LHS Grad Finalist for Patriots Cheerleader

Londonderry resident Aly Smedley is a finalist for the 2013 New England Patriots Cheerleading Squad.

Smedley, a 2008 graduate of Londonderry High School, is coming off her rookie season as a Patriots Cheerleader. While she is currently pursuing a career in broadcasting, she is working as a part-time educator at the elementary and middle school level.

In her free time, she coaches the Attleboro, Mass. middle school cheerleading squad. She participates in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk and has volunteered with young children at Child Welfare Daycare centers.

The New England Patriots Cheerleaders kicked off the annual Patriots Cheerleaders Boot camp on March 20, the final step in the month-long process to select the 2013 squad. Approximately 320 applications were submitted at open auditions. That number was narrowed to 57 candidates and then further whittled to the 36 remaining contestants.

The finalists will run through intensive training sessions consisting of elements of standard Patriots Cheerleader practices. The sessions will involve rigorous fitness and physical training, choreography, public speaking exercises and promotional appearance training drills. At the end of the fourth session on Saturday, March 30, 24 cheerleaders will be selected for the 2013 squad.

The 2013 Patriots Cheerleading Squad rehearses twice each week and performs at all Patriots home games. In addition to performing in front of nearly 70,000 fans, a spot on the squad provides many exciting and unique opportunities. The cheerleaders travel to an exotic location in the spring for the Patriots Cheerleaders Swimsuit Calendar shoot, with this year’s trip set to take place in June at Coconut Bay Resort in St. Lucia. The New England Patriots Cheerleaders serve as goodwill ambassadors for the team year-round, making hundreds of appearances throughout New England. Additionally, the Patriots Cheerleaders have visited deployed military troops in more than 25 countries.