It was that time of year again. The 2006 Tennessee Titans Cheerleading Squad had a great year, but the time had come to determine who would cheer on the Titans to victory in 2007.
One may think that auditioning to be a cheerleader is a simple process, but he or she is quite mistaken. Not only must one endure the hardships of an early bird clinic, a preliminary round, and a semifinals round, but she must also compete and show her talent in front of her peers and the public.
In the beginning rounds, nearly 200 girls were vying for one of the thirty-some spots on the cheerleading roster. For those who were unsure of what to expect in tryouts or simply wanted to learn more about the squad, a pre-audition clinic was held in which routines were learned and questions were answered.
By the time the preliminary auditions were held, the number of potential Titans cheerleaders had lowered to approximately 130. On May 6th, these ladies competed with one another in both the preliminary and semifinals rounds. By the end of the day, the judges were able to select the 61 beautiful women who would advance to the final round of auditions.
Before the final auditions, each finalist was required to interview with the Director of Cheerleading, Stacie Kinder. This interview counted for 20 percent of the each woman's total score. The interview was not only a way for the director to get to know a little more about each finalist, but also a way for each finalist to understand what her desired role would truly entail.
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the audition process was the final auditions. This year's finals were presented by Planet Beach and were held at City Hall Entertainment in the Gulch on May 17th. The event was open to the public and nearly 1,000 Nashvillians turned out to cheer on the hopeful cheerleaders.
In the final round, the ladies were brought out in groups of two or three to perform their routine in front of 10 judges. Some of the judges included local celebrities like Eddie Foxx from WKDF, Brad Hopkins, former offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans, Shannon McIntosh, casting agent for ABC's The Bachelor and CBS's Survivor, and former Miss Tennessee/USA Allison DeMarcus. The judges were responsible for critiquing the women in four areas: appearance, physique, dance ability, and "IT"factor/crowd appeal.
All of the 61 women who made it to the final round were talented and capable of the job, but at the end of the night, the scores were tallied and in the end, 31 women were chosen to be members of 2007 Tennessee Titans Cheerleading Squad.
Congratulations to Melinda, Carrie, Kerry, Brooke, Shannon, Tandra, Kristina, Jenny, Melanie, Julia, Stephanie, Shauna, Heather, Tonia, Lindsey H., Meghann, Melissa, Chocez, Laurie, Keriann, Whitney, Natalie, Erica, Kindle, Valerie, Lesslye, Lindsey R., Lindsay, Andi, Stefanie, and LaToya!
The 2007 Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders first public appearance will be at the 9th Annual Titans' Charity Golf Classic on June 18th at the Hillwood Country Club.
