Profile
Yamaguchi began cheer dance at university and later joined SEA-Cheer, the Obic Seagulls’ sideline squad, where she cheered from 2006 to 2010. She combined cheerleading with a company job in Japan.
Obic won Japan’s national championship for the 2010 season. In a 2022 message on the team’s site, she recalled that both the 2010 SEA-Cheer squad and the Bengals cheerleaders had many newer members.
She began pursuing an NFL cheerleading place at 35. At 38 she left her company job and moved to the United States; in 2018 she passed the Cincinnati Bengals’ BEN-GALS audition.
Her fourth Bengals season was the 2021 season, which concluded with Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. She performed there as a Bengals cheerleader.
Before the Super Bowl, she thanked the people who had supported her and shared SEA-Cheer’s motto: believe, enjoy and be grateful. She credited that support with helping her continue cheerleading.
Interviews and performances
The career change behind her Super Bowl appearance
The 2022 interview follows her Super Bowl appearance and looks back at balancing work with cheer and moving to America at 38.
Article sources & photo credits
Updated 2026-10-31
2022-02-02
2022-04-10