Gold Rush Gal
Posted on March 11, 2011 – 7:21 PM | by Admin
by James W. Cameron
On first glance, Courtney Beaudreau, 26, is a typical, attractive Midtown resident. She’s blond, always smiling, and enthused about life in her hometown. But she has something that sets her apart. She’s a member of the Gold Rush, the San Francisco ‘49ers cheerleading squad, a role occupied by only thirty carefully selected ladies. I sat down with her recently at Ma Jong’s to talk with her about her experience.
JC: How did this come about?
CB: Well, I was a cheerleader in high school and really enjoyed it so this just seemed like a natural extension of that experience. The competition was intense. Five hundred women showed up for the audition and I was nervous. I made it on the first attempt. Some people try four or five times before making the squad and some never make it at all. I was just nineteen and it was a gratifying experience.
So you’ve been at this for seven years?
No, I stayed with it for two years, took a four year break, and then attended cosmetology school. Then I worked in a salon before returning to cheerleading. I also worked for the Wong family in the restaurant business and I currently work for them at MIX and the Park Ultra Lounge.
Do you have to practice often?
Yes, there’s a lot of pre-season practice and once the season starts, we practice on the Saturday before each game for six or seven hours in an aerobic and fitness club in San Jose, and then on an athletic field in Santa Clara. On a typical game day, we meet at 7:45 in the morning and rehearse again for two hours, then interact with people at their tailgate parties in the parking lot. That’s an important part of the day for many fans. Forty five minutes before kickoff we go to the field to sign game cards and present our pre-game performance. During the game, we’re stationed at designated points around the field and lead fans in cheering.
Do you get to spend time with the players?
No, we’re not allowed to fraternize with the team members and that’s a rule that’s strictly followed. Once in a while we have a chance to meet former players at public events and I’ve meet Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice. We sign contracts containing rules and regulations concerning behavior, dress codes, hair style, use of alcohol and tobacco, and squad members really pay attention to them. We represent the team in public and it’s an important responsibility.
Is it true that the Gold Rush is an organization with considerable history and tradition behind it?
I understand that it was formed as a co-ed squad in the late seventies, then became female later. We appear in more than three hundred events a year, like national television shows and we host a number of charitable organizations; the ones that come to mind are the Special Olympics and Shriners hospitals but there are many others. It’s a lot of work but there a lot of rewards also – the satisfaction that goes with helping others and the contacts we’re able to make. Many of the girls have good jobs and careers as a result.
You’re very enthusiastic about the Gold Rush. Are you having fun with it?
Well early this season we went to London. The trip was like a dream! We were treated so well… [we] stayed at the Landmark Hotel and there were paparazzi with their cameras waiting for us outside the hotel! We did several special appearances, one of them a two hour TV spot, and another in the parking lot where they had built a backdrop of the Golden Gate Bridge! The team was scheduled to play the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium and there were eighty-five thousand people there! And they were so quiet… and polite. It was a different atmosphere from the games here. In my earlier years with the squad we went to photo shoots in Cancun and Costa Rica.
What’s next for you, a career in cosmetology?
Well, this experience has made my desire for the future clear. We made an appearance at a Shriner’s hospital and I had a chance to talk with kids being treated there, many serious burn victims. It melted my heart and changed my perspective. I’m resolved to go to nursing school. I’m going to do something to help those kids. That’s my goal.