Jess14

And therein lies Exhibit 55 for why K&J have no credibility. So fraternization is cool if it’s a serious relationship? Pretty much every relationship goes through phases, so basically, you just need to not get caught when you’re in the early, casual phase, I guess. Now, I get why the state of the relationship makes a difference from the cheerleader’s perspective - you may be more willing to continue with a relationship and risk getting caught if you think the relationship is going somewhere, as opposed to a casual fling. That makes sense, but it should make no difference from the director’s perspective though.

I get if it’s an infraction in the contract. Ultimately no one forces them to sign those contracts, but I still have an issue with the “you can stay on the team for now, but if it leaks (even though you have no control over that at this point), you’re gone.” That is what was suggested on the boards - that they removed her from leadership positions because they would’ve cut her if it became public, and it would’ve been easier to cut her if she wasn’t a group leader. That just seems cheap to me, and to the extent that it did come to pass, would’ve made them look worse if there was some huge public fallout (which I doubt there would’ve been honestly; she’s a NFL cheerleader, not Meghan Markle, and those sort of leaked pics don’t have the same novelty that they once had, since its happened to so many people and because revenge porn is now widely recognized as being a crime). I don’t know, that would be like having knowledge that there is a video of a cheerleader making racial slurs, but only cutting her when it becomes public. That’s problematic, to say the least. Now, if removing her from leadership positions was the punishment for a contract violation, and it had no relation to any possible publicity of the pictures, that’s different. I still think that’s a slippery slope to be standing on, but I have less of an issue with that.

I never had an issue with Brooke, but from what I remember from years past, I think she was discussed as one of the “mean girls” and “party girls” who basically got away with everything.

Sure, but that’s the same type of dilemma facing every company, team, store, school, etc in the country. People will also be upset if one day there is a news story saying that “5 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Test Positive for the Coronavirus During Training Camp.” It’s not an easy decision, and ultimately, I’ll be happy for the rookies who make the team, and I hope they have a great year with no issues. I’ll also definitely be happy to have another season of Making the Team to watch in the fall. However, they are taking a risk, and if things go badly, they’ll have to take responsibility for it.

Yep. And even for in-person practices, there are certainly efforts that they can take to cut down on transmission - outdoor practices, mask usage while indoors, minimal (if any) usage of the locker room, no kick line, etc. Hopefully, they will take those steps and not just pretend like it’s business as usual.

I get what you’re saying. If they’re going to move forward as if we’re in normal times, then of course, if people choose to move to Dallas, then that is their choice. However, I think what people are saying is that, these are not normal times - outside of having a tv show, there was no need to bring in even more new girls from all over the country to Dallas in the middle of a global pandemic. Texas has one of the worst outbreaks in the United States right now, and with the way things are going, there may not even be a season. Even if there is, the stadium will almost certainly be nowhere near seating capacity. I know there are plenty of companies and law firms that have just extended permanent offers to those students who were supposed to be interns/summer associates, because those companies determined that it was too dangerous to bring them in for the summer. So, lots of places are making alternate moves this year. The DCCs can do what they want, and they’re not forcing any TCC to do anything, but they certainly do not have to bring in a huge group of TCCs just to have a team. That’s a choice they’re making.

I hesitate to ask this question, as I feel like the Jenna/Holly think has been beaten to death over and over again, but I’m curious if the issue is that other people were cut for infractions or that fraternization should be a fireable offense. I get the inconsistency issues. That’s problematic, but ultimately, Jenna and Holly were both punished. Holly chose to quit. Jenna didn’t get to go to HOF game and lost point, and it was obvious that both things meant a lot to her, and then Kelli made it clear, IMO, that she couldn’t stand her anymore. Hell, the situation seemed uncomfortable to me from my sofa, so I can’t imagine what it was like to be there. Thus, if the goal is to deter similar behavior, I can’t imagine any DCC or TCC watching that and deciding that it’s a good idea to fraternize with players or to not say something about someone else doing it. So, mission accomplished on that end. If it’s just about punishment, any suggestions about putting Jenna in the back of the formation and removing her as group leader or show group don’t make much sense for the team. One, she probably would have quit in that case. But two, she was still one of the best dancers on the team and the only returning group leader. Workplaces (whether cheerleading or white collar jobs) value experience for a reason. Gratuitous humiliation, which IMO stripping her of all of her positions and treating her like a rookie would have been, doesn’t serve any purpose other than breeding resentment. The Heather situation is a bit different to me. From how it was reported here, the bigger concern was more so that it would become public, as opposed to the underlying offense. If true, that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. However, the fact that Heather returned for another year makes me think that there must be more to it. It seems like there would be few things worse than knowing that your coach will not have your back and will throw you under the bus if something about you (a crime against you at that) becomes public. Seems like it would’ve been a very uncomfortable year.

I think people in college use social media differently. I’ve had a Facebook account since I was college (back when it was only open to college kids). It really was used as a way to build a network of friends and connect with other people/students, so it would make no sense (at that age) to control your page to such an extent that no one can find it. Having “friends” on Facebook who you don’t necessarily hang out with regularly was kind of the point of it. I think the same rationale still applies to Instagram, which is more popular among Gen Z than Facebook. They just need to be careful about what they post. I don’t think expecting them to lock down their social media accounts so no one can’t find them is realistic.

Yeah, seems like it would’ve made much more sense to keep the vets who wanted to return and leave it at that. If anything, reaching out to vets who have recently retired and are still in the area to gauge interest in returning for one year would make more sense if they just wanted to have a certain amount of girls. That way, there’s no need to teach 50 dances to a bunch of new girls, and you already know everyone’s personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, so you could easily make groups and isolate each group from the others. This definitely seems to be about the show. Of course, I’ll be watching, but I would watch even if they just followed the existing team while they navigate covid-19. I just hope no one ends up getting sick. Im not optimistic though, given that covid-19 is spreading among pro and college athletes, who I’m sure are at a higher priority than just about anyone else.

As for the rookies who would’ve been cut, I think Christina and Savannah owe their spots to Holly and Erica. The other potential person who may have been cut was Keyra, IMO - not due to dance. She was clearly one of the best dancers from that group, but Kelli didn’t like her body and was looking for a reason to cut her. I could’ve easily seen Kelli coming up with some BS reason to keep Savannah (who still chases the choreography) over Keyra.

"Expects to be featured" is not a direct quote. It's possible that she just said that she would be on Making The Team, which focuses on training camp candidates (of which she is), and the paper chose to phrase it that way. She may well be arrogant, but I don't read too much into that comment. She needs to be careful with media however. She certainly doesn't want to make herself a target early on.

Season 7. Jasmine, Jacie, Jessica, Jenna, Carissa, Kelly, Kim, Carla, Sintia (I’m sure I spelled that wrong). That was also the year that the TCC group was arguably the strongest. I think that’s the one time where Kelli has actually made that comment in real time, in front of everyone (“this is the best rookie class we’ve had in a long time”). Every other time she’s said it, it feels like she’s trying to convince the television audience, or she or Judy is trying to let a girl down gently (“any other year, you might be ok” - yeah, right lol).

Honestly, I thought that for a second lol. However, Shelly said that they danced together in high school, so maybe I just thought that she was referring to dancing at LSU with all of the girls, when she may have just meant that she had danced with all of them at some point in the past. I’ll have to rewatch it closely when that season comes back around on pluto.

Yuko’s issue was that she didn’t have the right type of visa to work in the US, right? Honestly, navigating visas can be difficult, so I give her a bit of a break on that. However, the fact that they pick and choose when to give girls a pass is the problem, as was the fact that Yuko was also struggling with dance while she was allowed to miss multiple practices. There was no reason to give her so much leeway. I will say that she’s not the only struggler, not by a long shot. I remember a few dance clips where she was outdancing Savannah.

Yes, probably all online or a mix of online courses and in-person courses that they can transfer. This may have changed since my college days, but lots of students took courses at the local community college during the summer (or semester) and were able to transfer them. This could only be done before a student got into their upper level degree-specific courses, but I assume that it would be an option for a TCC/DCC. They may also just be taking a year off.

Many of us in the US also don’t agree with that mentality, but that’s basically where we’re at lol. Many of the people who were so eager to open everything back up are the same ones who refuse to wear masks, so it’s a bit infuriating. However, a big part of it is that the coronavirus has thus far, disproportionately affected certain areas of the country and certain demographics. Many people don’t know anyone who has been infected or died. so that is, IMO, a big factor.

I think Heather is lovely, but I don’t think she should’ve been anywhere near point. However, I think she got screwed by not being a leader or group leader 2 years ago. That was wrong. A triangle of any 3 of Gina, Bridget, Ashlee, Amber, Caroline, Alanna, Rachel W, Hannah, or Daphne would’ve been far superior to what we got last year. I never remember thinking that in the past. I’ve disagreed with the point girl in many years, but I never remember thinking that ALL of the girls in the triangle should’ve been replaced. Yeah. VK doesn’t even belong in the same sentence with Jenna when it comes to dance. Dance-aside though, Jenna’s issues seemed to develop her last couple of years. Seemed to be more of an issue of being a favorite and a senior veteran and thinking that the rules no longer applied to her vs a “she’s too young and immature” sort of thing. This is just going by what’s on the boards, but I never remember hearing anything about her being a rule breaker or causing problems before her 5th year, here or on the old boards. Again, not saying that it didn’t happen, but I don’t remember rumors like with Holly, which were mentioned fairly early on.

Yeah, maybe it was North Texas. Regardless, I don’t remember it being LSU, and Khalyn isn’t usually discussed on the boards with the other LSU girls (Jacie, Cersten, Erica, Keyra, Tess). But Kaitlin definitely named Khalyn as being someone that she danced with at LSU. I’m assuming that she didn’t say a Khalyn’s name in error, but who knows!

Was Khalyn a LSU Tiger Girl or Golden Girl? I didn't realize that she went to LSU. I thought she had gone to another Louisiana school, but Kaitlin, the LSU dancer who didn't make it to training camp for unknown reasons said that she danced with several DCCs, and Khalyn was named among them.

Very true. Part of the issue is that “the ones who stayed” used to also be among the best dancers or those who were memorable. So, it made sense that they were group leaders and front and centers. Now, more blenders and middle of the road girls are staying for 3 and 4 years, and for whatever reason, Kelli keeps them upfront. For example, look at Jacie, Kinzie, Jenna, Jessica, and Danielle. They were the last ones standing from their rookie group. Yet, Jacie, Kinzie (I don’t know why she was never featured more), and Jenna were probably Top 5 from their big rookie group, and Danielle was always someone who had other qualities that made her stand out. Jessica was low-key, but she was never a weak dancer. Same with Jenn and Jinelle from the following rookie group (and of course, even while Jinelle was a group leader, she wasn’t put in the front of the main formation)! Melissa, Lacey, and Erica were also the last ones who stayed from their group (and second group leaders their 3rd year), but they were the 3 best dancers from their rookie group. IMO, the team has not recovered from that 2 year span when they lost Megan, Amy T, Jenn, Jenna, Cersten, Danielle, Melissa, Erica, Holly, Claire, Maggie, Stephanie, Jessica, Kalyssa, etc. Some of that is by choice - they haven’t featured the great rookie group from 2018 nearly as much as they should have, and in a team where they need every power dancer they can get, they’ve cut a couple of people who were power dancers (Keyra and Gabby -definitely Keyra, I think I’m remembering Gabby correctly) for non dance reasons. I honestly don’t get the logic, but hopefully this new group is strong.

I think as long as Kelli seems to favor a certain look and certain hair, where girls can whip it around during the choreo, many of the black girls who might otherwise wear their natural curls (and certainly many of them may prefer to straighten their hair as it is), will still show up with weaves, wigs, and straight hair. It’s a job interview like anywhere else. If you’re interviewing at a place where ppl tend dress and present themselves very conservatively, most candidates (of any race) will likely try to match that image and wear straight hair or a bun, etc to the interview. After all, you’re trying to get the job, not make a statement. The black DCC candidates are trying to do the same. Of course, part of the difference is that a regular job, you can change your look and in 2020, most reasonable places are not going to say anything unless you show up with blue hair or something outlandish. With the DCCs, I just think they get pigeonholed into wearing their hair how they came in, and they never really change the black girls’ hairstyles much during makeovers. ETA: I think it’s just a cycle that goes round and round. I actually don’t think Kelli would make a black girl straighten her hair, BUT we all know the look that Kelli likes. Therefore, many girls are going to try and match that look in the first place bc they probably (rightfully) think it will help their chances. And once they’re in, Kelli isn’t going to change their look from something that she definitely likes to something that she may not lol.

I wonder if they will hold more training camp practices outside. There is obviously still a risk of covid-19 transmission outside, but it would lessen the risk to an extent.

Let’s hope that this becomes a reality for teams and society in general, so that the burden isn’t on ppl like Briana to forego dancing on the top dance team in the NFL, but is instead on people like Kelli and Judy and Charlotte and Jerry Jones to do better. Black folks who work for and are involved in some of the top corporations, law firms, media orgs, teams, etc. have rarely had the privilege to just be able to up and quit and go work for the top competitor down the street because it’s the same thing there. You’ll get labeled a “distraction” or “not a fit” if you talk too much about race or dare to step out of the “mainstream.” So, I’m sure the minorities on the team, like millions of people out there, are well accustomed to grinning and bearing it at ignorant nonsense and at internally rolling their eyes at ppl like Charlotte who are now pretending to be all supportive, but we all know that any player, who dared to peacefully protest by taking a knee, would’ve been blackballed just last year. I think people are over it, so hopefully we see some real change this time. I’m curious to see if any of the candidates were asked about this during interviews. If they’re all about current events, not sure how this slips by.

Have the DCCs, Cowboys, or a decent number of the current cheerleaders put out any sort of statement or commented on social media? I’ve seen that some of the former DCCs have done so, but I don’t follow as many of the current ones on social media. However, if they haven’t even done that - just acknowledging what’s going on in society- I wouldn’t expect to see any changes.

Kelli seems selective in how she treats legacies (shocker!). Cassie, Meredith (weight), and Victoria were given tons of leeway, while Dayton and Madeline were not. When she questioned Madeline’s commitment to DCC, last training camp, I thought Madeline’s goose was cooked at that point. Kelli does not hide her dislike for ppl very well.