WASHINGTON REDSKINS CHEERLEADERS TO HOST DANCE AND CHEER CLINIC AT THE RICHMOND COLISEUM

First Ladies of Football and Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities team up to give back to Richmond youth

The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities are teaming up to host a free Redskins Cheerleading Clinic for Richmond youth on Wednesday, July 17 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum.

      Approximately 250 Richmond area children who participate in the Richmond recreation department’s cheerleading and other programs will learn dance and cheer routines from the nationally recognized Washington Redskins Cheerleaders. Following the lesson, the children will be able to participate in a Q&A with the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.

     "Opportunities for Richmond area youth is part of what I envisioned when we pursued the partnership with the Redskins organization, said Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones. “Our parks department hosts a robust cheerleading program that will be greatly enhanced by this experience."

     “The Washington Redskins Cheerleaders are thrilled to partner with the City of Richmond to give back to the city’s children – especially at an event that teaches young females sportsmanship and teamwork,” said Washington Redskins Cheerleading Director Stephanie Jojokian. “We are excited to teach area children cheerleading techniques, in addition to providing them with positive new female role models.”

      Attendees will receive a free Redskins Cheerleader Clinic T-shirt and a free lunch provided by the department and the City of Richmond. Awards will also be given to participants for outstanding performances and sportsmanship.

     "This is a wonderful opportunity for our children, many of whom seldom have experiences outside of their neighborhoods, much less the opportunity to experience something as special as this,” said Dr. Norman C. Merrifield, director of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. “We want to thank the Redskins organization for their willingness to partner with us in our efforts to provide Richmond’s children with a high quality of life.”

     For more information on the First Ladies of Football, visit www.redskins.com/cheerleaders or follow the WRC on Twitter at @1stLadiesofFB. For more information on City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities programs and initiatives, visit http://www.richmondgov.com/parks.

    Media interested in attending the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities clinic should contact Angela Alfano of Redskins Public Relations at alfanoa@redskins.com or 703-447-5629.

  

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON REDSKINS CHEERLEADERS: From the Redskinettes to the First Ladies of Football, the Washington Redskins Cheerleaders (WRC) are the longest running cheerleading team in the NFL. Founded in 1962, and originally named the Redskinettes, the team has brought worldwide recognition to the Redskins, the Washington, D.C. area and the NFL. Adorned in burgundy and gold, these dynamic women have been featured in national magazines and have performed with Grammy award winning artists. Annually regarded as one of the best professional cheerleading squads, the WRC have executed their routines at Super Bowls and overseas as part of goodwill military tours. Striving to make a difference both on and off the field, these talented women have played an instrumental part in a variety of charity, community and military events since their inception. The WRC also boasts the longest running Junior Cheerleader Program in which they mentor hundreds of young kids.  For more information on the WRC, visit www.Redskins.com/cheerleaders.

ABOUT THE REDSKINS: Headquartered at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia, and owned by Daniel Snyder, the historic Washington Redskins Football Club has won five World Championship titles including the 1937 and 1942 National Football League Championship games, as well as Super Bowls XVII, XXII and XXVI. Founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves in Massachusetts, the team changed its name to the Redskins in 1933 and relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1937. Since then, the team has become one of the most recognizable professional sports franchises in history, featuring three Hall of Fame coaches, 19 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (with seven others who also were Redskins) and becoming the first team in the NFL with an official marching band and fight song, "Hail to the Redskins." The Redskins have been owned by Dan Snyder since 1999, and beginning in 1997, began playing their home games at FedExField in Landover, Md.

ABOUT RICHMOND PARKS, RECREATION & COMMUNITY FACILITIES: The department oversees more than 60 parks and open spaces, 136 tennis courts, 60 playgrounds, 56 baseball and softball diamonds, 10 swimming pools, and numerous tot lots, picnic areas and exercise trails, as well as cares for more than 22 statues and monuments and 50 plaques and memorials.  In addition, the department operates 20 community center sites that provide a full spectrum of recreational services for youth, adults and the elderly, 19 licensed After School sites that assist students with homework and social development, the Dogwood Dell Amphitheater providing the annual Festival of the Arts, the Pine Camp Cultural Arts Center, a senior center and eight cemeteries. The department also oversees the James River Park, the largest and most visible park in Richmond, which includes more than 500 acres of shoreline and islands in the heart of the city offering opportunities for whitewater and flat-water canoeing and kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, jogging and wildlife exploration. For more information on the department, visit www.RichmondGov.com/parks.

Contacts:             

Tony Wyllie    wylliet@redskins.com   703-726-7135

Daniel Sampson  sampsond@redskins.com    703-726-7422

Ross Taylor   taylorr@redskins.com  703-726-7368

Angela Alfano  alfanoa@redskins.com   703-726-7077

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