Latest news with #DCC
NZ Herald
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
First Kiwi to make Dallas Cowboys cheerleading team responds to ponytail backlash
'For decades now the DCC girls are known for their appearance, and a large percentage of that is hairography,' she said. Others defended the look. 'Judy wore pigtails in the 80s and Tami Barber, one of the most famous DCCs, also wore pigtails. Super proud of our Aussie girl Faith and love the ponytails,' one said. Another echoed: 'Tami Barber had pigtails in the 70s or whatever. So, I'm all for an updo.' Speaking to the DCC newcomer joked about the 'controversy' surrounding her ponytail. 'I actually came into training camp with my hair out, like everyone else, thinking that was what the expectation was going to be,' she said. 'But in my headshot my hair is tied up and that was what I was shown as. Every day in training camp Kelli and Judy [DCC director and choreographer, respectively] are sat with the rookies' headshots and doing their voice notes.' She said during the six-week-long training camp, after performing the iconic Thunderstruck routine twice, she looked in the mirror and was stunned by her appearance. 'I am a bit of a head sweater, I'm not going to lie. No one else was looking like me. I was giving drowned rat. I was like, 'Why do I look like this and everyone else looks airbrushed?',' she said. 'And Kelli looked at me, and said she really loved my hair in my headshot. She asked how I got it that way and I explained it was tied up with extensions in.' It had been mentioned previously about the dancer having her hair up while performing – something Ward didn't realise was an option – and so on a water break she decided to give it a crack. It was immediately met with approval, on the condition that it 'danced well'. 'I wanted to dance with my hair up just as much, because I knew I didn't suit dancing with my hair out. My whole life, I've been a slick girl. I am a technical dancer. We never have our hair out,' she said. 'And my face shape doesn't suit it, from what I've found personally.' Kelli then expressed her enthusiasm for the look, with Ward putting everything into the next run through the routine to prove it danced well. 'You look like you're having a lot more fun,' was the feedback she was given. Another was: 'You're going to be our little Ariana Grande.' Faith Ward's ponytail sparked online debate because of the team's strict hair regulations. Photo / @flexi_faith via Instagram Ward said things could change between now and when the team takes to the field in September, but it was looking likely that she would be sporting a ponytail when they do. To the reaction online about the look, she said people needed to 'chill out' after she discovered people were zooming in on the baby hairs on the nape of her neck. This was the first year that Ward, who has been a competitive dancer her whole life, auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She was introduced to it by a friend she competed against while dancing. A recruiter for the DCC then reached out to Ward on Instagram, encouraging her to apply. Growing up, she learnt everything from lyrical to jazz, contemporary and acrobatics – but never knew what she wanted to do with it. Then, she discovered All Star cheerleading – which involves a lot of flying and flipping through the air over pompoms. She knew there weren't many jobs in the sport, so she decided to keep up dancing as well. Ward didn't even say a proper goodbye to family and friends when she flew to Texas to audition for DCC, thinking that she would likely be home soon, given she'd never done power pom or college cheer. She knew she had the talent to eventually make the team but didn't believe she'd nail it on her first try. 'I am honestly feeling overwhelmed and still not comprehending the fact it is actually real. It feels like a dream,' she said. She said she was honoured to be the first person born in New Zealand, and the third Australian, to be part of the team. Before the announcement, Ward spent six weeks in training camp, where the potential cheerleaders learn the routine while being scrutinised to make sure they have everything it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader. Ward said it was probably one of the hardest experiences any athlete could go through. 'I've never been pushed in ways that I have in training camp. I am grateful for that,' she said.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Australian Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader defends ponytail look
A Perth-based dancer who scored herself a spot on the illustrious Dallas Cowboys Cheerleading team has responded to backlash about her hair after a key detail set the internet ablaze. Faith Ward, who was born in Wellington and has lived in Perth for much of her life, received the news that she made the world-famous team last week. It made her the very first Kiwi and just the third Aussie to be involved with the Texan-based cheerleading squad. But it was a social media post she shared to celebrate the news, holding her uniform with her blonde hair in a high ponytail, that raised eyebrows. 'Why is Faith Ward the only one with a ponytail in DCC. DCC has strict hair regulations,' one social media user asked. Em Fandango, a UK content creator, said the 22-year-old rookie has made a 'splash' due to her 'polarising' hair style. 'For decades now the DCC girls are known for their appearance, and a large percentage of that is hairography,' she said. Others defended the look. 'Judy wore pigtails in the 80s and Tami Barber, one of the most famous DCCs, also wore pigtails. Super proud of our Aussie girl Faith and love the ponytails,' one said. Another echoed: 'Tami Barber had pigtails in the 70s or whatever. So, I'm all for an updo.' Speaking to the DCC newcomer joked about the 'controversy' surrounding her ponytail. 'I actually came into training camp with my hair out, like everyone else, thinking that was what the expectation was going to be,' she said. 'But in my headshot my hair is tied up and that was what I was shown as. Every day in training camp Kelli and Judy [DCC director and choreographer, respectively] are sat with the rookies' headshots and doing their voice notes.' She said during the gruelling six-week-long training camp, after performing the iconic Thunderstruck routine twice, she looked in the mirror and was stunned by her appearance. 'I am a bit of a head sweater, I'm not going to lie. No one else was looking like me. I was giving drowned rat. I was like, 'Why do I look like this and everyone else looks airbrushed?',' she said. 'And Kelli looked at me, and said she really loved my hair in my headshot. She asked how I got it that way and I explained it was tied up with extensions in.' It had been mentioned previously about the dancer having her hair up while performing — something Ms Ward didn't realise was an option — and so on a water break she decided to give it a crack. It was immediately met with approval — on the condition that it 'danced well'. 'I wanted to dance with my hair up just as much, because I knew I didn't suit dancing with my hair out. My whole life, I've been a slick girl. I am a technical dancer. We never have our hair out,' she explained. 'And my face shape doesn't suit it, from what I've found personally.' Kelli then expressed her enthusiasm for the look, with Ms Ward putting everything into the next run through the routine to prove it danced well. 'You look like you're having a lot more fun,' was the feedback she was given. Another was; 'You're going to be our little Ariana Grande'. Ms Ward said things could change between now and when the team takes to the field in September, but it was looking likely that she would be sporting a ponytail when they do. To the reaction online about the look, she said people needed to 'chill out' after she discovered people were zooming in on the baby hairs on the nape of her neck. This was the first year that Ms Ward, who has been a competitive dancer her whole life, auditioned for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She was introduced to it by a friend she competed against while dancing. A recruiter for the DCC then reached out to Ms Ward on Instagram, encouraging her to apply. Growing up, she learnt everything from lyrical to jazz, contemporary and acrobatics – but never knew what she wanted to do with it. Then, she discovered All Star cheerleading — which involves a lot of flying and flipping through the air over pompoms. She knew there weren't many jobs in the sport, so she decided to keep up dancing as well. Ms Ward didn't even say a proper goodbye to family and friends when she flew to Texas to audition for DCC, thinking that she would likely be home soon, given she'd never done power pom or college cheer. She knew she had the talent to eventually make the team but didn't believe she'd nail it on her first try. 'I am honestly feeling overwhelmed and still not comprehending the fact it is actually real. It feels like a dream,' she said. She added she was honoured to be the first person born in New Zealand, and the third Australian, to be part of the team. Ahead of the announcement, Ms Ward spent six weeks in training camp, where the potential cheerleaders learn the routine while being scrutinised to make sure they have everything it takes to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Ms Ward said it was probably one of the hardest experiences any athlete could go through. 'I've never been pushed in ways that I have in training camp. I am grateful for that,' she said.
FF News
a day ago
- Business
- FF News
Global FX company Currency Stream Launches Global Expansion Backed by Paycorp International Investment
Currency Stream Paycorp Investment marks a major step in global payments growth. Paycorp International has made a strategic investment in Currency Stream to help the company grow in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. This partnership builds on years of working together on DCC technology. Currency Stream delivers market leading dynamic currency conversion (DCC) and multi-currency pricing (MCP) technology, pricing algorithms, and risk management expertise. Paycorp is bringing significant investment capital, global reach, and payments expertise to the business. This relationship builds on a successful long-term engagement, with Paycorp having leveraged Currency Stream's DCC solutions across Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Africa since 2017. The Currency Stream Paycorp partnership strengthens the global footprint of DCC and multi-currency pricing solutions. Steven Kark, CEO and Founder of Paycorp International, will join the Currency Stream International board, bringing a wealth of payments industry experience to the leadership team. 'This was a natural next step,' said Noel Goddard, Founder and CEO of Currency Stream. 'We've worked closely with Paycorp for many years and share a common focus on performance, innovation and trust. This investment further cements that partnership, unlocks exciting growth opportunities in three new continents and gives us the scale to serve more partners, faster.' Currency Stream's platform currently supports over 140 currencies and is used by acquirers, gateways, processors and payment orchestration platforms globally. The new venture will extend these services to partners across retail, travel and e-commerce markets in high-growth regions. Steven Kark, CEO of Paycorp International, added: 'Currency Stream has always delivered for us – with reliability, transparency and strong tech. When they shared their global expansion plans, it made perfect sense for Paycorp to partner with them to expand into Africa, Asia and the US. FX and multi-currency pricing are essential to cross-border commerce, and Currency Stream's platform is best-in-class and sits very well within our portfolio of market leading value-add businesses in the payments space.' With the Currency Stream Paycorp Investment, both companies are expanding globally, bringing innovation, better performance, and reliable payment solutions to fast-growing markets.
Finextra
a day ago
- Business
- Finextra
Paycorp invests in Currency Stream
Currency Stream, the global FX and payments provider, today announced a major investment from Paycorp International to grow its business in Europe and fuel its expansion across the Americas, Africa, and Asia. 0 Currency Stream delivers market leading dynamic currency conversion (DCC) and multi-currency pricing (MCP) technology, pricing algorithms, and risk management expertise. Paycorp is bringing significant investment capital, global reach, and payments expertise to the business. This relationship builds on a successful long-term engagement, with Paycorp having leveraged Currency Stream's DCC solutions across Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Africa since 2017. Steven Kark, CEO and Founder of Paycorp International, will join the Currency Stream International board, bringing a wealth of payments industry experience to the leadership team. 'This was a natural next step,' said Noel Goddard, Founder and CEO of Currency Stream. 'We've worked closely with Paycorp for many years and share a common focus on performance, innovation and trust. This investment further cements that partnership, unlocks exciting growth opportunities in three new continents and gives us the scale to serve more partners, faster.' Currency Stream's platform currently supports over 140 currencies and is used by acquirers, gateways, processors and payment orchestration platforms globally. The new venture will extend these services to partners across retail, travel and e-commerce markets in high-growth regions. Steven Kark, CEO of Paycorp International, added: 'Currency Stream has always delivered for us - with reliability, transparency and strong tech. When they shared their global expansion plans, it made perfect sense for Paycorp to partner with them to expand into Africa, Asia and the US. FX and multi-currency pricing are essential to cross-border commerce, and Currency Stream's platform is best-in-class and sits very well within our portfolio of market leading value-add businesses in the payments space.'
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
DCC seeks fast-track of process to return cash to investors
DCC PLC is the parent of DCC Energy, which specialises in the sale, marketing and distribution of clean energy solutions, and of DCC Technology, a specialist distribution partner for global technology and appliance brands and customers. It was also the parent of DCC Healthcare, a provider of high-quality medical devices and other healthcare products, and also partners with brands to create and manufacture health and beauty products, until it decided to sell that division. A large proportion of the income of DCC group, which is London-listed and Dublin-headquartered, is generated in the UK. In November last, DCC announced it would focus on the energy division and began preparations for the sale of the healthcare division, CEO Donal Murphy said in an affidavit. In April, an agreement was entered into to sell the division and in May it announced it intended to return £800m (€923m) to shareholders, he said, through a reduction in share capital. Mr Murphy said the capital reduction is a step in the larger process of focusing the business of the company on the energy sector and deploying the proceeds of the sale of the healthcare division for the benefit of the shareholders. He was commenting as the company sought to have the legal process entered in the fast-track Commercial Court. It is envisaged the transaction will be completed by September. Lyndon MacCann SC, who made the application to Mr Justice Mark Sanfey yesterday, said he was looking for a date for a hearing of the matter during the court vacation in August. The judge said while it was not normal to deal with such applications in August, he understood the urgency of the matter. He said he would be writing up judgments in August and he would hear it during that week. In April, DCC announced the sale of the healthcare arm to HealthCo Investment – a subsidiary of European investment firm Investindustrial Advisors – in a deal valuing the division at £1.05bn. The sale price was lower than analysts had anticipated, reflecting market volatility at the time, in the wake of the shock unleashed by US president Donald Trump's so called 'Liberation Day' tariffs announcement that month.
