**** DCC DINNER AT MI COCINA’S


In a room that was only supposed to hold 55-60 people, the DCC alumni, who are used to very tight quarters, squeezed in over 75 sisters for dinner at Mi Cocina’s!  Many memories were swapped between the decades as everyone enjoyed fajitas and margaritas!  It was so nice to see my sisters getting the chance to sit and get caught up.  I noticed many new introductions as the conversation weaved it’s way through different decades and squads.  I want to take this chance and thank Kitty Carter (DCC ’74-76) for her kind words and my beautiful DCC rose bracelet.  I always felt that I wasn’t the only one who missed my sisters, the DCC organization, and wished we had some sort of an alumni network.  We’ve come from a dinner of 4 people to a bash with 75, no real database to a network of 567, and no recognition as a group to a NFL sanctioned SuperBowl event hostessed by the ‘Spirit of DCC’, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Alumni Association!  Many of ya’ll have said to me, ‘if it wasn’t for you none of this would be happening.”  I feel the exact opposite... I just lit a match.  Ya’ll’s love for your sisters and your organization have brought us all to this point and I can’t thank you enough.

****  50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS HALFTIME


50 years of our ‘Boys..... wow, that went by fast!  I can’t say enough about the weekend.... ‘Spirit of DCC’ day, dinner, and the icing on the cake, our first halftime performance in the new Cowboys stadium!  Thank you to all of you who once again took planes, trains, and automobiles to support your girls and your team.  Our passion and loyalty were truly demonstrated....  there were 240 of us and how many players????  ☺  I received tons of photos.... below are a few of my faves.....

Carole Rachal Torphy, Lori Brawley Grauwunder (DCCs 1988) and Cindy Rodriguez Howard (DCC 1982) help an alumni sister gather her gameday credential and instructions.

Maya Hayes (DCC ’02-04) hands out the super cute Alumni boots designed by our very own alumni sister, Justine Phillips Orf (DCC ’05-10).

Stephanie Strunc Reese (DCC ’94-98) and Ranie Lindeman Young (DCC 1981) man the ‘Gameday Ball’ table

Suzette Hash Freeman (DCC ’76-78) was in charge of our ‘Spirit of DCC’ notecards

Ms. Roberson (DCC Asst. Director- 1971) was still keeping her gals in line as they distributed alumni jerseys.  Susan Goldi Howard (DCC ’85-87, ’90) and I hopped in this special photo.

Big smiles from the 70s gals:  Suzette Hash Freeman (DCC ’76-78), Tami Barber (DCC ’77-80), Beverly Flower Gallagher (DCC ’73-76), Debbie Wagener Ormsby (DCC ’76-79), Vicki Hammons Woodlee (DCC ’73-75)

Monica Cravinas Pennie (DCC ’02-06) finds her DCC ornament hanging on the tree!

                            Sisters....

Mary Reynolds (DCC 1985), me, Kim Wiman Wilkerson (DCC 1985)

70’s ladies.......

80’s ladies....

90s ladies....

Thank you Kitty & Carole Rachal Torphy (DCC 1988) for all the support, kind words, and my DCC rose bracelet!  Love you!

2000s.......

If you were unable to join us, here’s the video!

****  DCC CHRISTMAS HALFTIME!

The week after our halftime, the DCC welcomed over 500 cheerleaders to participate in a Christmas themed halftime with them... Below are a few behind the scenes pictures.

****  DCC USO CHRISTMAS TOUR

Once again, our ladies left Dallas with big smiles and plenty of good cheer for our troops stationed overseas.  12 of our DCC represented the Cowboys, the state of Texas, and the entire US on this 72nd once in a lifetime experience.  Below is an article written about the DCC visit in the ‘Aim Points’, the official website of the United States Air Force:


Cheerleaders bring holiday cheer to Osan

BY: Staff Sgt. Eric Burks , 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs

01/04/2011



Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders perform Dec. 29, 2010, during a visit to Osan Air Base, South Korea. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Master Sgt. Paul Holcomb)


OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Members of the Dallas Cowboys' cheerleader team visited here Dec. 29 as part of their 72nd USO tour.


During their visit, the cheerleaders had lunch with Airmen, held a free cheer clinic for kids, performed at the base theater, signed autographs and posed for photos with members here.


Senior Airman Travis Paecht, of the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron, said having lunch with the cheerleaders was a great experience.


"It was definitely a morale boost," he said. "It's tough being away from family every holiday, but the cheerleaders were really nice, and they were appreciative of everything we're doing out here."


While Cowboys cheerleaders have been visiting Soldiers and Airmen here for decades through the USO tours, the cheer clinics are a relatively recent addition, designed to support the growing number of family members here.


As tour normalization initiatives brought more families to the peninsula, the Cowboys cheerleaders, working with USO officials, began holding the cheer clinics during tours here just a few years ago. As more dependents arrived, the level of support grew.


Katie Chargualaf, an Osan Air Base family member, said her daughter loved meeting the cheerleaders.


"They worked really well with the kids," she said. "It was very nice of them to take time away from their families during the holidays to spend time with ours."


Meredith Oden, a fourth-year Cowboys cheerleader making her first visit to South Korea, offered advice for cheer clinic participants who aspire to, one day, join the ranks of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.


"If you work hard and put the effort into it, it's something you can achieve," she said. "Just keep dancing and put your heart into it.


"A lot of people are amazed that not all of us are from Texas, and not all of us are fully-trained dancers from the age of 3," Ms. Oden said.


"Everyone has a different background, but we like to call ourselves a big bouquet," she said. "Every person is a different type of flower. Everyone has their own background, and that's when we come together, that's what makes us the squad that we are."


Ms. Oden's mother is a former Cowboys cheerleader who participated in USO tours, and even performed at Osan AB in the 1980s.


"Watching the cheerleaders growing up, it was something we really aspired to do," Ms. Oden said.


"Every time, watching them dance, each performance seemed more phenomenal," she said. "We're excited to get to do that tonight, and we hope we inspire a couple little ones."

 

If you haven’t seen the show in awhile, through the wonder of YouTube, you can view the entire show in the 3 segments above.....



****  SARGEANT MAJOR TOUR


We actually had 2 tours going on this holiday season.  2 of our alumni “AllStars” headed to Iraq on the Sargeant Major Tour.  Nicole Hamilton (DCC ’05-10) and Brandi Nace Redmond (DCC ’00-03, ’04-06) proudly represented both the past and the present of our beloved organization.  In her own words, Nicole sums up their experience overseas.....


Dates: 12/13-24/10


Places: Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan 


Celebrities: Leeann Tweeden, Keni Thomas,  Alana Grace, Buddy Jewell, Chonda Pierce, Emily West, US Army Band "Downrange"


I love the DCC USO tours just as I did the SMA Hope and Freedom tour with USO because they give us the chance to make an impact on the troops and give back. Boosting the moral of the troops over seas is a small but important roll. On the SMA tour it was great traveling around with SMA Preston and the other celebrities, they were all such great people. After you get to know everyone it is so cool to not only share your talents with the troops but you feel proud to watch all of your new friends perform. We also get very close to all of the Sgt. Majors watching over us. When we started the trip we were told not to call them Sir, by the end of the trip we called them Dad, Mom, Aunt, Uncle, and Sister. Were were like family:) It was also great to make a new life long friend with Brandi. You get very close when it is only two of us to think about, it was also easy to make decisions with only two DCC. There were so many indescribable reasons why this tour was different but all I know is that Brandi and I were moved in a big way on this trip by every troop we encountered. This was my 10th USO tour and I have never been felt so emotional and passionate about what we were doing. This was Brandi's first tour and she felt exactly the same. We will never forget anyone or anything about this tour and we appreciate the opportunity to be apart of it.



USO Tour 2010 greets Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and civilians in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Dec. 15, 2010.  This year marks the eighth annual tour put on by country singers, comedians, and Dallas cheerleaders that will travel to Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan to put on five concerts and will travel to remote locations to ensure the Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, and Airmen that are overseas in harms way are not forgotten during this holiday season.


Here are a few fun pictures.....

****  2011 PRO BOWL SELECTION






Congratulations to Brittany Evans-  DCC representative to the 2011 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii!  This is Brittany’s 3rd year on the squad, 3rd year on Show Group, and she is a Second Group Leader.