Cheerleaders

On any given weekend, you'll see some gymnastics late at night at downtown Baltimore's Power Plant Live. The over-intoxicated kind. The running from someone yucky who's hitting on you kind. But this weekend, it was the real kind as the Ravens cheerleaders surprised the late-night bar crowd with a performance. It was actually a flash mob -- planned in complete surprise -- with one cheerleader after another joining the show as folks finally figured out what was happening.

On any given weekend, you'll see some gymnastics late at night at downtown Baltimore's Power Plant Live. The over-intoxicated kind. The running from someone yucky who's hitting on you kind. But this weekend, it was the real kind as the Ravens cheerleaders surprised the late-night bar crowd with a performance. It was actually a flash mob -- planned in complete surprise -- with one cheerleader after another joining the show as folks finally figured out what was happening.

We haven't done a caption contest in a while, but we have a perfect storm for one this Halloween. The Ravens cheerleaders on Sunday continued their annual tradition of wearing Halloween costumes at M&T Bank Stadium , though I am sad to report that none were dressed up as a hot dog this year ( I'm sure I deserve most of the blame for that ). And we just received tickets to watch Mark Turgeon and his new-look Maryland men's basketball team play Notre Dame at the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center on Sunday, December 4, 2011.

The investment banker, the lumber salesman, the kindergarten teacher and the meteorologist all came out Saturday for the Baltimore Ravens' cheerleading tryouts for one reason: the right to bear pompoms. Kristie Tapper of Stevensville — the mother of 1-year-old twins — was one of the roughly 250 men and women who turned out for the open tryouts on the basketball court of Merritt Downtown Athletic Club in Mount Vernon for one of the 60 coveted sideline spots. Tapper and the other hopefuls practiced their eight-count dance steps while En Vogue's "Free Your Mind" played over the booming speakers.

Here's a vision of your vacation: Cheerleaders. In swimsuits. The Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders and 98Rock are teaming up again this year for the Spring Fling trip to the Grand Bahama Islands . Fans can join the station's talent and staff, along with the Ravens squad of cheerleaders, at the Grand Lucayan Resort, April 8-15. In addition to sun, fun, beaches and entertainment from 98Rock live broadcasts, fans will also be able to watch as the Ravens cheerleaders pose for photos that will be used in their 2012-2013 Swimsuit Calendar.

Cheerleaders from Atholton and Oakland Mills high schools in east Columbia won top prizes in a regional cheerleading contest last month and were invited to compete for a national title in February, school officials said yesterday.At the competition held Nov. 23 at Atholton High, Atholton's junior varsity team won a first-place award for the second year in a row, and its varsity team took a second-place award, said Scott Elliott of the Universal Cheerleading Association, which sponsored the event.

Boston. -- To understand this story you have to know what high school football means to small-town Texas. Which is to say, dang near everything.To understand this story you have to know that the only female place in the football firmament is as a cheerleader. It also helps to know how seriously the Lone Star State takes cheerleading. In 1991 one mother tried to increase her daughter's chances of making the squad by hiring a hit man to bump off a competitor's mother. You get the idea.With that background then, we arrive at Hempstead, Texas, where things are not going very well.

THE SENIOR Competition Squad of the Andover Apache Cheerleading Team has a lot to cheer about. Its members - children in grades five to eight - returned from the recent Cheer Power National Championship in Galveston, Texas, as Junior Recreational National Champions. They brought home the National First Place Award trophy and a second trophy for the team that traveled farthest to take part in the event. In addition, the team was awarded a plaque for the "Nation's Best Choreography," for a routine that was scored against all teams in attendance - both recreational and high school levels.

No, it wasn't a mirage or a strange dream.That really was South Carroll's 6-foot, 220-pound defensive lineman Josh Swisher in a cheerleading uniform Tuesday night at Westminster, going through the chants and doing the stunts with the other 17 Cavaliers varsity cheerleaders.Swisher was the first boy to come out for cheerleading in the 28-year history of South Carroll when he signed up for the winter season last November, after his junior football campaign."I like to be different," said Swisher.

There is a Ravens pennant on her porch and a Ravens doll on her front door. But what's in Rosemary Baldwin's heart? Baldwin is a former Colts cheerleader. For 13 years she rooted them on from the sidelines, in rain and snow and boot-sucking mud. At 66, she remembers the jumps, shouts and kicks that trumpeted Baltimore to NFL championships in 1958 and '59. Her faded Colts outfit lies, folded carefully, in a cedar chest in her home in Federal Hill. Hence her conflict this afternoon when the Ravens host Indianapolis in an AFC divisional playoff game.

C. Milton Wright won the varsity division of the Harford County Winter Cheerleading Championships Tuesday night at Harford Tech High School. When the clapping, flipping and routines were done, the Mustangs had compiled a score of 132.85 to best runnerup Harford Tech's 127.45. Bel Air was third with 125.35. All three advance to regional competition scheduled for next week. Rounding out the varsity scores were Patterson Mill, 119.20; Aberdeen, 117.90; Fallston, 115.30; Havre de Grace, 90.30; North Harford, 74.60; Edgewood, 74.05; and Joppatowne, 68.30.

One of the promotions at 1st Mariner Arena this season involves the Blast's cheerleaders passing out free Snickers bars after every goal for the home team. The cheerleaders were busy Wednesday night, and the announced crowd of 2,316 left filled up as the Blast dominated the overmatched Norfolk SharX, 26-4, in a rare mid-week game. The win clinches home-field advantage for the Blast (14-4) in the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern Division final with six games remaining in the regular season.

Here's a vision of your vacation: Cheerleaders. In swimsuits. The Baltimore Ravens Cheerleaders and 98Rock are teaming up again this year for the Spring Fling trip to the Grand Bahama Islands . Fans can join the station's talent and staff, along with the Ravens squad of cheerleaders, at the Grand Lucayan Resort, April 8-15. In addition to sun, fun, beaches and entertainment from 98Rock live broadcasts, fans will also be able to watch as the Ravens cheerleaders pose for photos that will be used in their 2012-2013 Swimsuit Calendar.

Cheerleading County championship: 1. Howard, 133 points; 2. Glenelg, 117.05; 3. Marriotts Ridge, 114.2; 4. Long Reach, 112.9; 5. River Hill, 111.45; 6. Atholton, 105.6; 7. Mt. Hebron, 100.5; 8. Oakland Mills, 99.45; 9. Hammond, 87.75; 10. Reservoir, 81.75; 11. Centennial, 77.65; 12. Wilde Lake, 76.95. Cross country 2A South Region (Oakland Mills High School, Nov. 3) Girls team results: 1. Calvert, 52 points; 2. Glenelg, 54; 3. Oakland Mills, 66; 4. Marriotts Ridge, 92. Girls individual results: 1. Tiffany Lang, OM, 19:25; 2. Julia Nardone, G, 19:55; 5. Alyssa Hemler, OM, 20:30; 6. Caragh MacDermott, G, 20:37; 8. Lanie Swanhart, G, 21:15; 9. Jacquelin Berges, MR, 21:16; 11. Abigail Whiting, MR, 21:20; 14. Shamere Law, OM, 21:48; 17. Julianna Boswell, G, 21:59; 19. Mackenzie Snyder, OM, 22:04.

Pictures of Ravens cheerleaders dressed in Halloween costumes during the Ravens home game against Buffalo on Sunday, October 24, in Baltimore. Welcome to our new mobile site! Here's a quick tour: • Find things to do: 10 Spot picks happening soon are highlighted at the top of the site. • Your second screen: Keep up with boob tube buzz while you watch on the TV Lust blog. • Food and drink tips: Check the Eats section for dinner and drink ideas.

We haven't done a caption contest in a while, but we have a perfect storm for one this Halloween. The Ravens cheerleaders on Sunday continued their annual tradition of wearing Halloween costumes at M&T Bank Stadium , though I am sad to report that none were dressed up as a hot dog this year ( I'm sure I deserve most of the blame for that ). And we just received tickets to watch Mark Turgeon and his new-look Maryland men's basketball team play Notre Dame at the BB&T Classic at Verizon Center on Sunday, December 4, 2011.

When professional football comes to Memorial Stadium tonight for the first time in nearly a decade, Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints won't be the only ones breaking a sweat.Members of Maryland's official state cheerleading squad, most of whom come from Anne Arundel County, will be yelling, chanting, split-jumping, balancing atop pyramids, tumbling through the air -- and hoping their enthusiasm is catching.L It might look like a breeze, but it's not all fun and games."Cheerleading to me is harder than football," said Ken Martin, a 25-year-old former high school defensive tackle who founded and directs the squad.

FIFTY-SIX young Ellicott City and Elkridge cheerleaders made their Camden Yards debut last week, when they participated in Opening Day festivities.The girls stood beside the long, red carpet and cheered each Baltimore Oriole as he was introduced."

I love cheerleaders almost as much as I love football, and Esquire has an ingenious Monday morning football feature where they ask a cheerleader for the skinny on the team she waves her pompoms for every Sunday. This week it was veteran Ravens cheerleader Courtney L., who in my opinion is the squad's star performer. But my fiancée sometimes reads this blog, so I should probably digress here. In case you are wondering -- and I know you are -- the Ravens have done enough in the first six weeks of the NFL season to convince Courtney that the team is going to the playoffs this winter . A Super Bowl might be in their future, as well.

"Game on, cancer!" With those words, Katie White and her fellow Manchester Valley High School teammates took to the volleyball court Oct. 12 to fight not only their opponents from Brunswick, but cancer - in all its many forms. Fighting cancer has become a personal mission for the team. During the squad's first season three years ago - Manchester Valley had just opened - White's mother, Cheryl, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The team banded together and with the help of coach Mindy Unger, organized the first Serve Up a Cure fundraiser.