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Nonprofit is working to protect women during Super Bowl XLV [HD]

Angela Hamann — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 19:52:23 +0000

One of the biggest sporting events in the world is headed for Cowboys Stadium. Super Bowl XLV will bring thousands of people to North Texas, but not everyone that’s coming is interested in football.

“There are going to be pimps here from Hawaii and New York that have clout,” said Tekla. “They look like businessmen, but they are pimps. They will be bringing girls from all over the country here. Girls from the ages of 13 to adult women.”

She’s talking about prostitution and fears many of these women will be brought to North Texas against their will and then left behind once the game is over.

“DFW will be flooded with broken women and lost little girls,” said Tekla.

When the Super Bowl is over, the party will end, spectators will leave, and life will resume to normal. But people won’t be thinking about the exploitation of women that continues in North Texas. And some of these girls believe that there is no other way of life.

“Sex exploitation is the human rights issue of our time,” said Katie Pedigo. “It is a modern day form of slavery.”

Katie Pedigo is the Executive Director of New Friends New Life, an organization that helps over three hundred women a year escape the sex industry. She estimates over fifteen thousand prostitutes will be brought to North Texas for the Super Bowl, and New Friends New Life is prepared to help them.

“The goal of the organization is to help women and their children as they seek to escape the degradation of the sex industry,” said Pedigo. “We do that by offering education, employment, life skills and counseling.”

Tekla, a graduate of the program, says New Friends New Life didn’t just tell her she could make a change, they showed her how and gave her the strength to get there.

“They came in a helped me with my rent, my car payment, my utilities and absolutely everything,” said Tekla. “I don’t know how I would have survived. They assisted me until I was able to take care of myself.”

Although many of the women that seek help from New Friends New Life come from very different backgrounds, most of them have one thing in common.

“Most of the times what we see that has happened is some type of traumatic experience,” said New Friends New Life Advocate Irie Session. “Some type of abuse. Some type of incident that caused them to devalue their own worth and that usually causes a woman to be vulnerable.”

Tekla says she is thankful people like Pedigo dedicate their lives to helping women understand they can escape the sex industry and live a different life.

“I truly believe that if I had heard somebody tell me there was another way that I probably would have chosen to seek another way,” said Tekla.

New Friends New Life is ready to help the women and girls brought to the Super Bowl, and the ones that are left behind to fend for themselves. But Pedigo says they can’t do it alone.

“We need men to say I’m not buying it,” said Pedigo.

New Friends New Life plans to expand across the country to help as many women and girls as they can who are being sexually exploited.

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Dallas Stars Ice Girls [HD]

Norrelle Dickson — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:56:24 +0000

Speed and precision is the name of the game in the NHL. This also holds true for the Dallas Stars Ice Girls.

“We scoop up the ice that the zamboni can’t go out and get,” said Dallas Stars Ice Girl Katherine Voelker.

This responsibility sounds much easier than it actually is.

“As ice girls we have to get out on the ice during team timeouts, get all the excess snow off as fast as we can and we only have two minutes,” said Dallas Stars Ice Girl Grace Sells.

Just like rookie ice girl Kaime OTeter once thought most fans don’t realize how challenging it is to be an ice girl.

“I knew that the girls had skating responsibilities but I had no idea that we got fined if we didn’t get it in time,” said Dallas Stars Ice Girl Kaime OTeter. “It’s intense.”

The Dallas Stars are one of only a few teams in the NHL that have ice girls.

“A lot of the other teams in the NHL actually have grown men that do it,” said Dallas Stars Ice Girl Kristen Sheeley. “We have lots of pretty girls.”

The Dallas Stars Ice Girls have other responsibilities as well. Pregame responsibilities include meet and greet with the fans, in game ice promotions and dance routines.

“On average we have about twenty five different dances all completely different,” said OTeter.

The Dallas Stars Ice Girls game duties are split into two groups: dancers and skaters.

“Once it’s game time the dancers get ready and go up stairs to prep for dance and skaters are going to go down the tunnel to get ready,” said Sheeley.

Once the puck drops and the game begins it’s showtime for the Dallas Stars Ice Girls.

“It’s just two and a half hours after that of just skating and dancing really hard,” said Sheeley. “Ice girls as a whole are becoming very, very popular.”

Fans can catch up with all the ice girls every season at all of the Dallas Stars home games.

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Dancing for FC Dallas [HD]

Norrelle Dickson — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:07:37 +0000

“Today is the FC Dallas Dancers dance team auditions,” said Director of FC Dallas Dancers Tamara Jenkins. “We are looking for fantastic girls that have energy, charisma and can dance.”

At the Power House of Dance in Frisco dance team hopefuls are high kicking their way into auditions in hopes of dancing for one of the best soccer teams in the country. Highly decorated choreographer Roger Lee knows how stressful and nerve racking auditions can be.

“I am originally from Dallas but I have resided in Los Angeles for the passed 7 years,” said choreographer Roger Lee. “I have been on tour with Justin Timberlake. I have choreographed for Janet Jackson for her All For You tour and her HBO special which was nominated for an Emmy. I worked with PINK and Gwen Stefani. If you really want to perform and entertain don’t let your nerves get the best of you.”

Before the dancers could strut their stuff a lot of preparation is being put into getting ready for this audition.

“Attending as many prep classes as they offer,” said dancer Kristen Haulderbaum. “We do a lot of eating healthy and conditioning and we do have to worry about our hair and makeup.”

As the dancers finished their final preparations to impress the judges tension began to build. It was showtime!

“I am looking for the best and the brightest today,” said Jenkins.

The dancers brought energy and talent to the auditions and after a grueling day it was time to find out who made the team.

“Oh my gosh,” said dancer Crystal Flores. “They’re going to post the winners tomorrow on the FC Dallas website. That just kind of nerve racking so I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight.”

“So we’ll all be like at work checking the website,” said Holderbaum.

And Holderbaum did make the team. It’s an achievement this dancer’s proud of and thankful for. She says without the support of her family none of this is possible.

“When I found out it was more a big wave of excitement not just for me but for my whole family because they’ve been rooting for me for a long time to,” said Holderbaum. “I don’t know how much money they’ve spent on dance practices since the age of five.”

Now that the dance team is finalized Jenkins and her squad can focus on making the FC Dallas Dancers season better then ever.

“The fans are great and I love soccer,” said dancer Rebekah Leonard. “It’s just a great atmosphere. We’re going to have a very successful year.”

These FC Dallas Dancers will showcase their talent all season long at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco.