Welcome to our Honorary Member for November 2022, Jennifer Valentyne
Our CFCAO Honorary Member for Grey Cup month, November 2022 is the one and only Jennifer Valentyne. Jennifer is a familiar face to many from her many years in broadcasting, including 23 years on Breakfast Television on City as well as stints on radio, on W Network as host of the Bachelor and Bachelorette After Shows in 2016 and 2017, and as co-host of the Global Morning Show from 2019 to 2020. It’s a stellar resume for sure, but did you know that Jennifer was also a Toronto Argos Sunshine Girl? We had the chance to chat with Jennifer about her years cheering in the CFL.
 
CFCAO:  So what years were you a Sunshine Girl?
Jennifer:  “1986, 87, 88! I was only 18 years old when I actually auditioned to be a cheerleader. I had thought about it for years, so it was really exciting for me.  I had called them and asked if it was ok because you had to be 19, you had to be drinking age, but they said as long as I was 19 years old by the first game I would be fine. So I was pretty excited”
CFCAO:  What brought you to try out?
Jennifer:  “I think the Toronto Sun. Everybody read the Sun back then, and the cheerleaders were always in the paper. And I was a dancer. I danced ballet, tap, jazz, highland. I think a lot of dancers wanted to be Argonaut cheerleaders at that time, because really, yes you’re cheering for your team but you’re a dancer. It was not only about cheering it was about a performance. It was also about representing your community and doing charity work.”
CFCAO:  That first year, how did you feel auditioning? Were you nervous?
Jennifer:  “I was afraid because I was the youngest. I was 18 years old and I’d never done anything like that before. I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know if I was going to be good enough, if my dancing was going to be good enough. And there were only a few spots because as you know a lot of the former cheerleaders come back and even though it’s not a guarantee they’re going to be brought back on the team, they pretty much know what they’re doing, so there were only a few spots to fill, and hundreds of girls and a lot of judges.  Also, I think I was pretty conservative, maybe even a little prudish and I was a little shy, so going in there I felt that a lot of the girls were looking gorgeous and sexy and I was wearing a bodysuit right up to my neck, so I was wondering if I really looked the part. But it was really about the dancing and that’s what it came down to.  It was in a big ballroom in a hotel, and we had to learn the dance then had to perform it. They asked questions, they whittled it down and they picked the few girls and I was shaking, thinking I wasn’t going to make it. I had already formed connections with some of the girls on the team, we’d already bonded. Then, when my name was called it was surreal! I couldn’t even believe it.  And nobody knew! I am really great at keeping secrets. I never told anybody. I only told my immediate family, but I didn’t tell any of my friends that I was doing this.”
CFCAO:  Being a cheerleader in the CFL is really a big commitment. I don’t think a lot of people realize that.
Jennifer:  “I think that’s why I have a good work ethic to this day, I always have. Not only did I get it from my parents, but if you’re going to be a cheerleader in the CFL, you know what kind of commitment it is. 4 nights a week, and then you’re out in the community on weekends and then you’re cheering on the field. People didn’t realize how much work we put into it. And you really bond with all the ladies. I’ll never forget it and I loved every second of it.”
CFCAO:  Do you remember how it felt going out on the field the first time to cheer in front of a game day crowd?
Jennifer:  “It’s scary that first football game, you’re terrified and then … you love it! You’re up on the big screen, you’re dancing, eh you may make a few mistakes, but nobody really notices and once you get that one game over with it’s smooth sailing from there.”
CFCAO:  There are so many memories. Do you remember any funny stories?
Jennifer:  “Well, I have a couple.  You know, the girls kind of teased me a little bit because, like I told you, I was a little bit prudish, if you know what I mean, and you wouldn’t think that, being a cheerleader and you’re out there and the uniforms aren’t that big, but for me the uniform was a little low cut. I didn’t want to show any cleavage. So, the girls would all make fun of me because before each game I would pull my uniform up and would pin my bra to the uniform so you couldn’t see my cleavage! And they would be like, what are you doing?!? Now, if I could have it back there wouldn’t be any pin!!  But you know what, it’s who I was. Everybody was different.”
“Another (funny story) happened when we got to Grey Cup in Vancouver and after the game we had a party at one of the hotels. There were 32 of us on the team, but two of us decided we were going to go down to the hotel bar to have a drink and chat. So, we go into the bar and John Travolta is in the bar! I think he was filming “Look Who’s Talking” at the time.  I said to my friend, ‘go up to him and say something’ and she said, ‘no, you go up to him and say something’. And I said, no, I have a great idea, lets go upstairs into the ballroom and we’ll get all the girls and tell them John Travolta is in the bar downstairs and we’ll all go downstairs and maybe get a photo of John Travolta and all the cheerleaders. So, we all pile into the elevators and go down to the bar. John Travolta is at the bar for a quiet night with a couple of friends, not expecting this … and the cheerleaders attacked John Travolta! Totally jumped on him, freaking out. I think John Travolta was a little bit freaked out. At first, he was all cool, like hey, hey and then he got scared and went running out of the bar. He ran through the lobby, into a vehicle then shot off. And we never got a picture. My regret is not going up to him in the first place and saying, hey can we get a photo, then telling everyone after. But it makes a good story. Poor John Travolta. I don’t know if he’d ever remember that but at some point in my lifetime I’d love to meet John Travolta and get that photo.”
CFCAO:  Cheerleading and Dance/Cheer teams have really evolved over the years. What are your thoughts on the changes that have taken place?
Jennifer:  “Change is always good. We’ve learned so much over the years. You know, when I tell stories to my daughter, she’ll say really? That happened? But the thing is it was a different time, we really have to remember that. We can’t look back to the past and go “I cannot believe that happened …”, it was a different time. I don’t think we flinched back then. For instance, you had to be a certain weight. Almost like a fighter in a weight class. We would have somebody come in and they would look at us and you’d be shaking because you didn’t want to be pointed out. They would be looking at your body. I’ve been through this my whole life because I was in ballet, so it was the same sort of thing. I was a dancer, so I didn’t really think there was anything wrong with that. But that was the time. You could be kicked off the team if you gained too much weight. You had to go in front of everyone, it was quite embarrassing. You had to stand on a scale and they would record it, and I remember once I had gained 2 pounds, so I went from 121 to 123 pounds and I was told to lose the 2 pounds. But it was the time. I don’t think it’s bad to talk about it now because we can see how far we’ve come as women.
CFCAO:  What would you tell a young person who is considering trying out for a CFL Cheer and Dance team?
Jennifer:  “I’d say go for it!  Absolutely. You’re going to have the time of your life. I’d tell them, do it for you and take in every moment and create memories, as many as you can. Back in our day we didn’t carry cameras around with us. The few photos I do have, I cherish them and put them up on social media, but I don’t have a lot. Take it all in and realize it’s going to change your life.”
CFCAO:  You have such a great career and have spent many years on TV and radio, and you’re doing something really cool now. You’ve reinvented yourself as a broadcaster! Tell us about it.
Jennifer:  “Well I spent my career in broadcasting and I’ve had some really great times. I’m very lucky and blessed to have had the career I’ve had. I’ve been very outspoken about equality recently on social media and trying to change things in the broadcasting world for women. Now I’ve moved on to social media where anybody can be involved. There’s no ageism on social media. That’s what I love about it and there are so many platforms to choose from, or choose all of them, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok … I’m on TikTok. It’s now a career for anyone with something to share, helping businesses grow. Whether you just want to do it for fun or you want to make a career out of it, or you’re a singer and want to promote your music, or an artist who wants to sell art all across the world. That’s what I do now. I work hard at it and I think it's pretty neat. People used to come up to me and say oh my gosh, I know you from TV, or, I watched you growing up in the mornings. Now I have people stopping me and saying, I follow you on social media! That’s the way the world is going at this point.  What I love is that young people don’t have to go through an executive to tell them whether they’re good enough, or smart enough, or talented enough. You can go on social media and promote your brand, your art and do it yourself, and that’s what I love.”
CFCAO:  Tell us about what you share on your TikTok
Jennifer:  “When I tried to reinvent myself yet again I really had to sit down and think, what do I want to do? How do I want to present myself on social media? And my advice to anybody is do what you love. So, I asked myself, what do you love doing more than anything? And I thought, I love cooking. I’m not the greatest, I’m a home cook, so if I can do it, you can do it. I like making cocktails and I like doing a bit of comedy. I love to dance still, so I love those dance trends. So, I thought, well, that’s what I’m going to do on social media. It’s what I love to do.”
CFCAO:  And finally, what does it mean to you to be selected to be our latest CFCAO Honorary Member?
Jennifer:  “I didn’t even know you could be selected! I’m honoured. This means a lot to me you know. I don’t talk about my cheerleading days too much but it was a good time in my life. I have some amazing memories that will last a lifetime. It really does mean a lot, so I just want to thank you so much because it really was a surprise to me to get that phone call. “
 
You can check out Jennifer and her Cooking, Cocktails and Comedy on TikTok @jennifervalentyne