2007-08 Nu Skin Jazz Dancer Diary: Arial

ENTRY 20:

Hello once again my favorite Jazz fans!

How are all of you now that summer is ending and many of you (us!) are back in school? I have been super busy the last couple weeks. I have been back at school for a month now and already have tests and many papers to write. I guess that’s what you do in college though. If I can push full force I could graduate next spring with my bachelors, which means I can get started on my Masters in Special Education! Seems like I just started college and now, I’m a senior! I bleed red for the U so I couldn’t be happier that our football team is starting off unbeaten so far. I know they’ll keep it going and am proud of what a great team they have become - Go Utes! Homecoming is coming up this weekend and I’m sure it will be wild and crazy. I went to the first home game a few weeks back, and I sat in the MUSS with some friends. After the game they had fireworks which is the first time since I’ve been at the U that they have done that. I LOVED it!! I hope they do it every game from here forward as we keep conquering on the field!

We have been practicing every week thus far for our upcoming jazz games. We have a trainer this year (I LOVE it) and he kicks our butt - I love the guy!! He pushes us so hard and so fast every workout. And, it’s more fun to work out as a team than individually. Our whole team has gotten so much stronger and more fit because of him, so when you see us out there hopefully looking better than ever, you can thank our trainer! Ha! He also teaches us about better nutrition and what is best for us because we are so active. After our major workouts we go on to learning dances and then practice the dances we already learned. So what I’m trying to say ….. is that our practices are pretty hard! Our dance team this year has worked really hard and we have had so much fun together already. I mentioned last year how some of us car pool, this year there are six of us that get together and car pool to practice each week. It has been so fun, not only because we are being energy conscious but because it’s a time for us to catch up on our past weeks.

We did a car wash fundraiser recently for one of the girl’s sisters. We raised a lot of money for her cause while washing DOZENS OF CARS! It was non-stop from 10-4 without breaks. Car after car and wash after wash, I began to be impressed at our skills – we might have a new calling - ha! Most importantly, it was neat to see how many people were so willing to support her as well as support us Jazz Dancers and the Utah Jazz organization. We have some more appearances coming up this week, along with learning a new half-time routine this weekend.

With school and dancing, I was able to fit in a few more fun things this week. My favorite? Getting a manicure and a pedicure. Boy did it feel nice to soak those feet! I felt bad for the lady working on them though cause dancers feet aren’t the prettiest to look at – trust me. Lastly, in my last blog I told you about our family reunion in San Diego and my wonderful Samoan relatives. I didn’t have any photos at the time so snuck this one if of the guys “doing their dance” – LOVE IT!

ENTRY 19:

Hello Jazz fans!

Long time no talk! Well it looks as if the summer has come to an end which is kind of sad because it means that I have to go back to school full time! I am a little bit excited though because I am now in most of my major classes and I like to learn about what I am passionate about which is children. I will most likely graduate this spring with my Bachelors but I would love to go back and get my masters in Special Education.

I think it’s time to tell you about my latest adventure …. I went sky diving!!! Yes, I jumped out of a plane and flipped around in the air, free-fell for about a minute then pulled out the chute and floated down to land. I have to say it was the craziest thing I have ever done FOR SURE! I went with my step-dad for his birthday and it was actually a surprise for him but something he too had wanted to do for some time. I was a little nervous but can’t explain the incredible rush I had; I don’t think I was even thinking. We were about 13,000 feet up in the air when we jumped out. I did get a little motion sickness but it was minor and completely worth it. If you have an interest, DO IT. It’s something you will never forget.

Another fun thing I did a few weekends ago was go up to Sundance around mid night with some friends. When there is a full moon, Sundance opens up the chair lift and you can ride it up the mountain and then back down again. I haven’t ever heard of it until I was asked to go. It was so fun, to be up there in pitch black darkness with the moon shining so bright. We all just sat and talked enjoying the ride. Next time there is a full moon, grab a date and go enjoy!

For the last “hoorah” I was able to go to San Diego this weekend with my step-dad. He is part Samoan and the majority of his family lives there. There was a big family reunion while we were there and it was neat to be in a different culture with so many different people. I learned a lot about them and the things they are passionate about. It was really neat to be apart of it. I was able to go to the beach and swim in the beautiful ocean. My cousin Corey and her friends were there spear fishing. I have never heard of that until now and they caught four fish right there off the shore – quite amazing. I did some shopping while I was there in the little surf shops on the beach and I did a lot of sight seeing. I have to admit I almost didn’t come back home!! One day I will move out there when I'm old and can afford it and can surf and eat sushi all day!

I am so excited to start practice this week for the Jazz – yes! I am really excited about this year. I think we have a great group of girls, two of which were my friends before tryouts, and I am hoping our team will go even farther this year and do more fun and entertaining things! I am excited to get back into the swing of things and have a normal routine with school, practice and teaching dance. We have a lot of appearances set this week as well. I had another golf appearance last week, and that was fun because that one was sponsored by the Jazz and most of the golfers were season ticket holders so we got to know them pretty well – we LOVE our fans who of course, are the best in the NBA!!

I don’t know if any of you saw the big fire that happened in Draper this week. But my house is nearby there as are some of the other dancers homes. I flew back in from San Diego the day it started and it looked like the whole entire Wasatch front was gone! The smoke was so thick you couldn’t see much in front of you driving and we had ash all over our car. There were many cars lined up watching the flames and the awe inspiring fire. It seems to have a way to put you in a trance and really, is just incredible to watch with all the planes, helicopters and wonderful fire fighters working so hard to put it out. But they have it under control now and without any harm to any homes – they truly are amazing and how grateful we are to have them! I do have to say our house smells like a camp fire and we even have ashes inside. So, I hope I don’t smell…

On a very sad note, our family had a dog named Sheriff who I grew up with the past 12 years. Today when I came home he was gone. He has been sick for awhile and finally he needed to be put down. It was very sad but we do know that he is in a better place and not in any pain. So to honor our precious and funny Sheriff – thanks for all the wagging tails, licks, barks and eating all the food we didn’t!

Anyways, on a lighter note I hope you too have all enjoyed your summer. I certainly have and cannot believe it’s over. But hey, Football season is starting and that is exciting. I can’t wait to watch that as well. I love going to the games and of course I go to the University of Utah so I cheer for RED! I also have some other things planned for this year that are pretty cool and I’ll share you with those in upcoming blogs so stay tuned! Have a great day!

ENTRY 18:

Hey there everyone!

So far, it has been one heck of a summer! First of all there is one thing I haven’t mentioned to you in past blogs and that is that I had the wonderful opportunity to serve my community as Miss Sandy 2007 this last year. I’d never been involved in any pageant in the past and WOW what a positive learning and growth experience, not to mention the wonderful community service and scholarships I’ve been provided! My eyes have been opened and I have a renewed and much deserving respect for young women involved in serving their communities. A good portion of my service has been able to implement dance in the lives of young children, specifically those at the Boys and Girls Club and at some of the YMCA’s. I have had such a blast doing it and learned more about myself … about life … and about these great children than I ever would have imagined. It has been a true honor and most certainly a life changing experience! As Miss Sandy, there is a requirement to go to the Miss Utah Pageant which was held just a few weeks ago and I was fortunate enough to make Top Ten, out of 50 amazing women. I was very excited and honored to have done so well. It was a very exhausting week I might say but I made some great memories and wonderful friends.

My family and I have had a good few days this last week up at Snowbird in our family condo. We spent some time horseback riding on the backside of Snowbird. It was beautiful! Additionally, we got to ride their Alpine Slide, ride the Tram, and I did the Zip line as well – screaming all the way down! I think that was my favorite activity actually. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget how beautiful the mountains are even though they are nearly right in my back yard. While I do hike frequently, I definitely want to take more advantage of them! I love being in nature, smelling the flowers and seeing waterfalls, I love to camp, hike and go boating. I go with my dad nearly every weekend down to Utah Lake to wakeboard with the carp!

We have done a few appearances this month which have been wonderful and fun! We were on Good Things Utah promoting our tryouts recently. We were able to perform one of our numbers and our Coach talked about the big event. I also had the opportunity to do a golf appearance one day down at Thanksgiving Point with a few of the girls. Those are fun because we get to be in charge of the contests and watch all the golfers try to win something.

Well, as you all know, Rocky Mountain Review was last week and that was fun to watch and dance at. It was interesting to be at the game and to not know many of the rookie players. All of us were trying to scope out the new players and watch some of the rookies from last year. It was more laid back than a normal game and we enjoyed that too. We haven’t been practicing this summer so we set the game about an hour before we go out, which sometimes makes me nervous because you don’t want to make a mistake. It’s funny because we learn so many dances but when you haven’t done them in a while you think you might forget them. Don’t worry though we never do (hopefully!)

Well as you all may very well know tryouts are this week. All of us dancers have been trying to prepare ourselves for them; getting our bodies into shape, working on some new dance moves and trying to stay positive and not too nervous. This last year has been one amazing year with the Jazz and I would not trade it for ANYTHING! As a rookie I have had so much fun getting to know all the girls, the organization and those that we work with and represent. It has been a great experience to be out in the community serving others, meeting new people and making memories with what we would call our second family! Thanks for all of your support and cheers! I hope to see you all next year!

ENTRY 17:

Happy Fireworks Season!

I’m so grateful to live in America and hope all of us remembered our history and those that gave so much for our freedom!! I got to see some amazing fireworks on the 4th! I had the opportunity to go down to the Stadium of Fire – woo hoo!. There were so many people there I couldn’t believe it – jam packed with all the Miley Cyrus fans and those of us addicted to AWESOME fireworks. I am not a crazy Hannah Montana fan but Miley did sing and she did a great job. The fireworks, however, were the best part. It was fantastic and very patriotic. It was like a grand finale for an entire hour. I kept thinking it was just about over but fortunately for us ….. it just kept on going. I loved it!

Last week we had a lot of appearances for our wonderful Jazz. Mostly parades for the holiday festivities which are always so much fun. We got to ride on the float and wave to everyone lined up along the streets. The float is beautiful this year! We had a lot of cheering for the Jazz and a number of fans wearing Jazz jerseys or t-shirts. It showed how many people like and support this great organization. A few of us also attended a darling little girl’s birthday party on Saturday. We took pictures with all the kids, taught them a jazz dancer dance, and played some games with them. I thought it was really fun to be there and participate in her birthday.

I have tried to have some good ole’ fun this week but also stay relaxed. The relaxation part included a trip to the Salon with new hair and a great pedicure. Then, I went to lagoon and rode all the rides (or at least most of them!). I love that place. It makes me feel like a little kid again. My favorite ride is the new Wicked. It blasts you off straight into the air then you come straight down again. I rode that one twice. So darn much fun!

I also had a great opportunity to teach at a dance camp last weekend. It was fun to meet new girls and be apart of a new camp that I have not done before. The bad part was I got sick and threw up in front of all of them – I know, awful. I was a little embarrassed to say the least! I’m working on trying to squeeze a cruise in sometime in the next few weeks and possibly a trip to San Diego for a few days on the beach for some SURFING and sun! Who knows – but I’m definitely up for another adventure!

I hope you all are enjoying your summer and that you’ve also enjoyed the fireworks and the celebration of our independence. I’m sure we are all looking forward to the 24th now as well!

Well, take care for now – stay cool, have fun and don’t forget the Rocky Mountain Review and Jazz Dancer tryouts later this month!! Gotta love our Jazz!!

ENTRY 16:

Hello JAZZ fans!

Happy summer! It has been a long while since I last wrote. I hope all of you are enjoying the warm weather that has finally come our way. I have had the wonderful to be involved in all kinds of fun things the last few weeks..

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I’ve spent some time by the pool relaxing, reading and listening to my Ipod. I try to be careful using sunscreen and oil to stay tan but not burnt. I haven’t yet been able to swing a trip out of town but I did go boating yesterday for the first time this summer with my Dad of course for Father’s Day. Unfortunately, we spent half the day trying to fix the boat but we finally got out and I tried out my new wake board. It was so much fun!!! I love the water and lounging out on the boat.

We had a Jazz appearance up at “This is The Place Park” recently. We got to perform and talk to those who attended the activity. I do have to say it was interesting performing because it had been so long since we have performed. I was a little nervous but I think we pulled it off! I do miss the season and seeing everyone in the organization. It will be a nice break for everyone, I’m sure, but I think after a while you wish you were back into the swing of things. I know that time will come very soon and look forward to it!

We had our end of the year get together a few weeks ago at one of the girl’s homes. We were going to go swimming but the weather didn’t hold up for us. We did enjoy a yummy dinner, and then found out who our secret sister was for the year. Funny – that for me, the person I had as My Secret Sister, also had me. So it was fun to find out who gave us gifts all year round without knowing. The veterans did a few cute skits and gave out some awards to the team. We had to guess who got what award for the year. I got the “Blonde to Brunette Award” and it was fun seeing the awards the other girls got too. They did a great job. That was our last big get together. Some said their final goodbyes, which was sad….. and the rest of us said “see you in July for the big day of tryouts”! I can’t believe it’s coming up so soon! To those of you who want to tryout – work hard and come ready to dance! I think it will be a great year.

I went and saw “What Happens in Vegas” that new movie with Ashton Kutcher. I have to say it’s now my all time favorite movie so far this summer. It’s hilarious! I recommend going to see it. Of course, seeing Ashton you might think its our own Kyle Korver. Ha ha - yes I am another girl who thinks he looks like him. Anyway, I hope you are all enjoying your summer and I will hopefully see you all soon!

ENTRY 15:

Well … well … well. Hey there everybody. Can you believe it’s the off season? I cant! Like I said before time goes by way too fast!

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So, our last game …. I just have to mention that I was not able to dance at the last play off home game due to traveling and our team didn’t win. The last game I wasn’t at prior to this one, they also didn’t win. See what I’m saying? I must be good luck or something. Ha ha! So you can blame it all on me just a little bit….. smile, smile.

Even though it’s only been a short time, it feels like it has been forever since I have been able to step out on the arena floor …. Call me addicted, but I miss it!! Our team has done so well this year (best in the league!) and it has been so amazing to be part THE UTAH JAZZ!!. I wouldn’t give it up for the world. This honor to dance for this team, is a dream come true for me. I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with the girls on our team and to work with such great people in this organization. We have one of the best! Behind the scenes, the ushers, cooks, and administrators – they are all so very kind to us. They make sure we are well taken care of and have everything we could possibly need. Thank you so much to all of you!

I have missed seeing the girls each week and catching up on our girl talk. Now that it is summer we all have our own little lives to live for a short time before we start back up again. Some take their vacations, others work up a storm and we all spend more time with our families. Throughout the summer we schedule many appearances. I think this part of the job can also be one of the best parts of our role as Jazz Dancers. Going out into our community and meeting new people, interacting with children and schools and setting an example for others. We also get to ride our Jazz float in some of the parades so be looking for us then! Last Friday a few of us went to a school down in Provo. We performed at their assembly, and talked to the kids about setting goals in life, how important education is and we each gave a brief explanation of ourselves. It is fun to see the expressions on the kids faces as they learn a little bit more about us and we can hopefully help them see that they too can achieve their dreams.

Saturday we had an appearance at Costco to help raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. We asked customers to donate five dollars and they would get a signed poster and free candy. All the proceeds went to CMN to help the sick children in our community. It was fun to watch those who are so willing to give to others. Today, we had the locker clean out appearance at the arena. Channel 13 was there with Big Buddha and we talked about what we will do this summer and when tryouts are. We actually got to go into the player’s locker room and see where all the behind the scenes action happens. It was fun to see in reality how big our players really are with the size of their jerseys and clothes. People were randomly chosen to come in and take what the players left in their lockers. I thought that was very generous of the players to give it away and share it with our great fans. Those who were fortunate to come in and get these things had priceless looks on their faces, as I’m sure you can imagine.

I recently returned from a visit to New York, the “Big Apple” state. I could not believe how crowded this very small state is but WOW what a place to see!. We toured all around the city seeing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, watching plays and eating more than we should. I was also able to pack in a variety of dance classes there which is really quite different than taking them here in SLC. The people are so fast paced and everything is just go go go. It was a fun vacation but not too relaxing. So that’s what I have been up to the last few weeks.

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves and this nice summer weather. I hope to see you all very soon while we all keep that Killer Jazz Spirit alive!!

ENTRY 14:

Hello jazz fans!

Are you all as JAZZED as I am? I know you are!! I am so happy that our team has gone as far as we have AND WE ARE STILL GOING STRONG! It has been so much fun to be apart of such a great organization!!

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I still just cannot believe it is the middle of May and that the year is almost over. I think our players have really pulled it together and have worked incredibly hard to be where they are. I am so excited for them and hope to see us finish off this series with 2 more wins! So, keep on cheerin’ loud and give them the JAZZ spirit that you are known for!!!!

The last two home games were full of excitement, to say the least! I wish you could all experience what us dancers get to experience on, and even off the floor. Performing in front of so many dedicated Jazz fans in that arena is a huge honor. The adrenaline that the fans bring gives us more energy to dance our best. It also helps our team to win as we can all see! We have the best crowd by far! During play offs, all the dancers get to dance (normally we only dance twelve at each game). We are able to set a game in an hour and it’s ready to perform. We have been able to be outside before the games and sign posters for our amazing fans. The band plays right behind us and it’s almost like a carnival outside in front of the arena. I really enjoy seeing all of our fans and those of you who come to the game to participate in the fun!

We have a great group of dancers this year and I have had a blast dancing with our whole team during the play offs. We all have become friends and get along really well. What I love just as much is that we get together outside of Jazz events as well. We’ll go to dinner, or to someone’s house to throw a party to watch our team at the away games. We only hope our cheers can be heard when they are so far away. Some might not have ever thought that girls would get so into sports, but when it comes to the Jazz – the 18 of us scream, yell and do whatever it takes to help our team get the win, even if we aren’t there with them!! We love to do it. That’s what makes it all the more fun!

I grew up in a family that loves to boat, ski, travel, camp and etc. so now that it’s spring, I’m getting ansy for the outdoors. I am a girly girl but still have lots of adventure in me for some down and dirty fun in the great outdoors. The kids I work with at the boys and girls club every week now really want to be outside on the field playing games. They always want to play “Red Rover, Red Rover”. Do you remember playing that when you were little? What fun! Sometimes I wish I was a kid again, because you don’t have anything to worry about and you can get away with almost anything! Ha Ha!

Well, we’ve got two more games to go and oh yes, we will take this series! That would be awesome and I believe we can totally do it! So again, let’s cheer loud and wherever you are, be proud! One team one dream! See you all at the game! GOOO JAZZZZZZ!

Hello Jazz Fans!

Wow! What an exciting week for the jazz! I cannot explain the feeling of playoffs and the adrenaline that comes with it….. AMAZING!

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As a first year I had the same feelings at the first play off game last Thursday as I did when I danced at my first Jazz game ever this season. I could not believe how big the crowd was, most of them wearing their white shirts and cheering real loud (GO JAZZ FANS!). I have to admit I was nervous to dance out there and a little in shock at all the people (we love you guys!). It is amazing to see how big our fan base is. Too bad we didn’t win that game but Saturday we came back with a win and tonight, we are going to finish things off! We have been able to do a lot more at the play off games which is really fun because we get more time on the floor. During practices we put together the dances that we will do that night along with some hot time outs just so we are prepared. At one of our practices it was close to ten and we took a water break and we all ran into the faculty lounge to watch the last two minutes of one of the Jazz games on tv. It was funny to see all 18 of us screaming and sitting in front of this small tv.

Earlier this week some of us Jazz girls were able to be on the morning news highlighting the play offs and all the work that goes into it. “Big Bhudda” - as seen on the news - came out and hosted the segments. He was so funny and promoted us very well, ha ha. What I really liked was that he said the Jazz are winning because of the games entertainment…. That would include the dancers, stunters, the Bear and promotions. We try to keep you all on your feet cheering loud, so when you get the chance to do so, STAND UP AND CHEER! We definitely need all we can get and it’s your energy that pushes our team to do their best!

Bridget is getting married this month so as a team we threw her a little shower with cake and presents. It was a surprise, so it was fun to see her reaction. So congrats to Bridget! Can I tell you that time flies when your having fun? I cannot believe its almost summer. I am done with school this semester finally and I will be a college senior! AH! It will be nice to have a break this summer and hopefully travel a bit. I love to travel whether its on my own or with good friends or family. Give me somewhere to go that is tropical and I’m there in a heartbeat. I only wish I could tell you that I have a huge fun trip planned but I don’t! ha ha The weather has been extremely nice the last couple days and I have had a chance to enjoy some of it so lets hope it stays for a while. I hope you all have a great week and enjoy the outdoors! Don’t forget to cheer on our JAZZ! WE LOVE OUR TEAM!

ENTRY 12:

Hello again Jazz Fans!!!

Well, another fun filled week! I cannot believe it is April and that the Playoffs are about to begin. The season has blown by – it feels like it’s only been a few games!! Perhaps it’s an April fool’s trick? I wish! Did anyone get pranked on April fool’s Day? While I didn’t give out any good pranks, I did get a few played on me. I seem to be a sucker for the pranks! J

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Last Friday I held a dance concert for the boys and girls club in Sandy. Some of the Jazz girls came to perform as well. I was amazed with the turnout of people that came to see the kids dance. And boy, were they having the time of their lives out there – what great entertainers. Hopefully, the dancing inspires them as it has me and helps them work through the challenges our youth experience in today’s world. I love working with them!

Saturday some of us girls drove down to St. George. Call us crazy but we had so much fun! We drove to Las Vegas for a few hours to shop and walk around. We all bought some new shoes and sweats. Get a couple of girls in the same store jazzed about the newest trends and you might end up with three sets of twins – ha ha! We went down there for a little nice weather but the sunshine never showed up. In fact, while we were driving home we got caught in a wild snow storm. I was a nervous wreck driving in it!

Back to the wonderful Jazz!!! Practices have been running smoothly. We have learned a couple new dances for the Playodds, and we are getting our last half-time routine ready. It is darling so we all look forward to seeing you there. I don’t know if many of you were watching but the Bear and one of our very own Jazz Dancers did a dance during a time out. They were the famous “dancing with the stars” dancers. It was fun to see the Bear dance. I didn’t expect him to be as good as he was. Game are really awesome to be at and dance for. Especially because we give a lot of hand outs to share with the crowd and a lot of hot time outs.

Last weekend, some of my friends and I went and played Rock Band. I must say it is one of my favorite games to play. I like Guitar Hero, but I love being able to sing, and play the guitar or the drums. It is very entertaining even for someone like me who isn’t a great singer (just ask those who have heard me sing along to the radio – it isn’t pretty!). Now, along with Rock Band my new favorite movie is 21. It just barely came out and I went to see it Saturday. Out of all the recent movies I have seen its one of the best. The action and suspense is played well throughout the whole movie. I recommend going to see it.

Anyway, I hope you all had a fantastic week and a wonderful week this week. Let’s send out good vibes to our awesome team while they are on the road so we can end up with the wins we deserve to start the playoffs on the right foot!

ENTRY 11:

Hey Jazz Fans!

Happy Happy Easter!!! I hope that the Easter Bunny comes to visit all of you and leaves you a good treat. I had the opportunity this week to be the Easter Bunny for about 70 kids. My mother and I – and many great friends and family -- got together and did a service project for Primary Children’s hospital. We had so many people contribute to the cause that it turned out to be an even better project than we thought. We put together Easter baskets for kids ages 1 to fifteen. I was able to deliver them on Tuesday and Wednesday to the hospital and they were thrilled. It was such a neat experience to be able to be a part of and to serve someone in need.

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This week has been a full week of games and appearances for the Jazz. It has been so great to be so busy and be apart of such a great organization. Friday we had an appearance at Little America for the Lifeline auction. We took pictures and talked with all the guests that were there. After the auction closed we handed out all the goodies that people bid on. I have never been to Little America; it was such a nice hotel that I can only imagine what Grand America looks like. Tuesday was the season ticket holder signing with all the players. There were four of us Jazz girls that were able to be apart of that. We signed our posters and handed them out to the fans that came. I couldn’t believe how many people showed up and waited in such long lines. I believe we have some true Jazz fans!! It was awesome to see how many support our wonderful basketball team. Sunday I was able to hang out with the bear and some of the other Utah mascots. Some of the other Jazz girls came as well and we made a video with the bear. The Jazz Bear is an amazing Bear as I have said before. He is so involved in his job and makes sure that everyone is happy and taken care of. It was fun to be able to hang out with him all day and see what his job entails off the court.

Well Monday was St. Patrick’s Day and also a few very important people’s birthdays. First off my mother’s and second Kyle Korver’s! The game that night was very fun and exhausting as I'm sure you all know. I wasn’t able to spend much time with my mom that day but I got her a nice gift. She also decided not to come to the game that night because her favorite show “Dancing with the Stars” started its new season and she just had to watch it. But if she came to the game we could’ve sung to her and Kyle! How fun is that? There were a few of us on the sideline at that game who yelled to Kyle “Happy Birthday” and he looked back and said “thank you.” It was pretty awesome I must say. We had a full house on Thursday for the Jazz vs. Lakers game. The crowd was amazing and cheering so loud it gave me the chills. I love it when we have a full house, with a great crowd and awesome players. The adrenaline kicks in and takes you off your feet. We did halftime on Thursday along with our usual numbers. I’ll be honest I was a bit nervous to perform because we were able to dance so much. We even had lots of hot time outs which allowed us to go on the floor more than normal. And then boy was I nervous for Saturday’s game because we were down in the first half. But I knew we would pull through and win! And Guess who was a special guest in Saturday’s game? Lil’ Jon! Woo Hoo! He is a famous rapper for those of you who may not know him. He was all decked out in Jazz gear and he even rapped a little bit during “Great balls.”

This Easter I get to go out of town to Washington over night. I have never been there but I have heard it is a beautiful place. I am excited to see something new and be able to relax for a night. I hope you all have a great Holiday! Thanks for being the best fans in the world and I’ll see you next week!

ENTRY 10:

Hey Jazz Fans!

I feel like it has been a long while since I last kept in touch. These past few weeks have been so busy! There have been a lot of home games this month and many more to come. I love it when we have this many games at home cause that means we get to dance a lot more! Thursday some of us had the chance to do an appearance with the Bear down in Lehi at Albertsons. We gave out root beer floats and took pictures with the customers who wanted them. The Bear is the most popular guy I know! Everyone was rushing to see him and get his picture. He is so amazing with people and the fans.

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The Jazz/Nuggets game was a great game as well except for Kirelinko got hurt. I couldn’t see what exactly happened but I know he had to go to the hospital. I heard he hit the floor pretty hard and landed on his hip. I hope he is feeling better, and know that we give our best wishes to him!
WOW - last night’s game was so fun to be at. I was really excited to be working that game because we all know that we were going to beat the Nuggets!! YEA! I didn’t think we would kill them though and boy, was the crowd was pumped up and going crazy. As a Jazz dancer it is the most fun to dance for a crowd like that! When the whole arena is sold out and being on the court you can’t find a single empty seat and we are able to dance more than usual due to hot time outs. We have the best fans in the NBA but that is because we have the best team in the NBA. I love our home game winning streak and it’s going to keep going strong! I think it really helps with such energetic fans and Dancers! J Although the game was fantastic I have to say it was the night of the ‘dying Jazz dancer’. Not really, but I was very sick at the game. I have gotten this nasty cold that is consuming my breath! It’s funny though because when you are out performing it all goes away and you don’t think twice about it. I bet you have all experienced something like that at one time or another – ugh! L

Before I got sick I was able to do some fun activities this week. Downtown, there is a great dancing club and sometimes they have country dancing night, along with a hip hop floor. Being a dancer you just can’t get me away from dancing. So sometimes after practice, we head over and go country dancing! My favorite is the line dancing, there are so many moves and you have to pick them up fast if you’re going to be on the floor. Yes, I do love country music, so I was real bummed when I didn’t have tickets to the Rascal Flatts concert. They are one of my favorite country bands. I also was able to go see the new movie Ten thousand B.C. I thought step up was going to be my favorite movie this year but I think Ten thousand B.C. is right up there with it. The movie is full of suspense and drama. I highly recommend going to see it!

I believe the next holiday is St. Patrick’s Day! That is also my mother’s birthday. Funny story, I got in a car accident on her birthday a few years ago. I felt bad because I thought I ruined the day for her but we turned it into a major funny (since I wasn’t really hurt) – we got a kick out of the “VW” insignia that ended up tattooed in my hand (from my steering wheel hitting my arm)! Anyway, this St. Patrick’s day we have a game, so I hope to see you all in your green JAZZ stuff otherwise you may get pinched by that Leprechaun. Have a great week and we’ll see you soon!!

ENTRY 9:

What a beautiful day it is! I remember in my last blog I asked for sunshine and guess what it came! Thanks to me we have nice weather. Just kidding!
I was so excited for this month because it’s my birthday and it’s Valentines Day! I am turning the big twenty one this year and I feel so old! I can’t believe that I will be twenty one.

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When I was little and I turned five my dad made me promise him that I wouldn’t have any more birthdays. So it’s a joke with him that I am still only six and that I don’t get any more birthdays. My mom was a little sneak and took me to dinner on Friday night for my early birthday. And to my surprise my whole entire family was there. I was so happy to see all of them there. We ate at Asian Star and boy did I eat way too much as usual. I just love Chinese food. I got some cute stuff from my cute family; they even bought a cake and sang to me! It was a good surprise and a great way to start off my birthday week! On my birthday I was able to spend a day pampering myself and go shopping with my mom. I had an awards banquet that night but everyone sang to me there so that was nice of them.

As for Jazz Practice it has been a real easy week. Since there aren’t as many games in February we have not had too much to do. It’s been real nice to be a little more laid back at practice and have some fun. We had a game Saturday against the Bulls. I haven’t been in a game for awhile so it was fun to be back and dancing. Since we all rotate sometimes it’s a week or two before we do another game. I do have to say I was a little worried at the beginning of the game. Our players looked so beat and tired from traveling and working so hard all the time. So I’m glad they pulled it together and were able to get a win. I think it would’ve been cool if Michael Jordan was still playing then I could’ve seen him in real life. Ha Ha

After the game I went out to dinner with a friend at an Italian restaurant. Funny thing was, as I was walking in I saw one of the players walking out with take out. It was dark so I couldn’t tell who it was but it looked like Morris almond. Then a few minutes later I saw Kirelinko walk in with his family. It was funny to see everyone’s faces around us. They were in such awe and all of them wanted to talk to him and take pictures. I just had to sit back and laugh because even though I wish I could get his autograph I get to see him up close at the games. I bet it gets hard to be a celebrity, trying to go out with your family and never getting a break from us “normal” people who just love our famous JAZZ!

Well I hope all of you have had a wonderful weekend with this warm weather and have been able to go outside without freezing. I wish all of you had a Happy Valentines Day. I hope it was filled with lots of loves and kisses from all those whom are close to you. A couple of my girlfriends and I went out to dinner and a movie on Valentines. I like to call it Single awareness day. I love Italian food so we went and ate at the Olive Garden and we saw the new Step Up Two movie. I have to admit I could definitely go see that movie ten times over; it’s my new favorite dance movie of the year. I only wish I could train to dance like they do in the movie. Its amazing some of the things they do in the movie. I recommend going and seeing it.

On Friday some of us Jazz dancers and the bear had the opportunity to go to the Veterans Hospital. We walked around and took pictures with the patients, said thank you for all they do and the Bear passed out blankets. I have never done that before and it was a bit of a tear jerker. I wish the best of luck to all of those who serve our country. I love going out in the community and be able to serve others, hopefully making their day. It was a really neat experience.

I hope you all have a great week. We finally have some home games coming up this week. So let’s cheer on our JAZZ! See you there!

ENTRY 8:

Hey Jazz Fans!

I cannot believe this weather!! As much as I love it having a little sun to warm us up will also be awesome!! It’s been a huge blizzard for, well, seems like all winter!

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The game on Monday was amazing. The crowd was cheering so loud and there were lots of hot time outs which let's us dance more on the floor. I don’t know how many of you were at the game Wednesday but Little Giant Ladders was sponsoring and wanted the Jazz Girls to do a contest with the “little” (but actually BIG) ladders that fold into ten different positions. We had to fold them pull them up, take them down and all the above within 40 seconds. At quarter break four of us dancers did this little competition and I won! I won those little ladders for my section. I was so nervous when I got out there I was shaking up a storm. I don’t know what my time was and I didn’t think I was going to win, so I went crazy, jumping up and down when they announced that I won. Also, at the game Weds. we wore new outfits. I think they are so adorable and very flattering on all the girls. Hope you like it - they definitely are one of my favorites! We call it the biker tard! J Lastly, but most importantly, it was our one and only Jazz Bear’s Birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR! There were Mascots that came from other teams to help the bear celebrate and they put on a GREAT show. Even though we enjoy them too, there is nothing like our BEAR!!

Some of us girls have been spending a lot of bonding time together. We went to a movie and lunch before one of the games, then after practice Tuesday a couple of us went to another movie and drove around for a bit, and then Thursday we had a sleep over at Crystal’s house. We talked forever and then watched T.V. for awhile longer. It’s a great way to get to know each other and become even closer as a team and as friends. I love being with the girls and having such good friends…… friends I will never forget.

I have been busy this week volunteering at different clubs such as the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA, working with the children and teaching them dance. They love being able to jump around and show their moves to the other kids. It is such an honor to be able to share time with them and have an impact on our community. We did an appearance Tuesday with the stunt team at an elementary school. We did a few numbers and talked to the kids about staying in school, being healthy, and achieving their goals. They then had the chance to ask us questions. Its amazing how enthralled kids get about the Jazz, they just want to know everything. I have always been driven to kids and really love working with them and putting smiles on their faces, whether through dance or just a listening ear. I just love it!

I couldn’t pass up the continued great snow and was able to go snowboarding at Park City on Saturday. It was such a beautiful day with the sun shining, lots of powder and great slopes. It was really cold, but I was able to warm up with a cup of hot chocolate at lunch. I never do anything crazy but I love to go fast and carve the mountain. With all the snow storms it’s a great time to go up there. The mountains are beautiful here and I never realized how lucky we are to have such wonderful scenery.

I hope you all are having a great week and be safe driving in this crazy weather. Speaking of driving, follow the speed limits and traffic laws. Funny story, I have got pulled over twice with in a day of each other! So be careful! And don’t forget to cheer for our JAZZ!

ENTRY 7:

Good Afternoon Jazz Fans!

This week as been a great week for me and I hope for all you as well. Did any of you get to see our “Dad’s dance” that I wrote about in the last blog? My dad was so nervous. It was fun to have him on the floor and for him to get a sense of what we experience every game. All our Dad’s were AWESOME!

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There are a couple of us girls that car pool to our practices so that we don’t always have to drive separately. We each take turns, it saves on gas and it’s fun. We all live in the south and our practice is up north so it’s a long drive especially with the horrible traffic. Its fun to be with the girls driving, we like to jam out to music and have “girl talk”. We catch up on each others lives, tell jokes, and talk about what’s up and coming. Sometimes we even review our dances for practice so we don’t forget which dances were doing and so we don’t get into trouble. It’s been a rough week for some of us so we vent with each other and give each other advice that we all hear ten times a day. But knowing us girls …. we need to hear it ten more times. Ha ha!

Deanne taught us a new dance this week. It’s a real fun hip hop routine with lots of style. We will be performing it next week at one of the games. At practice on Thursday, after we ran, one of the girls had an allergic reaction. Her eyes swelled up and she turned bright red. We had to put a bag of ice on her face, give her some Benadryl and lay her down. She was feeling better a little later, but a little loopy!

After the game Friday I went to what is called Crimson Nights up at the University of Utah. It’s a big party the school puts on the first Friday of every month. They had all sorts of games and fun activities to participate in. Like dodgeball, skating, dancing, laser tag, darts and so on. But I have to say because I’m a girl, and I was out with the girls, all we did was dance on the dance floor. That’s all us dancers do anyways!

Okay so to end on a good note I have a joke to tell you. There are two olives rolling around on a table, one falls off. The other olive rolls to the edge of the table and yells “are you okay down there?” The olive says “I'll live” (as in olive) ! Ha Ha that’s my all time favorite joke at the moment (pretty silly). I hope you enjoyed it! Have a great week.

See you at the game on Friday!

ENTRY 6:

Happy New Year all you Jazz fans out there!

I can’t believe it’s a new year already. I feel like it has been forever since I have written. We had our Christmas party a while ago. It was at Crystal’s house and it was so fun! Her house was so beautifully put together, everything was perfect! We get gifts for our secret sister and all year long try to make sure they don’t find out who it is. So it was fun to see what everyone got each other for the Christmas party. Like I mentioned in my last blog, you get this group of 18 together and you never know what is going to happen! Pretty fun and we had some really great laughs. And the day after Christmas it was back to work at the game!

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The holidays are always a nice and relaxing time, but boy is it hard to go back to the regular schedule after being able to relax and spend time with family. But, I have to tell you the surprise gift I got for Christmas. I received a cat from Santa!! I was so excited because I have been wanting a cat or dog for a some time now and I certainly was not expecting to get one for Christmas! He’s a boy and his name is Max. He’s a fluffy little guy with quite the personality (very spunky!). He is the cutest thing ever! As a family we also received a Nintendo Wii! So we lucked out with all the shortages they had for Christmas.

I have to say my New Years was pretty exciting. I wasn’t in the game that night but it was a great game to watch and I wish I was there to see it. That new Korver is awesome and I think was a great addition to our wonderful Jazz team! I hope we can get back on our winning streak with this new and exciting energy.

Now, back to New Years …… me and my friend hosted a New Years party (first time I’ve ever done that). We made all the girls wear nice dresses and the guys collared shirts. It turned out great, with lots of food, silly string and loud noises when the ball fell at the last second. I hope we all can write down some new years resolutions and be able to achieve them (at least a few!) this year. It is always a good time to set some goals and get a new start on life as the New Year begins.

At practice we have been pretty busy with all the home games in January. But I do have to say we have been working on something I think is exciting for all to see. We will be performing this number on Thursday the 10th. Just be ready to have a good laugh and to cheer loud for your Jazz dancers and of course, the best team in the NBA!

ENTRY 5:

This holiday season was a little slower for me from past Christmas’s which was very nice actually. I went to the mall a couple of times and I have to say, that place was a zoo!

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I have had such a great experience participating in some “giving” events this year. Recently, I was able to help give out shoes at a boys and girls club. We gave out a new pair of shoes to all the kids and that was something to be a part of – in describable! Also, our family had fun purchasing items for some folks in need at the shelter which has been humbling and fun to do as well. For some reason, it’s much more fun to shop for someone else than for yourself. We dancers had the opportunity to wrap presents this week with the Jazz bear for a local community center for the disabled. I can’t believe all that the Jazz Bear does outside of the jazz games. I know most of you only see the fun and crazy side of him but he has such a warm heart for others and is so generous and kind. It is a great feeling to help others at this time of year and helping Santa put smiles on deserving faces!

I was able go snowboarding a few times at Brighton. I have been skiing since I was three years old and before that on my mom’s back. She tells me I used to say “faster, go faster” and for some reason now I LOVE going fast and shredding it up (especially past the guys J ). When I was a bit older, my Dad taught me to snowboard. But don’t worry, I try to be careful so I don’t get hurt. I’d be a real grump if I wasn’t able to dance at the Jazz Games! It has been really cold up on the mountain though recently. I thought I had enough layers on, but I still felt like I had frost bite on my toes -- Ha Ha! Except for dancing at a jazz game, my next favorite thing is racing down the hill, with the ipod blasting my music, and breathing the fresh air. This snow storm will hopefully give us some more fresh powder to play in!

We had our Dancer Christmas party, which was so much fun. You get us 18 girls all together and you don’t even want to know how crazy fun we are! We passed out gifts to our secret sisters, but they didn’t know who it was from, and then also doing white elephant gifts. That’s the funniest part; you never know what you will end up opening!

I hope all of you liked our Santa outfits. I love dancing to Christmas music during the holidays. It makes it much more festive.

ENTRY 4:

Hello Again!

What a beautiful weekend it has been with all the fresh new awesome snow! It looks to me, like we live in a winter wonderland. I hope that your holiday season is going well so far.

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As for the Jazz girls, we are loving it! At this point, we are still going, going, going. We have been able to do a couple of heart warming appearances recently. Friday we had the opportunity to help the bear raise money for the Kids for Christmas. It’s amazing how generous we all can be for such a great cause. And then Monday we get to visit Primary Children’s hospital to meet with the kids and hear their great and inspirational stories. It will be my first year doing it, but all the veterans say it is one of the best experiences. I am looking forward to that.

So I have to share with you a funny story of us girls. We went to practice at the practice center, which we usually don’t practice there. Anyway, we didn’t have a stereo and we had a couple girls go buy one at the store. What’s funny is that when they brought it back, we took it out to hook it all up and we couldn’t find the power cord. So how many Jazz Dancers does it take to find the power cord to the stereo? About 18. No one could find this cord, so we thought we should package it all back up and take it back to get a different one. While we were, putting it away back into the Styrofoam, one of the girls found the cord on the bottom of the Styrofoam. How silly is that? We all got a pretty good laugh at ourselves.

It’s been about a week since the last Jazz game and I’m excited for the next game on Tuesday. It shall be pretty fun! So let’s go root on our Jazz and have a great week.

See you soon!

ENTRY 3:

Happy Thanksgiving Jazz Fans!!!!

I hope you all had a great holiday and ate lots and lots of Turkey. Gobble, Gobble!
This week was pretty relaxing. I always love having a holiday, but who doesn’t.
Our practices were great and a little shorter on Tuesday and then with Thanksgiving, we didn’t have it on Thursday. But being the holiday feast it was, I tried to watch that I didn’t eat too much because of the Jazz game on Friday. I don’t think I succeeded very well! But I did try to jog some of it off! J I ate way more than I should’ve and I tried covering it up at the game. Ha Ha …… at least most of our costumes for that day covered our bellies.

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The game was so much fun on Friday. It’s even more fun when we are able to do a half time performance and then pass out fun things to the best fans in the world! Being dancers and not baseball players, sometimes we can’t throw things as far as we hope, but we try! Jocelyn and I got to take many pictures with the fans before the game (be sure to check out the “fan zone” on the website for your photos!). There are so many great Jazz fans that come to the games. So many were really excited to be the game, and some were really excited to take pictures with us. Some of the fans are great jokers, but some don’t pay much attention to us so I’ll try some tricks to get their attention and say hello. The Jazz Dancers aren’t so bad and we love to mingle with the fans.

After Fridays game I had one more great thing to look forward to this weekend and that was the BYU vs. UTAH game! Boy I was so nervous for our team, and I was lucky enough to go to the game and experience all that excitement. I do have to say I was extremely sad over the outcome but Utah was AWESOME and still number one. It was so fun to be there and cheer on our teams.

I hope all of you are looking forward to Christmas! I sure am, it’s always been one of my favorite holidays. I encourage you all to get in the Christmas spirit as early as possible and give as much as you can especially to those in need. I look forward to a great week and seeing you all at the next game. And, if you see us Jazz girls, remember to say hello!

ENTRY 2:

Hello again! Another week has passed. I can’t believe how time flies. It was another hard working week with alot to get done! We had practice Tuesday and set numbers (dances) for the game on Wednesday. The game was by far one of the best yet this season – Woo Hoo!!! For anyone who was there you know what I'mm talking about! The last five seconds were the most nerve racking. With one second to go we made a two pointer to win the game - PHEW!!

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As dancers, we always come a few hours early to the games to practice and get ready. We get to practice on the floor and space our numbers so that we can look perfect (hopefully!) from every angle. It’s can be a bit challenging sometimes because the players are out there shooting and doing drills along with the bear trying out his stunts. BUT, ya gotta love it! After our practice we get to go eat in our dressing room and so far, we have had some good food. And you know us dancers, we always need to eat! J Our favorite as a team is the cookies that they bring us, they are so delicious.

Once we finish up practices, we only have an hour to get ready so we are rushing to get our hair done, the makeup looking perfect and get our costumes on. We have hair stylists and make up artists come in to do all that for us most of the time. Trying to get twelve girls done with all that is very time consuming! They always make us look good, especially if you’re like me and can’t really do your make up the right way - Ha Ha.

Its always fun in the locker room with all the girls. We joke around, talk about our days and relationships. It’s a time that we get to mingle and grow closer as a team. Wednesday’s game was so exhausting – but a TOTAL blast! We got to do a lot more dancing and cheering because the time outs were so long . We practiced again on Thursday with so much to do. We didn’t get to condition that much because we needed to learn a new dance, along with setting the game for Saturday and the game for Monday. If we aren’t dancing at an upcoming game we get to step out and help clean the dances which is watching the girls do the dance a few times and sharing any corrections. Its fun to see what the dances look like and the creativity that goes into all of them.

We have another game Saturday, which will be another fun one to watch. We need to root LOUD for our team and ….. as the Jazz Bear would say “GET ON YOUR FEET”! See you all there!

ENTRY 1:

Hi Jazz Fans! Our names are Arial and Jocelyn, and this is our first year as Nu Skin Jazz Dancers. Yes, we are two of those so called Rookies!

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I’m Arial and some things I love to do is boating, snowboarding, reading, working out, DANCING (of course!) and teaching dance. I love the outdoors; hiking, river rafting and camping. I love to travel (lived in Hawaii for a year) and hang out with my friends and family. I’m a big UTAH football fan (GO UTES!) and I attend school full time and teach dance twice a week. I’m working on a degree in special education and love working with kids.

And I’m Jocelyn and some things I love include my family and friends, food - especially sushi, vacationing, the beach, Lake Powell, boating, roller coasters, holidays, any kind of music unless it screams. I also love the TV shows “The Office, Heroes, Who’s Line is it Anyway and Friends. I’m into Cosmetology and Esthetics, Tumbling, and obviously being a NUSKIN JAZZ DANCER for The UTAH JAZZ!

It has been such an amazing experience to be a Jazz Dancer! Aside from the adrenalin of being of the floor with all you WONDERFUL JAZZ FANS, it’s great camaraderie and fun to make public appearances and get to know people.

Before we made Jazz Dancers, we had to go through Tryouts which was physically and emotionally exhausting! All kinds of things go through your head … “am I good enough”, how could I “stand out” and show how much I wanted to be a Jazz Dancer? And butterflies – millions! Anyway, the tryouts consisted of three cuts. The first one was freestyle. The judges watched about 200 dancers in the freestyle portion and then cut it down to apx. 75 girls.

After that we learned a routine from Jan (our coach). It was very up beat and fast, and we danced in groups of four for this cut. After the routine tryout we waited around for what seemed forever! Then top thirty were picked and announced and amazingly enough both of us were in the top 30!!! We can’t explain to you the feelings that went through our bodies while we sat and waited for our numbers to be called. Once the top 30 were picked, we came back a second day for the interview segment and a last dance tryout. This was a little nerve racking, because your in a room with all the judges and your trying your best to have them get to know you in a short amount of time, all while feeling REALLY nervous!

After interviews we had one more dance tryout and then our tryouts were over. They announced to us at the end, that later that day (what seemed like hours if not weeks) we could check on the website or call in on a phone number in which you heard a recorded message with all the names and numbers of the girls that had made the team. For me, (Arial) I was so nervous I just couldn’t bring myself to call in. We couldn’t find anything on the internet either. While we frantically searched the Jazz website, I started to receive some text messages from my friends saying “Congratulations Arial” and then my stomach starting turning upside down! Finally, I settled down and called the number and heard for myself the AMAZING news!!! When it finally sunk in I couldn’t stop jumping around and crying and I just felt so honored, and excited!

As for me (Jocelyn), I was exhausted - not saying I wouldn't do it again but I was glad when it was all over! The night before the interviews and the last part of the dancing auditions, I probably did the try-out dance like 100 times at home because the first day in front of the judges I kind of froze up and I was not going to let that happen again! Thankfully it didn't, and everything went well! So then, as Arial said the results were posted on the web later that day or you could call in for the message. Well, I couldn't find the number anywhere and our internet was having troubles. I was freaking out! Finally, at 5:45, we got the site up and my picture was the first thing I saw! But, there's one more thing that had happened that day. I guess before I got to the computer my dad saw that I had made it! Right after that my internet started struggling. And of course he didn't tell me! He knew all along! He's such a dork! ya gotta love dads. Anyway, seeing that I had made it was awesome! Growing up in a Jazz fan family, it was the best feeling ever to know that I had accomplished something that I have wanted since I was a little girl! Well, ever since then, we’ve been in heaven, but certainly working hard!, and LOVING it!

Our practices can be pretty hard. After our conditioning (which is hard but awesome) we do some intense workouts like running the track, Indian runs, “snaking the hill”, sprinting or running the bleachers. After that we do lunges half way around the track, and then high knee skipping and squats. After our run we do a number of sit ups and push ups to help us get in the best shape possible. We then set our dances for the upcoming games. We may learn one or two new dances as well as cleaning others we already know. But our team is so great that we get it all done! J The girls on the team are so fun to be with and amazing to be around. The veterans, and even the other rookies, help you so much with everything you need to know down to critiquing you in the routines. We can tell we are creating some life long friends and memories! As part of prepping for our season we have the opportunity for our hair and makeup to be done by the professionals! Many of us have some different “do’s” -Arial is now a brunette – check it out! and Jocelyn, well still a beautiful blonde! We have to say it’s really fun to have our hair and makeup done by the pro’s!

The first pre-season game and the opener has come and gone. We didn’t know what to expect when we got into that arena. It’s huge – especially from down on the floor!! Being on the floor and looking up at the crowd gives you a rush of adrenaline. It’s so fun to perform for that many people – especially the loud & supportive Jazz Fans! We have about four dances we do for each game and they are all different; a few that are only a minute long, a few hot time outs, and then some free style dancing as well. You Jazz fans make it more fun for us when we hear you cheer or see smiles on your faces!

We have to say opening night was crazy! They had huge bags of balloons drop along with amazing fireworks booming throughout the arena! The game was sold out, and the crowd was so loud! It was awesome (except for the disappointing outcome) BUT it’s ok because we kicked it against Golden State – YAY! ….. And the season has just started.

Along with all the dancing we get to do we have the opportunity to go out in the community for certain events as well as do some service. So far, we’ve made appearances at golf tournaments and. Jocelyn and I did a performance at the special Olympic opening ceremonies. We also did an appearance for the PARC. It’s so fun to see what we can do for our community and how much others appreciate you. You get the greatest feeling after helping others and being, hopefully, a fun part of their day!

We look forward to many more WINNING games, and dancing and entertaining our hearts out, so be watching for us, you can’t miss us girls down there dancing away, rallying the crowd! We’ll keep you posted on different things we are doing and our journey as UTAH JAZZ DANCERS!! See you all at the games! And . . . GO JAZZ!