Celebrating 25 Years of Arizona Cards Cheer

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It’s been a week since I had the opportunity to perform on Monday Night Football at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Last Monday, I took the field for pregame with more than 150 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Alumni to entertain the crowd before kickoff. The experience brought back the chills, some nerves and that anxious feeling you get before performing in front of tens of thousands of people! After being away from dancing on the NFL for several years now, I sort of had forgotten just how HUGE the field feels and how it feels to dance in the stadium. Plus, I had NEVER danced in a domed stadium before…during the one season I spent with the AZ Cardinals, they still played at ASU Sun Devil Stadium, so it did feel different to be in the air conditioned dome. Press play below to see video of the performance…

Anyhow, keep scrolling down to view some of the photos from my fun-filled weekend in the desert, celebrating the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders Anniversary.

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It’s a FastBreak Reunion

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One of the things that people always like to “remember” about me is that I am a former Oakland Raiderette…and I am. However, before I ever stepped foot on an NFL sideline, I had the honor of dancing among some of the most beautiful dancers I have ever shared the stage with…as a member of the Sacramento Kings FastBreak Dance Team. It was the first professional (sports) dance team I had ever been part of, and it was a very memorable experience, from the great friends I made, to the the excitement of dancing on an NBA court and being part of the Sacramento Kings community.

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Well, this past weekend we had a “reunion,” where the Kings invited back FastBreak Alumni to once again hit the hardwood and dance for the crowd during its game versus the Washington Wizards. Not all the ladies made it back, but there was about 30 alumni who were able to make it for the performance. It was such good times…a real sisterhood and pleasure for me to stand among the same beautiful dancers.

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We did a minute and a half dance routine to “Uptown Funk,” during a second quarter timeout and overall, we all still “got it!” 🙂 And — one of the things that made this extra special for me was to have my family by my side, because for me, there’s no point in doing what you love if you can’t share it with the ones you love! <3

Watch a video of our performance, and see some pictures from the event below…

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50 Years of Raiderettes

I recently celebrated 50 years of Oakland (and LA) Raiderettes with a few hundred of my “Football’s Fabulous Females” sisters, who have also been honored to hold the Raiderette title! The 2012 Raiderette Reunion started off with a dinner at the Eastside Club at the Coliseum…

On display were the various uniforms and costumes donned by the Raiderettes over the years…

The next day after we gathered at the Raider facility to “practice” for our anniversary halftime show! We had all received a video link prior to the reunion weekend, to learn our respective routines…since we were celebrating 50 years, they divided us into 5 decades, and you learned the routine that corresponded with the decade you became a Raiderette! So the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and (my group) 2000’s!! It was the first time we got together for a dance rehearsal with everyone. Ah, what a reminder of the hard work it takes to be a Raiderette!!!

We also received these beautiful medallions to mark the 50 year celebration!

Finally our reunion weekend culminated with a spectacular halftime performance at the Oakland Coliseum where the Raiders hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars!! Lots of fun and reminiscent of old times…starting with a bus ride together to the stadium.

Then of course GAME TIME!!

And — it’s great to dance alongside with the current squad and to see what a GREAT job these ladies are doing to carry on the Raiderette tradition!!

I don’t have the final number of how many alumni turned out to attend the weekend, but at least 300+…and I imagine if each and every former Raiderette was able to be there, the number would be more like 500…that’s a lot of Raiderettes!! 🙂

Finally, what would a performance be without the VIDEO…haha! You can actually see me in the clip below…I danced on the 25 yard line, closer to the north end zone, then in end zone (near the “K”) during the finale!!

Once a Raiderette, ALWAYS a Raiderette!! 😉