When the Chicago Force destroyed the Wisconsin Wolves 62-0 April 10, it was a painful game for members of the Chicago Spirit Brigade ( CSB ) well, sort of.
You see, after every Chicago touchdown, the CSB members do push-ups totaling the number of points that the Force have. So, when Carolyn Lee scored the team's final touchdown with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter, CSB members were doing 62 pushups in a row.
Throughout the game, they did 314 pushups.
But CSB members still smiledbecause that's what they do: cheer and entertain.
Now in its eighth season, CSB is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit organization formed to raise money and awareness for other non-profits providing direct care services to people with life-threatening challenges.
There are about 35 performers this year, ranging in age from 21 to 50 who truly represent a cross-section of the LGBT community: students, teachers, dentists, marketers, Web designers and more.
About 60 percent of the roster is male, and approximately 75 percent of the roster are members of the LGBT community.
"This definitely is a season of growth for CSB," said Rick Martel, 42, the team's co-manager. "This is our second season with the dance and the [ flag ] drill teams in addition to the cheer team. This is the first full season [ with all three. ]
"We're really solidifying our public image, with new marketing materials, new banners, a new look, even new uniforms, centered on the [ team's ] four electric green stars which we want people to see and always think about the CSB."
But one thing is constant with CSB: the group's goal of helping others.
"We're really excited because, with this growth and our marketing connections within the community, it hopefully will help us raise more money for the beneficiaries," said Martel, a Rogers Park resident now in his fourth season on the team.
CSB asks for donations after all events. After Force games, for instance, CSB seeks donations for the Susan G. Koman Breast Cancer Foundation. The brigade will support other charities at other events, such as the Families' and Children's AIDS Network, FCAN ( Pride weekend ) and Horizon Hospice ( Market Days ) .
The spirit brigade is the brainchild of Richard Flack, who participated with similar programs in Dallas and San Francisco in the 1990s. This will be Flack's first season not performing with CSB, making Dennis Sardenga the lone eight-year member.
CSB has raised more than $41,000 for Chicago-area non-profit organizations, including Housing Opportunities for Women, TPAN and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
The squad performed a halftime show for the Windy City Rollers in late-March. "That was exciting," Martel said of the performance at the UIC Pavilion in front of about 3,000 raucous fans.
CSB practices every Sunday afternoon at the Fitness Formula Club.
See www.chicagospiritbrigade.org .