The Cincinnati Enquirer once again is offering a new weekly feature recognizing the accomplishments of cheerleaders, dance team members and their squads: The Spirit Award.
Much like the popular athlete of the week voting, school fans and friends voted on two weekly ballots (individual and team) for The Spirit Award. Only coaches can provide nominations each week, either for their squads or other teams.
Eligible are varsity girls and boys cheerleaders and dancers who exemplify the fruits of the spirit ‒ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control – while uplifting their squads, the student body and others. Team nominations focus on squads that come together to help each other, work hard, do things right that week, show outstanding virtues when dealing with or serving others, exceed expectations to prepare something special for the school or take part in any other honorable reason they might be acknowledged.
This week's Spirit Award winners are:
The senior cheerleader has been named one of the squad's dance leaders for this season. Over the past four years, Skylar has grown tremendously ‒ not only as a cheerleader, but also as a teammate and leader. This senior year, she has really stepped up, showing more confidence, taking on additional responsibilities, and being willing to try new skills.

#weekly #cheerleaders

When the Arizona State women's basketball program hired viral head coach Molly Miller, who went 117-38 (.760) at Grand Canyon prior to ASU, to take over the Sun Devils, the team was expected to make a turnaround.
But no one could have imagined how quickly that turnaround came.
Miller took a program that was 53-88 and 17-65 in conference play over the past two seasons and turned it into a 24-11 team with an NCAA Tournament berth. On Thursday night, Arizona State rewarded Miller with a new contract that will keep her in Tempe for the foreseeable future.
The program announced its plan to keep "Molly's Momentum" rolling after a historic year.
MORE: ASU cheerleaders greet Molly Miller, new Sun Devils women's basketball coach

#miller #devils #Basketball

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) - The Odessa Bronchos are just one week away from kicking off the 2026 football season, and the Broncho faithful gathered Thursday evening at Odessa High School for a West Texas tradition.
The annual Watermelon Feed gave the community its first look at the 2026 football team, along with the cheerleaders, dance team, and trainers.
Fans were also treated to several performances before enjoying plenty of watermelon, officially marking the beginning of another football season in Odessa.
"It's just a great showcase and a great time to get community out here and just get the year kicked off," Odessa High principal Hector Limon said.
For the players, the event was also a chance to celebrate the growth of the Bronchos' program and the culture being built inside the locker room.

#bronchos #watermelon #community

The Baltimore Ravens and USAA gave 100 Baltimore-area service members an opportunity to experience training camp from a different perspective Thursday. Military members from Fort Meade visited the Ravens' training facility for a day of competition featuring drills similar to those NFL coaches use to evaluate players.
Former Ravens punter Sam Koch, the Ravens Cheerleaders and Poe welcomed the participants before the competition began. Service members then tested their athletic abilities in the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet and quarterback arm challenge. A live leaderboard tracked individual scores throughout the event, adding another competitive element to the experience. Each member of the winning team received tickets to this season's Ravens Salute to Service game presented by USAA.
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Participants also received an exclusive tour of the Ravens' practice facility, commonly known as The Castle, following the competition.
The event offered local military members a behind-the-scenes look at an NFL training environment and allowed them to experience some of the physical tests players undergo during the pre-draft and roster evaluation process.

#members

Solange Knowles has paid a heartfelt tribute to her former co-star, Hayden Panettiere.
On Sunday, the Heroes actress was found unresponsive at an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina and was ****** ounced dead at the scene. She was 36.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, Solange posted a snap of herself and Hayden on the set of their 2006 teen comedy, Bring It On: All or Nothing, in which they played high school cheerleaders.
"Rest in peace Hayden. In peace, because you are so deserving of it," she wrote in the caption. "We had so many parallels in our lives, and the world watched u so courageously live in your radical truth telling your story (sic). We watched your endless quest for vulnerability, and healing."
Singer-actress Solange went on to share several more stills of Hayden in the movie.
"I salute your journey and i honor the work we created together that became something that really means something to people... reaching people we couldn't have ever imagined at the time, as two young girls, trying to keep looking to the light," the 40-year-old mused. "The light surrounds you now. Rest easy Hayden."

#hayden

Aug. 8—CHAMPAIGN — Stepping into the role of head cheerleading coach at the University of Illinois represents a homecoming for MaKayla Gayler, alongside a continuation of a lifelong love for her sport.
"Lifelong" is no exaggeration here. Gayler says there are baby photos of her in a cheerleading outfit.
"I have a long line of cheerleaders in my family," Gayler said. "So it's definitely a full-circle moment."
Of course, she wasn't performing on the sideline as an infant. Gayler's actual cheerleading career began at the ripe age of 5.
She started with Oakwood Youth Football Cheerleading and continued to stick with cheering at each school she attended in the Oakwood school district, all the way through high school graduation.

#lifelong #champaign #stepping #illinois

CANTON − Football lovers were hungry and fanatical as Sugardale Fan Fest kicked off at Stadium Park on Aug. 5 during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival.
Outrageously attired NFL fans represented their favorite teams. Cheerleaders for the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers were on hand, both squads in town for the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. And foodies were in heaven at the new ticketed USA Today Great American Tailgate event.
The Great American Tailgate features 32 food samples representing each of the 32 NFL franchises. Cheesesteaks, street corn, burgers, hot dogs, barbecue pork and mac and cheese were among the tempting eats, often jazzed up beyond the traditional version.
Mark Heise, 60, of Venice, Florida, came to Canton both for the Great American Tailgate and to see Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame at a ceremony Aug. 8.
His son, Austin Heise, 34, of Venice, Florida, said Fitzgerald is elite.

#fame #great #american #cardinals

Ian Poulter was one of the first players to jump ship from the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour in order to join LIV Golf way back in 2022.
Poulter, now 50, is still yet to win on LIV Golf, but it's fair to say that the Englishman has been one of their biggest cheerleaders over the past few years.
However, he faces an uncertain future on LIV Golf, with no guarantees that the league will even be around beyond the end of the current season.
That's because back in April, PIF announced that they would no longer be funding LIV Golf.
So, if LIV Golf does indeed fold, could Poulter head back to the DP World Tour?

#golf #poulter #World

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader rookie Emily Awbrey has given fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse of how she covers her hand tattoo
It was revealed this week that Awbrey was among the "comeback girls" to make the 2026-27 team after being cut the previous year
She shared a step-by-step guide on Instagram of how she covers her inking, given that cheerleaders aren't allowed to have even the smallest tattoos "visible in the uniform or in rehearsal attire," per the DCC website
America's Sweethearts star Emily Awbrey is giving fans a glimpse of how she completes her Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders look.
PEOPLE reported on Thursday, July 16, that Awbrey was among the "comeback girls" to make the 2026-27 team after being cut the previous year.

Five, six, seven, eight... America's Sweethearts are back.
Season three of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders (DCC) docuseries has dropped on Netflix and this time the stakes – and kicks – are higher than ever.
The programme has turned the squad, who drum up support for the American football team, into celebrities in their own right thanks to its mix of viral moments and drama.
BBC Newsbeat caught up with breakout stars Kleine Powell and Megan McElaney to find out what the increased attention has meant for them.
The latest America's Sweethearts picks up with the cheerleading squad after previous seasons have aired and shows them dealing with their new-found fame.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' signature hairstyle has long been loose, voluminous hair worn down, even during performances
Some cheerleaders, like Kally Bethea and Faith Ward, have broken tradition to embrace their individuality
Armani Latimer changed up her look to raise awareness for people with alopecia
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders hairstyle is almost as iconic as their blue-and-white uniforms.
For decades, squad members have been required to wear their hair down "in a current style" that complements their features and doesn't hide their faces, per the official rules. A third-year veteran named Melissa told PEOPLE in 2016 that it's often a huge switch-up for girls who were used to performing with their manes pulled back.

The Ravens are taking training camp on the road this summer.
The team announced Thursday that it will hold an open training camp practice at the University of Maryland's SECU Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 1, at 11 a.m. The free event will give fans from across the region a chance to watch the Ravens prepare for the upcoming season while also marking several important milestones for the organization.
The practice will be the first NFL practice ever held at SECU Stadium, home of the Maryland Terrapins, and it will serve as the Ravens' first official fan engagement event in Prince George's County.
"We are excited to bring training camp to the University of Maryland and expand our connection with Ravens fans in Prince George's County," Ravens President Sashi Brown said. "This unique collaboration deepens our roots throughout Maryland, while allowing our team to practice at one of the nation's best collegiate athletic facilities."
Fans attending the event will have more than just football to enjoy. The Ravens will host a post-practice autograph session for children ages 6-12, along with interactive activities, fan experiences, appearances by the Ravens Cheerleaders, and performances from the Marching Ravens. Concession stands will be open, and parking will be available on campus for $10 per vehicle.

Dallas Cowboys cheerleader Faith Ward is opening up about her social media past and the backlash she faced before joining the team.
In a new interview with Us Weekly, the breakout star of Netflix's America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders had a tough conversation with DCC director Kelli Finglass about "unflattering pictures" she was tagged in when she was a teenager, a moment she said was "tough" to watch back.
"It was hard to watch, I'm not going to lie," Ward told the outlet on Tuesday, June 23. "In the moment, I was just, like, fight or flight. I was like, 'Oh, my goodness, this is my dream and I don't want it to be taken from me from something that I know I've grown so much from.'"
The pictures in question saw Ward partying with a friend, with one photo captioned: "Us after 1 sip of a vodka redbull," while another sees the then-18-year-old cheerleader attempting to drink from a vodka bottle.
When asked about the photos, the 23-year-old New Zealand native attributed them to being young, telling the outlet she's "grown a lot" since then.

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The scene at the AI party right now is a confusing one. At the same moment the industry's loudest cheerleaders are insisting that the night is still young, some of the more influential partygoers are heading for the exits or have already left.

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