Golden Girls relive the golden years

GREEN BAY – The Packers have one the most storied histories of any football team in the NFL, and though the Golden Girls are an important part of that legacy, their stories of performing routines on Lambeau Field while donning their signature gold sparkle uniforms live on today.

“I moved to Sturgeon Bay in 1969. If it hadn’t been for Annie, I never would have known because I didn’t grow up cheerleading in high school so it was all new to me. I had to learn how to twirl and do the dances,” said Golden Girl Sandy Borkovetz.

Fellow cheerleader Anne Maedke said that the process of becoming an NFL cheerleader at the time was very different from what we see now, though the atmosphere was equally as competitive.

“In my experience, Mary Jane (Van Duyse Sorgel) had an eye for picking out what type of talent or potential someone had. If she saw someone had a dance recital or twirling contest, she would nurture them and invite them to become a student,” said Maedke.

“For a dollar a session, my mother had paid for me to do acrobatics and tap dancing when I was about eight or nine. Throughout the years Mary Jane had invited me to practices with her cheerleading squad, not mentioning any of the details.”

Maedke said that Van Duyse Sorgel was the sole reason that the Packers were able to be at the forefront of NFL cheerleading.

“From that nurturing of us came her desire to put together the cheerleading squad that was far and beyond what anybody in this territory ever saw, which became the Golden Girls,” said Maedke.

Though Borkovetz and Maedke said that they realize now that what they were a part of was a significant step for women to have a platform in the NFL, at the time they underestimated the value of their opportunity.

“I was about 13 when she called one morning and said, ‘Annie, I’d like to see if you’re interested in going to the Packers game. Some of the regulars are saying it’s too cold,’” said Maedke.

Little did Maedke know quite what she was agreeing to with her first game on the field being the notorious Ice Bowl.

“This was like three hours before game time. We were on our way to what would be known as the most outstanding, auspicious game of the century. It was quite a baptism by fire,” said Maedke.

The Golden Girls became known as trailblazers in the professional cheerleading community, but their platform was not quite the same as today.

“We didn’t have to pay anything. We got our uniforms, but we had to pay for our own pom poms. A while down the road we were given a set of pom poms, but boy we had to be responsible with those,” said Maeke.

“It was fun and it was good exposure to the wild world of professional football and it was a segway into avenues that we never would have dreamed of being exposed to.”

According to Borkovetz, cheering for the Packers was one of the best experiences of her life, but the ladies on the field were also held to high standards in their line of work.

“(Mary Jane) was very much after a June Taylor, Rockettes-type look with the high kicks — especially at the half-time shows. You really had to be doing your stretching exercises in order to have your toe above your forehead. She was very particular about that and the timing of it so that we were all in unison,” said Borkovetz.

“We were also under no dating the players rules. That was part of it as well, so as much as people would think we got to know the players, we’ve known them better after being off the field because we would see them at signings and events.”

While Borkovetz and Maedke said that it was an honor to be on the field with the players at such a great era in football, their role required a lot of dedication and hard work.

To be continued in the next edition of Packerland.