Carlos Monarrez

Detroit Free Press

The Detroit Lions cheerleaders took their places Thursday night in the east end zone at Ford Field. They stood ready in four staggered lines. Each cheerleader had one knee bent, head turned and her hands pulled back toward her hips.

Cheerleader director Rebecca Smoker turned on the music. It was an instrumental version of “Gridiron Heroes,” the song that rings out at Ford Field every time the Lions score.

The cheerleaders began their routine. There was twirling and dancing, high leg kicks and simulated pompoms.

The performance occurred in front of more than 60,000 empty seats. But it marked the first time the cheerleaders performed the routine because Thursday also marked the first time the squad performed as a team at Ford Field. The cheerleaders — the Lions’ first since 1974 — will debut at an exhibition game Aug. 18.

“It’s really important that they understand the magnitude of this,” Smoker said. “There’s a lot of media and there’s a lot of eyes on them. Really trying to get them to build some confidence in that. We watched film before we came down here from the auditions, so they’re translating it well. I see a lot of great improvements, so I’m very excited.”

Yes, there’s film. Just like the game film the NFL players watch. Every part of their performance is critiqued. Smoker prompted the squad to be aware of the entire stadium, including the farthest reaches of the upper level, to dance together as a unit and to keep smiling at a sea of empty seats.

“These ladies trained their entire lives to be here, from a dance perspective, and I want them to make sure that everyone can see those mastered skills; it’s really important,” Smoker said. “So, we watch film. We’ll videotape again, and they’ll watch film tonight. They’ll have homework. They’ll have to watch film at home, analyze themselves, analyze the team and then come back with improvements.”

Most of the 28 finalists work at jobs during the day before they train about three nights a week during camp. Besides learning routines, the cheerleaders also must have a clear understanding of the organization and know how to conduct themselves during games and at promotional events.

“There’s training on how they dance, how they speak, their first impressions, how they host an event, just how they interact with all the fans,” Smoker said. “The goal is to just make sure they’re ready for the job in a way that they’re not feeling unconfident.”

The Lions are not disclosing the last names nor hometowns of cheerleaders because of security. Stacey, who works as a dance instructor, said knowing the team’s place in the organization is important.

“Yeah, that in itself is huge,” she said. “That is history in the making. So everyone, I think, we realize that and we’re all ready to rise to that occasion and that’s not something small. It’s something that everyone needs to take seriously and we’re very happy to be here, but we know we have a lot of work to do.”

Micah, who has two years of experience as an NFL cheerleader in Florida, said the experience has been more than a little exhilarating.

“Amazing,” Micah said with a gleeful laugh. “It really is amazing.

“And for me this experience is completely different. Yes, the fans are there, but Detroit has something very specific about it. It’s that family, it’s that community and it’s that camaraderie. And being able to do this for the first time and with women who feel the same way is kind of what’s making it a different experience for all of us.”

Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.

Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!