Chargers locked out, but Charger Girls dance on
Karla Peterson
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Saturday, April 2, 2011
When they arrive at USD for Sunday’s Charger Girls auditions, the cheerleader hopefuls will be pumped, primed and itching for a piece of the NFL spotlight. And like everyone else in San Diego, they will be mostly in the dark about what it really means to be a San Diego Charger Girl.
“Oh my gosh, the workload. I had no idea,” said Lisa Simmons, who spent three seasons with the C.G. team before becoming its director in 2005. “The thing that surprises people the most about the girls is that this is not their full-time job. We have a saying that being a Charger Girl is a part-time job and a full-time commitment.”
While the Chargers remains stuck in lockout mode, the Charger Girls season is going on as scheduled. And what does it take to be one of the 28 women chosen to wear the uniform? The official dance-team requirements include being 18 years old, having a means of transportation and a flexible schedule. And while there are no height or weight requirements, the expanse of skin revealed by the uniform is a body-type requirement unto itself.
Then there is the matter of the two evening rehearsals every week, which in May through August are supplemented with monthly Saturday workouts that last about 10 hours. And the 300 or so personal-appearance opportunities every year. All on top of college classes and/or day jobs.
So if you ask team members about the biggest challenge of a job that demands they look like models, perform like athletes and schmooze like politicians, it should come as no surprise that they answer like CEOs.
“You have to be very good at time management,” said Tiffany, an Orange County math and dance teacher who — like all of the Charger Girls — goes by her first name only. (Their ages are under wraps, too.) “It’s an honor to do this, but it’s a responsibility to make sure you can handle it all.”
On the perks side, they are paid $75 for each home game performance (they don’t travel with the football team) and are compensated for some promotional appearances. They also receive a portion of the sales from the annual Charger Girls calendar. On the good-karma side, the group works extensively with organizations like the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Children’s Hospital.
Then there are the games, which involve multiple dance routines, much TV exposure and a whole lot of San Diego love.
“My best experience so far was when we came out of the (stadium) tunnel for the first game last year and I was the first one out on the field,” said Melissa, whose severe hearing impairment did not stop her from auditioning six times before being chosen for the team. “We came out of the tunnel and I could see the fireworks and all the screaming fans. It was unreal. You can’t prepare for that.”
On the flip side are the job hazards, which the girls are too polite (and politic) to complain about. Like the disgruntled fans who use them as an outlet for their football-related grievances. Or the besotted fans who turn into space-invading goofballs in their presence. Or the nosy fans who assume they are dating the football players, which their no-fraternization policy forbids them to do. Or the creepy fans for whom the no-last-names policy was probably created.
To help them prepare for these and other potentially tricky encounters, there is “C.G. Survivor 101,” a workshop that helps these community ambassadors deal with their volatile constituency.
“What we have learned from the organization is to be as kind as possible,” said Culture, a commercial property manager who did her first Charger Girls stint in 1999 and returned for her second season last year. “You have to take the time to give people your attention, because in one moment, they could think, ‘Why did I ever get excited about them?,” and we don’t want that.”
Being a Charger Girl is not a full-time job, and it isn’t a secure one, either. Their contracts are good for only one season, so if they want to come back, they have to audition. This year, 24 of last season’s 28 girls want to come back. For the fans, for the football team and for each other.
“The most surprising thing about being a Charger Girl is that you have 27 other girls that you can really rely on. It’s automatic friendship,” said Melissa, who runs a graphic- and Web-design company. “You know how it is with girls and drama, and there is none of that here.”
