Titans Cheerleader Jena

Titans cheerleader Jena showing the NFL world how it’s done

Whoever said there’s no accounting for taste would know how wrong they were if they ever accounted for our taste in accountants: Jena, a captain of the Tennessee Titans cheerleaders, is one impressive lady. And sure, we could gush about her, but that’d make this interview we’re about to conduct awkward, so we’ll just let her tell you about her passions for sports, cheering, country music, and breast cancer prevention. We figure before very long you’ll find we have similar tastes in kind, driven women.

But why take our word for it? Let her tell you about herself in her own words. Meet the self-described country girl who’s the one they had in mind when they coined the line, “Girl, are you from Tennessee? Because you’re the only ten we see.”

…that line isn’t going to work on her though. Because she is from Tennessee. Oh well, we tried. To the interview!

Man Cave Daily: Where are you originally from?

J: McMinnville, TN – a small country town between Nashville and Knoxville.

MCD: What school did you go to? What was your focus?

J: University of Memphis – graduated with a degree in Accounting.

MCD: Occupation?

J: Staff Accountant (except I have a sense of humor).

MCD: Hey, accountants party harder than anybody on April 15. How many years have you been a Titan?

J: This is my sixth year on the team and second as a captain. I started cheering in 2009.

MCD: Are you in the Titans calendar?

J: I share the October 2015 page with two of my beautiful teammates Jocelyn and Kaitlin.

MCD: What charity is nearest and dearest to your heart and why?

J: Breast Cancer Awareness – my grandmother died from breast cancer and my mom was diagnosed when she was 40 (16-year survivor).

MCD: Greatest cheering memory so far?

J: I have two: the Titans always honor breast cancer survivors at a game in October and in 2011 I asked my coach if we could honor my mom and my teammate Clair’s mom that year, and my coach Stacie made it

2014-2015 NFL Cheer Series Presented by Shock Top because these ladies are SHOCKING

happen. Our mothers had no idea that we would be recognizing them on the field that day. I wanted it to be a surprise, so after one of our routines we walked over to them and took them out onto the field. We presented them with a pink helmet signed by the coach. My mother means the world to me and is the strongest person I know so to be able to have her on the field with me while 70,000 Titans fans cheered for her is a moment that I will never forget. She was diagnosed when I was 13 and I remember her trying to comfort us even though she was the one going through it. It was the first time that I’ve ever seen my dad cry.

The second one would be my trip to Tokyo, Japan this past Super Bowl to visit the troops at Camp Zama with four other NFL cheerleaders (Missy — Vikings, Alice — Falcons, Kristen — Cardinals, Susan — Redskins, and Krystal — Chiefs) This was my first time out of the country and it was by far the best trip of my life. To be able to see what our military does for us was truly amazing. Thank you Pro Tour Productions, Camp Zama and our host Randy Benton for giving us a trip of a lifetime.

MCD: Favorite player and why?

J: Coty Sensabaugh – Coty and his girlfriend Dominique are most definitely the nicest and most giving people that I know. They do a lot of charity events to raise money for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and always ask us to be a part of the events. They come and support us at our calendar release party and this year Dominique brought us each a gift to thank us for always helping with their events and to show how much it means to them. Coty and Dominique have hearts of gold.

MCD: Which Spice Girl would you be?

J: Sporty Spice–I played pretty much every sport you can think of growing up and you could find me playing basketball, soccer or football with the guys instead of playing dress up.

MCD: Who’s your bestie on the squad (and why)?

J: Tandra – Tandra is the most thoughtful person that you will ever meet. She has a huge heart and is always there for people when they need it the most. We have the same sense of humor and are both country girls. I actually helped her fiancé plan his proposal to her in July at the Talladega race track (like I said we are both country girls). She is 5’1″ and I’m 5’7″ so taking photos with her is quite entertaining.

MCD: Biggest misconception about cheerleaders (in general or in the NFL)?

J: Most people think that being a professional cheerleader is our only job but it’s not. We are required to either be a full-time student or have a full-time job in order to be on the team. We have girls who are nurses, teachers, engineers, accountants, occupational therapists and some that are working on their masters.

MCD: If you could only dance/perform to one artist for the entire season, who would it be (dead or alive)?

J: I am a HUGE country music fan so I would be happy dancing with any country singer but my pick would definitely go to George Strait. He is a legend and his music is one of a kind.

MCD: What’s the most embarrassing/random thing we’d find in your recent Google history?

J: We are in the process of choosing our Halloween costumes for the game this year and I just googled “How to make a football costume sexy.”

MCD: Since you’re so busy getting ready for the games, (sadly) you miss one of my favorite parts – tailgating! If you were asked to bring one thing, what would it be (i.e. beer/wine – if so what kind, a special dish you made from scratch, your favorite brand of chips, etc. – get creative if you can)?

J: I absolutely love to cook, so when it comes to tailgating I always make brownies that look like footballs.

MCD: I know a huge part of being an NFL Cheerleader is visiting/spending time with the military. If you could give a message to those who serve our country and fight for our freedom, what would you say?

J: Thank you for your service, sacrifice, bravery and selflessness.

MCD: Look in your purse/bag right now – what’s the most random thing in there?

J: The most random thing in my purse right now is a tennis ball. I just had my third knee surgery and my muscles are always getting tight from therapy so I use the tennis ball to roll out the muscles. Plus it always comes in handy when I get bored at work.

MCD: Favorite book/magazine/website?

J: My favorite website is ESPN Sportscenter so that I can stay updated on the players that are on my fantasy team and TheBlondeSide.com.

MCD: Aw, thanks for the plug! What’s your secret to a perfect selfie?

Jena is a big reason why I’ll always cheer for the Titans cheerleaders

J: I am probably the world’s worst selfie taker so I avoid those at all cost because they never turn out good.

MCD: Twerking: Fun while it lasted or wish it never started?

J: Still fun! I even taught my eight-year-old nephew how to twerk. I don’t think my sister-in-law was very happy about that though.

MCD: You’ve obviously got a full schedule. Any time for hobbies or interests?

J: I love going to sporting events so when I have free time you will find me at any SEC football game or Memphis Tigers basketball game. I also love to go back home and visit my family especially my nephew.

MCD: What’s the team’s character like? What have you learned since joining?

J: Funny – we probably have the funniest group of girls that you will ever meet. There are a few girls that could have a great career in standup comedy for sure.

MCD: Are you a homebody or an adventurer?

J: Adventurer – I have too much energy to be a homebody. I love being outdoors. Since the age of four, I’ve played basketball, soccer, softball, golf, gymnastics and cheerleading.

MCD: Tell us something odd about yourself.

J: I can quote the entire prayer scene from Talladega Nights.

To check out the original article that ran on Man Cave Daily (along with more pictures), click here. And a big thank you to The Blonde Side’s sponsor Shock Top for allowing us a platform to show how awesome (and shocking!) these NFL ladies are.