The 2011 Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders team has formed after two grueling days of auditions.
What started off as 237 hopefuls, plus 20 veterans, has now formed into the 40-member team that will represent the Falcons in 2011.
Usually, 32 of the 40 would be gameday performers while eight others would be on what's called the A-team, or the appearance team, which is a group of cheerleaders that makes public appearances and doesn't perform on gameday.
That changed Thursday night as cheer coordinator Chato Waters announced that all 40 would be gameday performers — a first for the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders.
Preliminary auditions were held Sunday at the Georgia World Congress Center as 237 rookie hopefuls came out. The first cut put the group at 126, and then the final 40 rookie candidates were named after another round of cuts.
Those 40 combined with about 20 veterans Thursday night for final auditions as both groups were on even ground. Many of the judges Thursday night weren't aware of which ladies were veterans and which were rookies.
After about 60 finalists performed a learned routine in pairs, the judges left the room to decide on the team.
After about 20 minutes of deliberation, the 2011 team was revealed.
The names of the 2011 Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders are below, in reference to the photo above. To see the photo larger, click here:
Front row (from left to right): Brandy, Natalie, Sabrina, Denita, Margaret, Shamea, Candice, Zorah, Shauna, Brittney.
Second row (from left to right): Kelsi, Elizabeth, Natalie, Sara, Susanna, Melissa, Amanda, Natalie, Lindsey.
Third row (from left to right): Maria, Katharine, Jordan, Jennifer, Tamara, Kristy, Brittany, Cindy, Ariel, Kadija.
Fourth row (from left to right): Alicia, Emily, Erin, Alice, Jamie, Jonna, Reneau, Naiz, Avis, Heather, Kelly.
Related Links
