...when American Cheerleader Magazine came out in January of 1995 I think I was a junior in high school.  I could not WAIT to get my hands on this new magazine dedicated entirely to cheerleading.  I remember reading and re-reading the articles, making notes about stunts, jumps, school spirit, team bonding...and beginning to learn more about teams on a national level.  Finally, cheerleading had a VOICE!  (for all you young folk...this was back before social media, if you can imagine that!)

So when I submitted my info for their 'Featured Cheerleaders' section you can imagine how ecstatic I was to see my entry in the magazine in December of 1995. And in true 'Jenny spirit', my entry included my art...I had drawn a bulletin board, then sticky notes with my 'cheer accolades' listed on them, and collaged a few fun things from some cheer catalogs.  Pretty cool, huh?!

So today's piece is a tribute to American Cheerleader Magazine, still going strong today!  

And now...back to the Chargers game!

Next up...we have another niece on the way!  My sister is due in a few weeks (even though she thinks it may be sooner, yikes!) and John's sister and her husband just found out that they are having a little girl.  They had a gender reveal party back home in NC and we couldn't be there but we participated via Skype...and the cats got in on the fun, too!  

Turns out, cats don't actually like wearing dog t-shirts.  Just an observation.

For today's piece I actually backtracked to 1982, the year that Hilda McDaniel started the All-Star phenomenon as we know it with her Q94 Rockers out of Richmond, Virginia.  It was in the 1980's the cheerleading teams not affiliated with schools began competing with school teams until 1987, when NCA created a separate division for this new crop of athletes.  Hilda McDaniel was on the forefront of this new movement in cheerleading...which was for lack of better words a game changer.  Competitive cheerleading would push the limits of choreography, skills, cheer uniforms and created a new cheerleading industry, the likes of which had never been seen.  A new governing body would be established, the US All Star Federation (USASF), to regulate safety and judging for this new division in cheerleading.

I remember seeing Hilda at Cathy Buckey's Champion Cheer and Dance competitions in Virginia.  She was with the Cheer Factory All-Stars at the time, and always surrounded by a frenzy of 'cheer ringlets', sequins and excitement.  

When I was doing my research on Hilda I found numerous articles and mentions on cheerleading web sites.  One site I found was particularly interesting to me; it didn't speak as much to her coaching but more to her love of Christmas and her collection of cheerleading ornaments.  There is a great slideshow featuring all her beloved cheerleading ornaments, given to her by her cheerleaders, staff and friends and when you see it you can't help but smile, and see that she was loved so much. Click here to see the slideshow.

Hilda McDaniel passed away at 64 years of age in March of 2011.  Today's piece is for Hilda, and all you All Star Cheerleaders out there.

As you may have read, I have openly admitted to being a complete nerd.  Seriously.  Art/art history, fashion, cheer- whatever it is I am into I always try to read and find out more...and I often have my own personal 'rock stars' associated with these things...for instance, for art/art history it would be Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha and Pablo Picasso- just to name a few.  For fashion...let's just say if I ever saw Tim Gunn in person I would have him signed my bedazzled copy of his 'Fashion Bible' and then pass out. 

As for cheerleading, my 'rock star' is Cathy Buckey.

Okay...so it may not be breaking news to you...but it is exciting news for me! 

It started with the opening of college football season last week.  Then the anticipation of the the NFL season starting this coming weekend.  Then...my husband and his fantasy football madness. Football, football, FOOTBALL.  I have always loved high school football games, especially back home in NC when the fall weather brings those crisp Friday nights. (for my friends in Florida, this 'Fall' I mentioned is a time in September-November when the temperature and humidity drop and you can actually stand to be outside for more than twenty minutes.  I know, crazy right?)  I had so much fun watching the ECU Pirates play when I was living back in Greenville in undergrad and grad school and have even had the chance to attend some professional games in NC, CA and FL.  When it's football season some kind of balance is restored in the world...at least at casa Gironda.

 As the years have gone by I have enjoyed football season more and more...but there has always been one main reason:

The cheerleaders.  After all, I used to be one myself.  I do watch the games...but I keep my eyes on the sidelines for these amazing athletes as well!

If you know me then you know that I used to cheer back in the day and I have coached and judged cheerleading for many years now. I am not coaching a team this year but I am hoping to get back into the judging circuit after a year hiatus. This series isn't just about my love for football season but it is also about my passion for the tradition and sport of cheerleading.  I seriously LOVE cheerleading...it's right up there with my love of art, organization, cats and sparkle.  Many of my art friends don't get this part of me...but if you know my enthusiastic, upbeat personality...well, then it will probably make sense.

And you know...when I get into something, let me admit, I get pretty nerdy about it.  I get into the academic study of the things that interest me, whether it is researching artists (like Frida Kahlo, the inspiration for my last series!) and time periods in art history, reading Tim Gunn's books (I LOVE YOU, TIM GUNN!) and other fashion-related books...but this also applies to cheerleading.  When I first became interested in cheerleading when I was 11-12 years old I got mom to take me to the bookstore so I could find a book about it..and I did.  I still have that book, the pages are folded, high lighted and filled with my notes and sketches...along with a few other books, notes, etc.  I wanted to know as much as possible about cheerleading.

If you follow my Instagram you have probably seen me use #ArtNerd.  Well...guess I am also a #CheerNerd too.  If you also want to geek out, here are some links that I like, 

• A Brief History of Cheerleading, TIME Magazine photo essays
  
• Being a Cheerleader, The History of Cheerleading, Varsity web site
  
• The History of Cheerleading, International Cheer Union web site

For this series I will be focusing on various high schools that I have had affiliations with...colleges I have some connection to...and, of course, professional teams.  Note...the teams that I select are not based off the football records.  Some of the images may have some type of historical reference, in terms of the history of cheerleading, some because of a direct or indirect affiliation that I may have with the school, location or an individual relevant to that team...and some just for fun, or just 'cause.  The pieces will probably NOT be in any type of chronological order of importance...just gonna let myself get inspired and see where that SPIRIT takes me. 

So that's it.  Grab a foam finger, put on your team colors and take a seat next to the fifty yard line...time to KICK OFF this series!

Well, I did it.  I spent a month with Frida.

What I did not do...was keep up with my blog.  Or post the final pics to my Recent Works page here on my site on on the Facebook page...so...my bad.  Lo siento.

But back to Frida...this was a fun series for me.  I started off the month strong, researching Frida and including details about her life in the images and even some quotes.

Then...I became fixated with one image of hers...Self-Portrait: The Frame (1938) and after that it was a free-for-all of watercolor splashes, crazy birds and collage.  

So...this is what I was working on since I actually posted final images of the pieces I have been working on...