2010 Charger Girls to be introduced Friday

By Jamaal LaFrance
Chargers.com
Apr 12, 2010

More than 400 women hit the dance floor Sunday at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion in hopes of being selected to one of the NFL’s premier dance teams.

More than 400 women hit the dance floor Sunday at USD’s Jenny Craig Pavilion in hopes of being selected to one of the NFL’s premier dance teams.

By the end of the day, 69 talented finalists were chosen to continue on to the next round of the process to become one of 28 members of the 2010 Charger Girls.

Charger Girls Director Lisa Simmons said it was the largest turnout she’s seen in recent years.

“The growing popularity of the Charger Girls team, as well as the success of the Chargers, contributes to the large turnout each year,” Simmons said. “In addition to the returning hopefuls, it’s so nice to see such an enormous group of fresh talent.”

Later this week, the 2010 squad will be introduced exclusively on Chargers.com.

Preliminary auditions began with registration at 9 a.m. Sunday morning as women made their way from across the country to San Diego. The competition began at 10 am. Choreographer Jeannine Sabo, who has previously worked on Broadway plays and with groups such as the Backstreet Boys, kicked off the morning by teaching the women a 32-beat routine.

The women had approximately 45 minutes to learn the steps before performing them in front of a panel of judges. Then, three at a time, the women had the opportunity to perform what they’d just learned. While dancing ability is a priority, the judges were also critiquing attitude, appearance and showmanship.

Among this year’s judges was special guest Sabrina Bryan, a former member of the multi-platinum recording group, The Cheetah Girls, and star of the hit Disney Channel movie series, The Cheetah Girls.

“Her knowledge of the entertainment industry and notoriety helped us select the most talented group of Charger Girls finalists,” Simmons said.