Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Introducing the MDX Reds Crew
It wasn't such a great start for the Cincinnati Reds yesterday. They lost their home opener to the Cubs 16-7. But it was a great start for the new MDX Reds Crew under the supervision of former Cincinnati Ben-Gal Allison Leonard. Kyle Burch at Reds.com has the story.
Allison as a Ben-Gal
Providing a family friendly, entertaining product at Great American Ball Park is something the Cincinnati Reds have taken pride in providing their fans.
The organization has done this in the past with different in-game promotions, a variety of activities in the Fan Zone at the ballpark, as well as the fan interaction with the team mascots and the Pepsi Reds Rally Pack. The Reds' new ownership will continue to provide fan friendly experiences this year, while adding new and unique experiences for those in attendance. One of those new entertainment experiences is the introduction of the MDX Reds Crew.
The MDX Reds Crew, sponsored by Mountain Dew's new MDX drink, consists of 12 women -- mostly coming from some background in cheer and dance squads -- who will be a complement to the Pepsi Reds Rally Pack. However, as Reds marketing operations and events coordinator Zach Bonkowski explains, the MDX Reds Crew isn't going to be labeled as a group of cheerleaders.
"The idea behind the group is to bring more energy, more enthusiasm and more excitement to the ballpark," Bonkowski said. "They will serve as kind of an extension to the Rally Pack."
Reds fans can expect to see the MDX Reds Crew performing some choreographed dance routines during inning breaks. However, the organization has bigger plans for the group. Fans can also expect to see the group throwing out T-shirts and other promotional items, helping with in-game promotions, and interacting with fans during the season.
While the MDX Reds Crew is still in its infancy, the organization hopes to get the crew more involved in fan and community interaction as the season progresses.
"They will be doing a lot of different things during the game, like helping out with giveaways, passing out T-shirts and interacting with fans," Bonkowski said. "We're still deciding on everything they will be involved in, but part of the excitement of this group is not knowing exactly what they will be doing."
Allison Leonard, who serves as the supervisor to the Pepsi Reds Rally Pack and the MDX Reds Crew, sees this as another outlet for the Reds organization to connect with its fans.
"I think this ups the entertainment value for the fans while at the ballpark," said Leonard, a four-year veteran with the Cincinnati Bengals' "Ben-Gals" cheerleaders. "The girls are going to be involved in many different things during the game. They'll be visiting the suites, the Party Deck and the Fan Zone. They'll be an added part to the fans experiencing the game."
The crew will have three members present on weekday games, four members at weeknight games and five members at all weekend games and sellouts. They have been holding two-hour practices twice a week since auditions were held earlier this month.
The MDX Reds Crew will make its debut by participating in the Findlay Market Opening Day parade.
Bonkowski says that this avenue of entertainment makes the Reds unique to the rest of the league.
"Every team has some kind of entertainment squad," Bonkowski said. "Now with the MDX Reds Crew, as far as I know, we are the only team with two versions."
Allison as a Ben-Gal
