Jess14

I could see Stephanie being in the triangle. I've never really noticed Heather, but maybe they would move her way up. There's always Jinelle if she returns..... Congrats to Cersten!!

Robin, Jenna, Maggie....if Cersten and Lacey join them in retiring....eek! I keep reading about the type of girls that they need to pick this year, but I’ll just focus on the type of dancers that they need...power dancers! They keep losing them and not replacing them. If they have another rookie class like this year’s group, then the 2018-2019 team may be rough. I do think some of the current rookies have a lot of potential, so hopefully they will improve as well.

Two or three girls exited the stage just prior to the kick line at the performance. I wonder if it was a spacing issue or an injury issue.

I feel for her if the engagement has ended. I can’t imagine how it must feel to tell everyone you’re engaged, start planning and picking out stuff, and then poof, it’s over. However, better to find out now than down the road if it’s not gonna work out. Ending an engagement is easier than divorce! On a purely DCC related note, Simone has had a lot of injuries right? If so, i can see her retiring for that reason as well.

It actually wouldn’t surprise me if what Jenna described as coming from K&J, “we think you have more to give” type comversations happen frequently with more senior vets and the most talented dancers. I would think this would be especially true in years with either a large exodus of vets or years where a lot of show group and more senior vets are retiring (like last year). Now, I doubt they ever beg anyone, but a simple nudge to return if someone is on the fence, i can definitely see. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kashara and Lacey got similar comments this year. The current was already weak compared to prior years, so they need to try and keep all the stronger dancers that they can.

I definitely think Amy will be a group leader. As for the triangle, I would assume it would be Kashara with Lacey and Cersten on each side if all 3 return. That was the formation at the HOF game. If either Lacey or Cersten (or both retire), I could see Amy in the triangle, especially if Robyn also retires. Not a ton of choices at that point.

Anyone know if Lacey (ex-Rams cheerleader) plans to try out again? I really liked her.

Rethinking this, I would probably swap Gina with Amy. I forgot about Gina, but i do think that she is one of the top 10 dancers. She would be another one who, IMO, is a top dancer on the team but not the total DCC package, for a variety of reasons.

Agreed. Liking someone or thinking they’re the total DCC is totally different than being the best dancer. If the response to “i think [insert dancer] is the best on the team”, is “no she’s not, she’s a brat,” then that’s not really refuting anything about said dancer’s dancing ability. Granted, i think they go hand in hand to an extent. I think it’s impossible to be a total DCC without being one of the top dancers on the team, yet one can be a top dancer without being the total package. For example, I don’t think Maddie really has the look to be the total package, but I’m sure many would put her as one of the top dancers on the team (not me, but i think you can make an argument for her). Top Ten in no particular order from the current team would be IMO: Lacey, Robin, Jenna, Cersten, Kelli, Stephanie, Kashara, Jinelle, Maggie, Amy. I didn’t add any rookies because I didn’t find any of them to be true standouts in the videos that I’ve seen. For the record, i find this group of ten much weaker than the previous year when i would’ve listed Jenna, Erica, Melissa, Holly, Megan C, Amy T, Jenn K, Jessica, Lacey, Cersten as top 10.

I’m a huge fan of Cersten’s dancing. I think she can make a legit claim to being the best dancer on the team, but I agree regarding the clip above. It was just too much IMO.

Caila’s dancing is so heavy IMO. To be clear, I’m not referring to her weight (i think she has a great, womanly figure) but nothing comes off as light or easy when she dances.

I could definitely see Kashara getting VOTY, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Jinelle get it. I know Jenn K did not get it last year, but everything that Jenn K got her last year was expected. It made sense for her to be point because she had been in the triangle the prior when no one else returning had been. Likewise, she was already a group leader whereas Jenna, Danielle, and Jessica had all been 2nd group leaders the year before. With Kashara, she really did step up and take on a lot of new responsibilities in ways that were not expected when training camp started. While I agree with the comment upthread that Kashara is Kelli's favorite (and lord knows that I thought that she was shoved down my throat this past year, though my annoyance was not aimed at her personally), if social media is accurate, Kashara is very well-liked by her teammates. I don't think it's strange that she would win a team vote if that is how VOTY is decided. She already won ROTY her first year.

All of the group leaders went to DC for the Smithsonian event, so it would've made no sense for Jenna not to be there. As for point at camp, the video that I saw was a small group dance with her at point and Kashara to the right (there may have been other videos, but I did not see them). It's possible that they all rotated in the formation for multiple dances. Definitely unfortunate that Jenna had a rough final year though. Her dancing is absolutely worthy of point.

This! I think this is also why I'm not as swayed by the "she's so mature," and "she's a great ambassador," arguments for girls who aren't great dancers. One, how do I really know how any of these people act on a day-to-day basis. Two, at the end of the day, it's a dance team. That's what I care about the most, and if I had to cut someone, it would be Savannah. I don't think I've seen her in one dance where she stood out in a good way. I typically either don't notice her or thinks she chasing the counts. She is definitely beautiful and speaks well, but again, it's a dance team, and she's doesn't seem to have the power for the DCC style.

Good point about Christina, although in Brennan's case, she made it it very far in training camp in consecutive seasons. Christina got cut at finals multiple times and then wasn't close to making it when she was in training camp. On one hand, that should make Brennan's case stronger to make the team. However, it's almost worse. You can't really say that she ever got lost in the crowd or was injured. They just kept finding reasons not to take her at the end. I didn't even care for Brennan that much last year, but I do think she was stronger than other rookies who made it this year. The fact that 2 girls didn't even make it through the season has to make it sting that much more (I know Kalyssa quit as well, but she at least made it through the NFL season). I hope moves on to another team or just settles in to her career and grows there.

On a different note, Cersten looks really beautiful, especially in that first pic. I prefer her hair like that.

While many of the best dancers IMO were already gone from the 3 years group (Megan C, Amy T, Holly, Claire), it’s interesting that only 2 out of what was a pretty large rookie class will make it to the 4th year. Now, I’m not shocked. I actually think I mentioned a while ago that I wouldn’t be surprised to see a large exodus of 3 year girls because many of them seem to getting into their mid-20s, when the need to transition into a long term career starts to become necessary. Maybe Lacey will return. After Erica and Holly’s departures, i would’ve said Jenna, Cersten, Lacey, Robin, Kashara were the top dancers/performers with Stephanie, Maggie, and Kelli being the next tier. The bulk of that group is leaving after they already lost a really strong group of dancers (that weren’t replaced by rookies) last season.

Yay! It’s kind of sad though how the show is literally the exact same thing year after year down to the quotes (“this is one of the strongest groups we’ve had,” and “i came up with a system...... yes, no, maybe”), and yet, I am totally addicted to it.

Agreed. I don’t think there’s any comparison between Hannah and Allie and Keyra/Rachel/Amy T. Hannah was soft in the mid-section. I liked Hannah and thought she was one of the best dancers from her class, but she was out of shape compared to her rookie season, and it was clear as can be. Allie is boxy, not curvy which is a big difference, and she appeared to have gained a few pounds between her first and second year. Keyra, Rachel, and Amy are all curvy, and while each can look a bit bigger than the other girls at times, they’re not soft IMO. I do think Keyra has to be careful though. She’s short, so if she even gains a few pounds, it will likely be visible.

Yeah, I think the answer is that K&J think Kashara’s good qualities outweigh low-ish kicks or periodic weight issues, assuming they think that those are problem areas for her. As mentioned earlier, lots of girls on the team fall short of the ideal in some aspect or another and make it back year after year. So while I absolutely think Kashara is a a Kelli favorite who could get away with things that other girls couldn’t, I think they overlook issues with many girls on the team. It’s not something isolated to her.

I haven’t noticed her kicks being low, but it’s possible that she has been called out for that, and it just has not made it on to the show. I think a poster stated in the summer that she’s had weight warnings multiple times, and we haven’t seen that. Hannah and Angela also did, but we only heard about it in passing on the show. So, unless there is a major issue with a veteran, I think it’s is unlikely to get aired because 1) the show focuses on the rookies and 2) it only goes to the start of the season.

I actually don’t mind the middle part on Jenna, and I generally hate middle parts. Rodeo pic. Looks like only a small portion of the team performed/attended officially. This is funny because I think my only rodeo experience was as a kid, and I distinctly remember (basically the only thing I remeber) a cowboy getting thrown off his horse...hard!

I can see both sides of this. On one hand, it seems easy enough to excuse the girls who have a problem with rodeos from performing at this one event, especially since I doubt the entire squad performed. On the other, it’s up to employees to do their due diligence before they accept jobs. This is Texas, Jerry Jones is the owner, and the team is called the Cowboys. I dont think it’s a shock that the team would be involved with a rodeo. Every job is not a fit, culturally or otherwise for every person, and it’s not up to employers to make it a fit for every person. Sometimes the best option is just to go elsewhere for work.

If this was a required event, Im sure that they could decline to attend, but I also wouldn't be surprised if declining hurt their standing on the team or even resulted in termination. I also think that being forced to participate in religions events/prayers (if that has occurred) and being forced to attend a rodeo (if that is what happened) are different. They may both be genuinely abhorrent to the cheerleader, but one is potentially unlawful, the other is not.

Kalyssa had a job during training camp, didn’t she? I think she’s the one who was talking about how exhausted it was to get home so late and then have to go to work early in the morning. So she seems like she at least has some work experience beyond dance and is willing to do the 9-5 job if necessary. I kind of agree with a poster upthread, Kalyssa seems like a hustler - someone who knows how to get noticed and make connections and whos is not afraid to leave when the time is right. I obviously don’t know her, but from what I’ve seen, i dont really see her as being someone will be lost without DCC. Then, if the modeling doesn't work, she seems like they type who will quickly move on to the next thing.