Kimiko Tanaka — Pg 2 of 2

"We sign one-year contracts,” says Tanaka. “We rehearse from May to January, all the way up to the Super-Bowl, three times a week, in three-hour intervals.” Time during the rest of the year is blocked for public appearances, charity events, press conferences, fundraising efforts or foreign tours to promote America’s unique version of football to the rest of the world.

The opportunity for travel, Tanaka admits, is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. Venturing outside North America is to enter a world where the word football is used interchangeably with soccer, and the NFL expends great quantities of energy to familiarize the rest of the globe with one of America’s great home-grown pasttimes. This year NFL preseason games were played in Tokyo, Berlin, London and Barcelona, testament enough to the fact that these efforts are producing results.

Tanaka has been a regular, avid participant on several tours to Europe and Asia “promoting American footbal, American cheerleading, and ultimately the American image.” The Raiders weren’t among the teams selected to play abroad this year, but the team has done a great deal to enhance the image of football; the sheer quantity of Raiders paraphernalia that permeates every segment of society is nearly mind-boggling. That mystique has been a boon to the Raiderette organization as well, making it one of the most recognized group of supporters in the world of professional sports.

“We sign one-year contracts,” says Tanaka. “We rehearse from May to January, all the way up to the Super-Bowl, three times a week, in three-hour intervals.” Time during the rest of the year is blocked for public appearances, charity events, press conferences, fundraising efforts or foreign tours to promote America’s unique version of football to the rest of the world.

The opportunity for travel, Tanaka admits, is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. Venturing outside North America is to enter a world where the word football is used interchangeably with soccer, and the NFL expends great quantities of energy to familiarize the rest of the globe with one of America’s great home-grown pasttimes. This year NFL preseason games were played in Tokyo, Berlin, London and Barcelona, testament enough to the fact that these efforts are producing results.

Tanaka has been a regular, avid participant on several tours to Europe and Asia “promoting American footbal, American cheerleading, and ultimately the American image.” The Raiders weren’t among the teams selected to play abroad this year, but the team has done a great deal to enhance the image of football; the sheer quantity of Raiders paraphernalia that permeates every segment of society is nearly mind-boggling. That mystique has been a boon to the Raiderette organization as well, making it one of the most recognized group of supporters in the world of professional sports.

Yes, as Tanaka shows, there is life after the Raiderettes. Though never losing the vigor or enthusiasm called for by her duties as a squad veteran, she admits that the physical demands of the job began taking their toll on her posture. “Not many people realize this, but we usually perform in high heels. You can imagine the effects that years of dancing around in high-heeled boots can have if you’re not careful.

And that classic Raiderette pose,” she continues with just a hint of sarcasm, “the upright shoulders, the arched back — it may look sexy, but it’s hard to maintain over time.” Citing concerns about recurrent back pains that she’d just as soon keep from worsening, Tanaka decided to strike out on her own this year and leave the tryouts to those young girls who haven’t yet had their chance at stardom.

Tanaka currently divides her time among several competing endeavors, all of which in some way or another relate to her body and her determination to keep fit. Her pride and joy is the nutrition business she’s owned for the past year. “I counsel clients in many different ways,” she says, “everything from proper eating routines to the best ways for them to keep in shape.” Tanaka is still heavily involved with professional cheerleading, though admittedly her loyalty is no longe to one specific team. A group she now heads, aptly dubbed American Spirit, schedules on average three world tours a year, most recently to England, France, Germany and Japan. The routines are a veritable combination of Americana and entertainment, which many assume are one and the same thing anyway.

Asked about whether she sometimes finds the intense attention to her physical appearance rather shallow, or whether the continual demand to position herself in provocative yet unnatural poses demeans her, Tanaka answers with a coy smile. “Your own attitude about such things is what’s most important. If you feel uncomfortable about what you’re doing or give other the chance to demean you, they most assuredly will. But if you’re comfortable with yourself and what you do with your life, others will pick up on that feeling and be comfortable with you as well.”