June 13, 2011
Edmonton Eskimos
Kassidy’s Blog – Eskimo Cheer Team
Friday night was one of the most incredible nights our 2011 Cheer team has shared this season. It was our annual Cheer Team Unveiling and Silent Auction at Union Hall and it was an experience that made each and every one of us even prouder to be part of the Edmonton Eskimo family.
Since we were chosen to be on the cheer team in March, we have been working very hard to learn the routines, dances and cheers that we will be performing all season. We have put in so many hours learning and perfecting everything, but it has truly been a labour of love since we are all so passionate about performing with our team.
The day of Unveiling was a long one since our team met at Union Hall at 4:00pm for a final run through before our 9:00pm performance. Our show was true to the old adage, “Bad rehearsals make for a great show”. We ironed out the glitches and got rid of the nerves and put on a spectacular show full of awe inspiring aerial stunts and top notch dances. We performed our own original routines and, in addition to our regular team practices, we rehearsed our unveiling dances on our own time.
Our Silent Auction was a great success and we are all so appreciative of the people who worked to make it as fabulous as it was. The energy at Union Hall was incredible since there were probably close to one thousand people around over the course of the night. It was heart warming to be welcomed so enthusiastically by the fans, family members and friends who were cheering us on as we performed. We also cannot forget to thank the wonderful Jesse James who hosts our Unveiling and treats every one of us like royalty. Our hair sponsor, Ricci Hair, made sure we all looked great and we were delighted they came to help us out.
The next morning we went to Clarke Stadium for Fan Day. For the second year in a row, this has been one of my favourite events! We get to meet all of the diehard Eskimo fans who truly love the team and the game of football. We watched the new team practice and both the players and the cheer team got to interact with everyone who came out. We couldn’t have asked for better weather and our spirits were still high from the night before.
Our Eskimo weekend did not stop there. Several of us woke up early on Sunday to attend the TELUS Walk to Cure Diabetes at the Edmonton Garrison. We followed along with a morning stretch and cheered the walkers on as they crossed the start line before we had to race to Commonwealth for our practice. During the season we train at Perfect Storm Athletics, but we always have at least one afternoon at the Stadium to make sure we have proper spacing before the first game. It was a great practice.
After such a terrific weekend, we are all so excited to cheer at the first Eskimo game on June 24th. We know that with our awesome new football team we will be cheering loud and proud. This is going to be an unforgettable season for the EE!