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SALT LAKE CITY - Utah Blaze dancer Juliet C. will be the first to tell you that dreams do come true. As a little girl, Juliet had aspirations of becoming a dancer or cheerleader for a professional sports franchise, and that dream came true this last year when she was named to be a member of the 14-member Blaze Dancers. After the completion of her first season as a Blaze Dancer she received another honor in being named to the 2008 Aaron's AFL Dream Team, which will perform at ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans on July 27. “It was a huge accomplishment and I didn't know it was even going to be possible,” she said. “I just worked hard and hoped for that experience and I actually got it. It was awesome.” On June 9, the final Blaze regular-season home game, Juliet, who graduated from Weber High School, found out she had been selected to be part of the team, which will also make appearances in New Orleans prior to the game between the Philadelphia Soul and San Jose SaberCats. Big Budah, emcee of Blaze home games, made the announcement in the second quarter in Utah's 65-56 win over the Los Angeles Avengers. “He said my name but it really didn't hit me,” she said. “…We (the dance team) knew one person was going to be selected (that night).” Juliet, who is two years away from getting a degree in Education at Weber State University (Ogden, Utah), will leave for New Orleans on Wednesday, July 23. She received a DVD of the five dances the team will perform at the game, and has spent the last little while trying to master them. “It is different learning off a DVD and not being able to ask a question if I didn't understand how (the instructor) did something,” she said. Each of the 17 Arena Football League teams had one of its dancers selected. “I feel it's a huge accomplishment that every little girl dreams of,” she said. “You actually get paid to do something that you love.”
ABOUT THE UTAH BLAZE
The Utah Blaze were recipients of the Best Support Staff Award for the 2006 and 2007 seasons as recognized by the Arena Football League. Tickets are available by logging onto www.utahblaze.com or by calling (801) 257-3111. The Blaze are owned and operated by the Ken Garff Automotive Group – www.kengarff.com.
