Twins rule the world

Hot lobbying: Houston Texan cheerleader hopefuls "promoted" by fanaticalcheerleader fans

Sometimes football isn't the best competition of the night — not when HoustonTexan cheerleaders are involved.
The cheerleader hopeful had their own devoted fan bases at the Texanscheerleader tryouts.
And yes, twins still rule.

It might sound redundant, especially when football fans are obsessing about the actual results of the NFL Draft, but there were in fact cheerleaders for the cheerleaders at Reliant Stadium during the draft. A lot of cheerleader cheerleaders in fact.

About 15 minutes before Carolina Panthers announced Cam Newton as the first pick overall Thursday night, fans gathered on the Club Level to see Houston Texans' 50 cheerleader finalists. The smoking hot, talented and football-lovin’ women were vying for a chance to call themselves a 2011 Texans Cheerleader.

As the women filed down the stairs in their navy blue Soffe shorts and Texans midriffs, the fans went loco. These “fans” gathered around weren’t Texans fans, at least not for those 15 glorious minutes. They were cheerleader fans. They were decked out in custom-made shirts, waved bedazzled and professionally printed signs, wore buttons and even sported face paint that touted their favorite contestants' numbers.

Friends, family members, co-workers, and creepy guys from Walgreens — all jumping up and down as if the Texans just won their first ever playoff game. All were present to show their love and support for the girls knowing how hard they’ve worked for the past few weeks learning and practicing the routine they’d be judged on.

Part of the judging centered on how well the cheerleader hopefuls interacted and mingled with the fans. The cheerleaders' cheerleaders were also advocating and making their case for why #XYZ should be on everyone’s ballot.

Of course, it helps to have a hot copy.

Twins make the world go round. And if you don’t believe me — 12 percent of the finalists were twins. That’s right; check my math. Out of the 50 remaining girls, there were three sets of twins. And they were all fan favorites.

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rock on

Native Houstonian brings Austin-based climbing gym to the East End

Photo courtesy of Crux Climbing Center

One of the many climbing walls at Crux.

Crux Climbing Center, one of Austin's best indoor bouldering and climbing gyms, opened its first Houston location in September and is hosting a grand opening celebration this weekend.

"As a native Houstonian, bringing Crux to the Bayou City has always been a part of the long-term vision," said native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder Kevin Goradia. "Crux is a community-oriented climbing gym, and our decision to open our first out-of-market location at The Plant was largely inspired by Concept Neighborhood’s plans to create a walkable neighborhood that truly integrates the local community.”

Goradia — the son of Houston petrochemical billionaire Vijay Goradia — co-founded the first Crux in South Austin in 2016 after being dissatisfied with the offerings at other climbing gyms. Crux has almost everything a climber could want, including bouldering, training boards, a spray wall, strength training, fitness and yoga classes, saunas, locker rooms, a Kids Cave, lounge space and a retail shop.

The gym flourished in the post-COVID physical activity boom as more people looked for both exercise and social interaction following the lockdowns. The community aspect of Crux is very important to Goradia. When he was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, he credits the support he had through the climbing scene in Austin as a major factor in his eventual recovery.

Now, he's bringing that to Houston, a city where indoor-climbing is booming. The exceptional flat city has few natural climbing spots, which would be arduous even if they existed thanks to the heat. Instead, the last twenty years have seen an explosion of massive, indoor facilities like inSPIRE, Momentum, and now Crux.

The grand opening event will take place at the 21,000-square-foot gym space located at The Plant (3100 Canal St.) on Saturday, October 10 from 2-8 pm. This is more than just a few grab bags and a chance to do some climbing. Native Houstonian, CEO, and co-founder, Kevin Goradia is pulling out all the stops with a full vendor fair offering art, jewelry, and vintage items.

The climbing will be a great way to work off the calories from some of the food partners. Cheaters Creamery and Sinfull Bakery will both be handing out treats, and Miguelitos Grill will be serving fresh-off-the-grill quesadillas that can be washed down with beer from St. Arnold's Brewery for the 21-and-up crowd. There will even be free tattoos from 13 Goats.

And, of course, there will be climbing. Throughout the event Crux is offering BOGO deals and raffles. The event itself is free, so this is a great opportunity to get a look at what made Crux stand out in Austin.