Laker Girls tryouts: Who has what it takes?
Janis Carr
OC Register
7/16/2011
The Laker Girls are arguably the most prestigious dance teams in the NBA, so who wouldn’t want to be a member of the team?
Ask the more than 400 dancers, who showed up Saturday for the annual auditions held at the Lakers’ training facility in El Segundo. Women, such as Amanda Abbott, came from all over the country to try out for one of the 22 spots on the team.
For the past two years, Abbott traveled from Nashville, Tenn., for the auditions and was among the final 60 dancers last year. This year, she moved to Los Angeles to improve her chances of advancing further in the competition.
“They say the third time is the charm, right?” she asked. “I’m hoping this year I make the finals.”
Not every dancer is as lucky as Abbott. Nicole Garner, 22, of Anaheim, failed to impress the judges and was ousted after the initial group dance. The Cal State Fullerton dance major promised to be back next year.
“It was fun being a part of it,” Garner said.
The group was pared down to 192 after the first round. By then end of the day, there were only 31 women left in the competition, who then must return for a final audition and interviews with the judges.
The final team will be named later this week.
