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Topics: Bakersfield, Blitz, Girlz, Girls, Arena, Mas, Magazine, Football, Latina, sports, Dance, Cheerleader
Posted by matt Thu Jun 28, 2007 14:44:47 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Location: 1001 Truxtun Ave, Bakersfield, CA 93301

Life’s a dance for the Bakersfield Blitz Girlz.

In constant motion, and with ever-present smiles on the field during games, it’s no wonder the dance team sometimes gets more attention than the indoor arena football team they cheer on.

But is there more to these pretty faces than meets the eye?

To find out, MÁS attended a recent Blitz Girlz dance rehearsal at the Dancer’s Turnout Academy of Dance in southwest Bakersfield, hoping to get a glimpse into the lives and the inspiration for some of the team’s members, many of whom also happen to be Latina.

The 2007 Blitz Girlz dance team performs during the Bakersfield Blitz arena football team’s eight home games at Rabobank Arena as well as representing the organization at community events throughout Bakersfield and Kern County.

This year’s Blitz Girlz includes 12 members, many of whom are Kern County natives, coming from Bakersfield, Highland, East, Stockdale, South, Wasco and Delano high schools, according to the Blitz Web site.

By all accounts, these chicas love their work with the hometown Arena Football League team — while one look at national and local numbers shows that Latino fans love being a part of anything to do with football and/or sporting events in general.

According to the National Football League (NFL), 77 percent of bilingual, Hispanic men ages 21 to 34 consider themselves football fans.

As for Latino fans of the overall, local sports scene here in Kern County, nearly 70 percent of attendees are Hispanic as stated in 2006 Scarborough Reasearch figures.

“Being a dancer is like my left side I can’t be without,” said 2007 Blitz Girl Christine Martinez with a laugh. The 23-year-old has been a member of the dance team for all but one year since their inception in 2002. “It’s a getaway, free from drama in life.”

Martinez, a hard-working, single mother of two, has been dancing since the age of 6. Cheerleading through childhood at Wayside Elementary School and into her teenage years at South High School in Bakersfield, she became the first high school-aged dancer to join the Blitz dance team. 

“I’ve been involved in cheering since I was a kid,” said Martinez, who by day, works as a sales associate at Victoria’s Secret, before making time to be a mommy in the afternoon, then jetting off for rigorous team practices in the evening. “My family has always been supportive and proud of me, especially when I have to work and promote the team.”

Another dancer and a Stockdale High graduate, Amber Estrada, 19, joined the Blitz this year.

With too much energy to settle for a one-season gig, Estrada was also recently seen courtside as a member of the Bakersfield Jam basketball team dancer during that team’s inaugural 2007 season as well as a one-year stint on the BC cheerleading squad.

“It’s pretty amazing to be out there in front of all those people,” said the charismatic Estrada, who also pointed out that her very “American look” sometimes confuses people when they discover her mixed heritage (Estrada is half-Mexican). “Most people don’t know about me being Mexican. They usually just look surprised when they see my last name.”

Pint-sized, but with the athleticism of an Olympian, Estrada also enjoys the challenge that comes along with being given so much attention dancing for the popular Blitz Girlz.

“With everyone watching, it makes me want to perform harder and better,” she said. “Even when we mess up, we have to keep things going.”

Historically, the term “cheerleader” carries with it the image of pompom-waving and leg kicks, but not for these ladies.

Although a smaller-sized cheer pompoms can be seen from time to time during certain routines, you’ll see no pyramids or high-flying acrobatics.

Instead, the Blitz Girlz squad moves the crowd with hip-hop inspired routines, bass-thumping music and fashionable uniforms tailored for the style and look of today’s arena football league.

And though their official Blitz attire might be considered a little on the risqué side for some people, these girls aren’t overly concerned — they simply see their wardrobe as a sign that times have changed.

“It’s fun to be sexy,” said Martinez. “Every girl likes attention, but there are boundaries that must be respected between us and our fans. We understand that, and haven’t had any problems.”

Veteran Bakersfield dancer Claudia Rodriguez, 23, elaborated further on the Blitz Girlz’ non-traditional approach to the cheerleader genre.

“We don’t do cheers, like in high school and college on the sidelines,” she explained. “We’re out in the crowd with the people.”

And that’s right where Rodriguez wants to be.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Rodriguez’s family moved permanently to the U.S. when she was 2 years old.

Also an avid dancer, and a familiar face among local sports fans with her curly, blond locks and stints on both the Blitz and Bakersfield Jam dance teams, Rodriguez excelled in school at a very young age, proving instrumental in her dance career.

Thanks to her good grades, opportunities came along for immersing herself in the arts.

“I was in the magnet program at Mt. Vernon Elementary,” said Rodriguez. “They offered ballet, jazz, drill team and cheerleading, and I did it all.”

Already familiar with team dancing from her magnet days, Rodriguez had every intention of being a South High School cheerleader, until a hefty price tag came with being a member.

“It was too expensive for me to be a cheerleader in high school,” she said. “I came from a low-income family, and for my parents to pay for the uniform and everything, it was too overwhelming.”

With cheerleading out of the question, Rodriguez found another outlet for dancing at Bakersfield’s Studio del Sol, a local dance school offering the variety she wanted.

“I was doing a little bit of everything there,” she said. “I did hip-hop, tap, jazz. We used to compete in different competitions and perform at the (Kern County) Fair.”

Graduating from South High in 2001, Rodriguez continued to stay busy with Studio del Sol, but auditioned for the Blitz and earned a spot on the team that same year.

A consummate multi-tasker, Rodriguez then also jumped into college, attending BC from 2003-04, then transferring to CSUB to work on her communications degree with a concentration in journalism, graduating in 2006.

If that still wasn’t enough on her plate, Rodriguez danced on the Blitz team for all but one year of the team’s existence while she was still in school.

So is there any time left for a social life?

“I don’t really have time for a personal life,” she said. “We’ve become our own little family with the team. We get along and know each other pretty well.”

Describing her family background as “very traditional Mexican, my parents only speak Spanish,” Rodriguez’s professional demeanor toward work, family and life can, at times, be a bit exhausting, especially when describing how her college degree is being putting to use — as a show producer at Channel 29 news in Bakersfield.

“I get up at 2:45 a.m. to be at work by 4 a.m., I get off at 1 p.m., go home and take a nap, then get ready for practice in the evening until 10 p.m., then start all over,” she said. “It’s really important I get some sleep time in.”

But for Rodriguez and her Blitz Girlz teammates, the juggling of lives off the field is more than worth the opportunity to dance their hearts out on the field.

They just hope to inspire their audience to join the good time.

“Just have fun,” said Estrada. “We do.

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*Originally printed in Mas Magazine, Vol. 2, Issue 12, 6/29/07

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