what perks or benefits come with being a Redskins cheerleader?

No this is not true, but what we all enjoy most about being a cheerleader, besides performing, are the opportunities to be in the D.C. Metropolitan community. As a cheerleader, you are required to have a full-time job, be a full-time student or a full-time mom so this is not our full-time job. We do enjoy the opportunity to travel to exotic locations for our calendar trip and to travel overseas to perform for the troops. We have some great sponsors as well that provide us with services needed to be a Washington Redskins Cheerleaders, like Robert Andrews as our hair care sponsor, Sport & Spine as our chiropractic sponsor, D.C. Smiles to keep our smiles pretty, Washington Sports Club as our gym sponsor, and the list goes on.

How many of the cheerleaders actually know the game of football? And how many are actually Redskins fans?

I truly believe that the majority of our team knows a great deal about football. If you pay close attention to the cheerleaders you will see us watching intently from the sidelines. Sometimes we are supposed to be dancing, but because a great play is happening on the field you will catch us jumping up and down celebrating. We truly love the game, and we have the best seats in the house (besides the football team). I have never heard any of the ladies say that they are fans of another team, and I assume that if they liked another team they would have auditioned to be on their cheerleading squad.