NFL Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders

The TopCats NFL Carolina Panthers cheerleaders are officially known as the TopCats. They entertain fans during all home games as well as make many charity appearances.

Auditions for the Carolina Panthers are grueling.

Unlike some of the older NFL teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, the Panthers were one of two expansion teams started in 1995. Consequently, the TopCats have been a part of the Carolina Panthers organization from the very beginning. More importantly, they have come onto the NFL scene at a time when cheerleaders have become standard as part of the overall NFL experience. Their mission is to entertain fans and represent the Carolina Panthers.

Auditions for the NFL Carolina Panthers cheerleader squad are a lengthy process lasting over a month! Auditions are generally held in April and May. In order to be considered, potential TopCats must:

• Be at least 21 years of age
• Be physically fit
• Have good showmanship skills
• Be able to dance well

Potential candidates are asked to choreograph their own moves to a clip of music (provided at the audition website). The ladies are evaluated in groups of five.

For those girls who make it through the preliminaries, they then go on to learn a routine from the TopCats choreographer and again perform in groups of five. The women that are selected from this phase go on to the interview portion of the process.

The semi-finals portion consists of interviews, a meeting, two dance rehearsals and a competition. If the girls make it to the finals, they undergo three weeks of the program under observation. The final decision is made after those three weeks. The entire process is grueling, especially if you're one of the girls that makes it to the finals but not on the team! However, the Panthers organization points out that it is a great opportunity to see what it takes to be a TopCat.

The Panthers organization is very protective of the image of the organization and requires that potential cheerleaders be able to pass a drug screen before they are hired in addition to regularly going for drug testing. In addition, potential candidates have to submit to a background check that includes civil, criminal and driving records. Perhaps this will help protect the organization from future embarrassments. Unfortunately, the TopCats are not always known for top notch behavior.

In general, NFL cheerleaders are expected to uphold a certain standard of conduct as are the football players. Whenever someone doesn't uphold that standard, stories as well as the team name are splattered all over the media. Such is the case with two Panthers' cheerleaders who were caught in a compromising position in a bar and subsequently arrested for their conduct in 2005. The story broke all over the news and led to quite a stigma to the Carolina Panthers organization. However, the Panthers set a standard and the two cheerleaders were promptly fired.

Cheerleaders are expected to represent their organization and have explicit contracts with regards to conduct, media relations and responsibilities. Almost all professional cheerleaders hold full time jobs and are all involved in charity work representing their NFL organization. No doubt, cheerleading is a lot of work for these ladies.

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