At the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders Year-End banquet on Saturday night, the Captains for the 2014 squad were announced:
The new Glamour Captain is Saral
And the new Team Captains are Karen
Jacqui
Kaylee
Kristen
and Lauryn
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Meet The 2014 MVC Team Captains
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Photo of the Day – February 20
A Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader
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MVC Training Program Member is ready for this year’s auditions
By Jocelyn Syrstad
Leader-Telegram
March 31, 2014
Last April I decided to try out for the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. I mentioned the idea mainly as a joke — I never thought I had what it took to be on the team — but my youngest sister encouraged me to go to tryouts.
The day was a whirlwind of activity. About 175 women showed up for tryouts for 35 spots on the team. We learned multiple dances in front of a long table of judges and left the day physically and mentally exhausted.
I left thrilled. Going into tryouts, I thought I’d be cut after the first round, head home and chalk it up to a fun experience. But, instead, I left with an invitation to join the Training Program, a JV team for lack of a better term.
For the past 10 months I have been training weekly with my Training Program teammates, coaches and trainers. I drive to the Twin Cities every Tuesday for a two-hour practice and make sure to spend the rest of the week racking up a lot of time in the gym and sticking to a healthy lifestyle.
It amazes me to see how far I have come. One of my teammates recently pulled me aside to tell me how much I have improved. At our team banquet a couple of weeks ago, my teammates voted me “most improved glamour.” And my all-around confidence and poise has improved tremendously.
Now, a year after I walked in blind to open auditions, I will walk in to those same tryouts again this Sunday. I have no idea what my chances are. If you asked me honestly, I still think I have a lot of work left to do. But I do know I will be better than last year.
I am prepared for all scenarios — I don’t make MVC, I make it, I get invited back to Training Program, I am not asked back — and I will be proud of any outcome. I am proud of how hard I have worked over the past year and I am proud that I have made improvements.
What’s meant to be will happen. My dream, of course is to one day be an MVC and perform on the field each Sunday with my wonderful teammates, but if that doesn’t happen this time around it just simply wasn’t meant to be for me yet.
One thing is for certain, though. No matter what happens I will continue to work hard and improve myself so hopefully I am even more prepared for the 2015 tryout process.
In the meantime, I’ll leave everything on the field Sunday at tryouts and hope for the best.
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Vikings Cheerleader Christina Gekas Taylor
Sharing team spirit across cultures
By Natalie Conrad
MN Sun
April 1, 2014
When Christina Gekas Taylor isn’t guiding her students on to post-secondary options as a school counselor, she is busy supporting the Minnesota Vikings as one of the team’s cheerleaders.
The Park Center High School counselor and 2003 Eden Prairie High School graduate is being recognized by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation with its first Outstanding Cheerleader Award.
While a student in Eden Prairie, Gekas Taylor was a member of the pom squad for all four years and recently served as a judge for this year’s auditions. She began dancing at a local dance studio at age 3, and credits her strong dance background to her experiences as a young dancer and on the pom squad. A very supportive family didn’t hurt either.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the love and support of my mom,” Gekas Taylor said. “My mom always really encouraged me to follow my dreams and instilled a lot of love and confidence in me. She raised me to feel as though I have a lot to offer this world and a lot to give, so I shouldn’t hold back. Whenever I have experienced self-doubt or insecurity, she has always been my personal cheerleader.”
She attended college at the University of Kansas, where she continued to dance competitively for the school’s dance team and studied journalism. The team provided Gekas Taylor with a combination of cheer and dance.
“It was a nice balance of school spirit and competition,” Gekas Taylor said. “ We got to cheer on the basketball team through March Madness and do competitions.”
After college, she traveled to India and South Africa, and was a cheerleader for cricket teams. Gekas Taylor was a member of one of the first cheer teams to support the popular international sport.
“It was an interesting experience to cheer for a sport that doesn’t usually have cheerleaders,” Gekas Taylor said.
Gekas Taylor holds a wild tiger during an adventure in South Africa. She cheered for cricket teams in South Africa and India.
Gekas Taylor holds a wild tiger during an adventure in South Africa. She cheered for cricket teams in South Africa and India.
She was one of the few cheerleaders selected from all over the country to cheer on the sport and served as captain her second year on the team. Despite the fact that the cheer- and dance-based sport may have been foreign to the people of India and South Africa, they really enjoyed it, according to Gekas Taylor.
“They really embraced it and got excited about it,” she said. “They were really the best crowds to cheer for, because they weren’t used to it. They appreciated it even more than people do here.”
Gekas Taylor, along with her teammates, also got to be part of some of the music videos cricket teams film to kickoff each season.
After returning from her adventures abroad, Gekas Taylor decided to continue her education by getting a master’s degree in counseling, but continued to pursue her love of dance, taking classes at night.
Her unique experiences, from the Eden Prairie Pom Squad to cheering at the University of Kansas and cheering on cricket teams abroad, helped her earn a spot on the Vikings cheer team as a rookie in the 2013 season. Since then, she has been able to perform for hundreds of thousands of Vikings fans, and traveled with the team to represent the NFL in London this past fall.
Growing up in Eden Prairie, alongside the Vikings training facility, becoming a cheerleader for the team had always been a dream for Gekas Taylor.
“There are so many really talented girls that go through the program and it is really intense, but it’s something a lot of dancers strive for,” she said.
“You just need to be focused to do your best at both things,” she said.
As for her students knowledge of her side job as a professional cheerleader, Gekas Taylor said she tried to keep it quiet, but some of them found out anyway.
“It made for fun conversation,” she said. “ I can talk to them about the game and am able to relate to them in a different way.”
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While Gekas Taylor does not plan to audition for the upcoming season due to family illness, she plans to continue her love of the sport for years to come. She said she may pick up where she left off with the Park Center dance team and doesn’t rule out a possible return to the Vikings cheerleaders.
“I’ll never say never,” Gekas Taylor said. “We’ll see what happens.”
She will remain a member of the Vikings team until a new team is selected at the end of April. In the meantime, Gekas Taylor is busy promoting the upcoming Hoops for Hope event at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at Park Center High School, 7300 Brooklyn Blvd. in Brooklyn Park. Teachers will face off against students in a basketball game to benefit the American Heart Association. The students will be cheered on by Park Center’s own cheerleading team, while the Vikings cheerleaders will cheer for the teachers.
As far as winning the outstanding cheerleader award, Gekas Taylor said she is “shell-shocked” and honored, but is even more proud to know that this new award will continue to recognize those who dedicate time and effort to support the state’s professional football team.
“The cheerleaders are such a big part of the football experience,” she said. “We work really hard to support our team and the community.”
The award will be presented at the Vikings’ annual Minnesota Football Honors event on May 4 at the Hilton Minneapolis. In addition to the cheerleading award, eight high school football scholar awards will be presented along with the Vikings’ top player awards for the 2013 season. The event is open to the public and tickets may be purchased online by visiting nffmn.org.
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Vikings Cheerleader Auditions
Vikings.com has fantastic coverage of this year’s cheerleader auditions. Click here for video and lots of photos! As always, with The Line Up in their back yard, this is the best dressed group of candidates in the league. One dancer missed the memo about wearing team colors. If that was on purpose, it was kind of brilliant, actually.
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Vikings Cheerleader Auditions Continue
The Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders sure know how to do it up big. Not only are their final auditions open to the public, but so are the semis. This year’s semi final audition took place last night in Minneapolis. The 54 semifinalists competed in on stage interview, swimsuit walk, and dance solos. At the end of the evening, the ladies with the top ten highest scores were announced. Later this year, those ten ladies will compete for the cover of the annual MVC swimsuit calendar.
Click here to watch video from last night’s event.
And click here for more on the official MVC facebook page!
Congrats to the top ten: Kristin, Elyssa, Kayla, Blair, Brooklyn, Kristy, Kaylee, Lauryn, Taylor and Rachel!
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Vote for your favorite Vikings Cheerleader finalists
Who do YOU want to see on the team? Click here to cast your vote on Vikings.com!
[Click image to view full size]
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Meet the 2014-15 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
The Vikings Cheerleaders held their Final Auditions at the Mall of America on Tuesday.
The new squad features 23 veterans and 12 rookies (including 8 dancers from the MVC Training Program)
Game Day Assistant Polly with Vikings Cheerleader Head Coach Tami Krause
Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders: Making of the Team will air this Friday,after the Twins Game, on FOXSports North
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The Making of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
Vikings.com has tons of coverage of this years MVC auditions, including a three part, hour long video series on how this year’s squad came together. Click here to check out the videos and all the photos from tryouts!
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2014 P-R-O Convention All Star: Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader Jeannie
One of my favorite squads to photograph at P-R-O is the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. Why do you ask? Well purple is my favorite color and they always bring some absolutely gorgeous cheerleaders. And they have some of the sexiest uniforms in the NFL. One Vikings cheerleader that caught my eye was a cute blonde who was a great dancer. Her name is Jeannie and she is our next 2014 P-R-O Convention All Star.
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2014 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
Bios for the 2014-15 MVC are now online. Click here to learn all about the ladies. The team did a great job with the video bios, showing you that these are far more than pretty faces!
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2014 P-R-O Convention All Star: Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader Mollie
If memory serves correct, it has been a few years since our next honoree was last at P-R-O. Back then, she caught my eye…the good ones do. And though the years may have passed, this year was like before…another memorable appearance. So let me introduce our next 2014 P-R-O Convention All Star, Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader Mollie. 
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Photo of the Day – September 15
Melissa of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders in 2012
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Two Northfielders Make Vikings Cheerleading Team
By Nick Gerhard SothernMinn.com
Michelle
When Northfield High School graduates Michelle Polzin and Ting Ting Yang wanted to continue with their dancing careers they found themselves trying out for the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleading team.
Polzin accomplished her goal of making the team last season, but it took Yang another year before she got to [...]
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Vote For Who Should Be On The 2014-15 Vikings Cheerleader Calendar Cover
The 2014-15 Minnesota Vikings Cheerleader Calendar will be unveiled on Tuesday, July 1, but fans now have the chance to vote for their three favorites that they think should make the cover. You may vote as many times as you’d like between now and when the voting ends on Friday, June 27 at midnight.
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Countdown to P-R-O – Photo of the Day – June 26
Rachel of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
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Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders 2014-15 Calendar Cover Unveiled
On Tuesday the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders unveiled the cover for their 2014-15 17-month team calendar. After a recent fan vote, three women – Kaylee, Kayla and Kristen – were chosen to grace the cover of this year’s version.
Fans can order their calendar online here. The MVC will be out in public selling the [...]
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Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders Training Program
Our good friend Polly sent us this photo of herself and the ladies of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders Training Program
Established in 2006 the MVC Training Program consists of ladies who spend their summer and fall dancing, working out, practicing interviews, cheer motions, technique, and most importantly, making new friends! Every Tuesday night, the [...]
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Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders
For a couple of seasons the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders will be braving the outdoor elements at TCF Stadium while the new Vikings Stadium is being built. Fortunately, we had great weather on Sunday, and the MVC really shined.
[Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders]
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Photos of the Year – December 30
(As the year ends, we’re sharing our favorite photos from the past 12 months)
James has asked us to provide our favorite photo of the year and to describe why we chose it for publication. Well, here’s my choice.
This photo of Minnesota Viking Cheerleader Jeanne at the 2014 P-R-O Convention is one of [...]
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