Penrith debut new look... xx

The Penrith Panthers cheer squad is the talk of the town after the girls debuted their revamped outfits and style at the first home game of the season. 

Panthers marketing manager Anthony Frantzis said the squad was in desperate need of a new look and came up with the idea for the revamp.

“Part of the inspiration was a lot of clubs in the NRL were leaning towards phasing out the cheergirls, and we decided to go in the opposite direction,” Frantzis said.

Although the feedback was generally positive, some people didn’t agree with the choice of the outfits.
But Frantzis said the outfits were only the first step in the overall improvement of the cheer squad.

“Personally I wasn’t overly happy with the outfits last time and it was easy to make the transition to what we have now,” he said.

“Black is a staple - I mean, we’re the Pantherettes - and the girls just got what I was thinking and interpreted it visually in an amazing way.

“Part of the process also includes revamping their website, their profiles and looking at social media, and we’re developing a whole genre around the Pantherettes concept.

“We are introducing them as an important part of the game-day experience, not as an afterthought.”

They look like leather or latex but the outfits are made out of polyester elastane high quality PVC shiny stretch Slicker with intense sheen.

The girls all agreed that although it was hot in the sun, the outfits are much better suited to the winter sport, with the fabric providing more coverage than previous outfits.

With inspiration for the outfits drawn from Halle Berry as Catwoman, Pantherette Natalie said they were exactly what the group needed.

“It’s obviously very different. It’s a big change, which is good, because I feel if you’re going to change you have to do it properly,” she said.

“The crowd were loving it, and that spurred us on. Sometimes you can be more covered up and still be attractive.

“Most uniforms are less than ours, but ours may be seen as sexier, not everyone’s going to like them but I think they’re great,” Natalie said.

“People are going to draw conclusions anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

“I mean, I’m doing a law degree. It’s just our costume for the dancing, and it reflects the Panthers’ brand. We look like little Panthers.”

The squad trains at Westside Performin Arts Studio in South Penrith. The studio also offers dance and acrobatics classes. Email westsidepa@bigpond.com.au

Kristine Tarber, Penrith Press, March 17, 2014 8:53PM