Renewal – The 2018 Los Angeles Charger Girls Auditions

As the Los Angeles Chargers embark on their second season in Los Angeles, a renewed sense of optimism has emerged with being the consensus front runner for the AFC West division title.  There is also new sense of optimism with respect to the Charger Girls as with every year, a new crop of Charger Girls emerges to take over the mantle from the previous squad. 

For me, the second best day in the life of a Chargers fan, aside from draft day, is the day when the new squad of Charger Girls is announced.   We are a few days away from that, but in this article, we will get a look at some of the young women trying out for the hottest dance team in the NFL, your Charger Girls.

This past Sunday, the Los Angeles Chargers held open call auditions for their 2018 Charger Girls squad at the Bay Club South Bay in El Segundo, California and the festivities attracted over 150 women to try out for the estimated 28 spots on the roster.  It was another long day for all in attendance, spanning more than six hours and two judged dance performances.

Let’s take a look at the best photos from the 2018 Charger Girls preliminary auditions.

Pre-audition Introductions and Warm Up

First Round Dance Rehearsal

For the preliminary auditions, the aspiring candidates would be taught a two minute routine, a one minute segment for the first round performance and, for those who made the cut, another one minute portion would be added onto the first segment for the second round routine.  Kristin Hollwaty, a four year veteran and captain for the Clippers Spirit Dance Team, would be the choreographer for these two rounds and she was assisted by four non-returning Charger Girls.

First Round Performance

Second Round Dance Rehearsal

At the conclusion of the first round, the judges excused themselves to discuss the performances and tabulate the scores.  Several minutes later, Lisa Simmons returned to announce the audition numbers of those girls who would be continuing the journey on to the second round.  Once the eliminated candidates left the floor, the second portion of the dance routine was taught to the remaining candidates.  For the second round, the girls would perform what they had learned for the first round and what they learned for the second round, in total a two minute dance routine. 

And if the pressure wasn’t high enough for those new girls in attendance…this round, the returning veterans would be participating and when they entered the room, there was a palpable sense of tension.  I know, because I felt it too.   Or, maybe that feeling was excitement because it was my first look at those returning veterans.

Second Round Performance

Conclusion

For me, audition season is the most wondrous time of the year.  It is a time of change.  A time of hope and opportunities.  And it is a time of renewal.  Any organization that wishes to stay relevant and fresh, audition season is the time for renewal…to infuse the organization with new talent and fresh perspectives, but it is also a time to reinforce those aspects that made the organization successful by blending in these newcomers with the continuity of the veterans. 

And as far as I am concerned, this is going to be another great Charger Girl squad.

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I would like to thank Charger Girls Director Lisa Simmons and the Los Angeles Chargers for allowing me to cover their auditions.  I had an amazing time and hope to see them soon.

For more cheerleader articles, please visit my personal blog: thehottestdanceteam.wordpress.com.