HEART-BREAKERS, DREAM MAKERS, AND LOVE TAKERS

The heart-breaking process of selecting the next heart-breakers is not for the faint of heart

Pat Benatar.  The Rolling Stones.  Led Zeppelin.  They each sang a different song called (something very close to) “Heartbreaker.”  UCLA Spirit should have taken those three songs and played them in a continuous loop on Sunday, as about 50 girls who could just stop your heart on a dime — or break it by leaving you — performed in Pauley Pavilion.

The only problem is that there are not 50 slots on the UCLA Spirit Squad, so some horribly difficult decisons have to be made, and I promise you, some vulnerable hearts get broken.  And sure, I can sit here on my high horse (NOT Traveler) claiming injustice when my personal favorites don’t get recognized for their excellence, but I understand that there is much more to it than meets the eye.

For those of you who weren’t here last year, let me give some credit to the experts who handle this dilemma.  Executive Director of the UCLA Spirit Squad, Mollie V. (whom, admittedly, I consider a friend) has put together a Selection Committee consisting of Show Business, Beauty, and Dance Industry Professionals, former Cheerleaders and Dance Teamers, and has even in the Past had one of the Masterminds behind the Laker Girls.  These Judges often have tight UCLA ties, but are completely unbiased towards the individual girls.

They have a strict judging regimen, and they take it very seriously.  They even clear the first 8 rows above the judges, to insure their privacy.  The judges get to see all the girls, who wear id #’s, perform in groups of 3.  For the Dance Team, around 40 girls tried out.  First they came out as one entire group, in vivid, multicolored dance garb (almost all with Black Dance Pants), to “meet the Judges.”  They also did a few moments of dance in between Judges.  Then they left, and, in groups of three, re-entered one by one, each leading a quick cheer like an 8-clap.  Then each threesome would perform to a recording of the UCLA Fight Song.  Then they did the “The Rose Bowl” Routine, and finally, one last short Dance Routine.

After the 14 or so threesomes, there was a break while they tallied the scores, and then they brought out the 21 Finalists in a procession.  Then the girls left, and re-entered in threes, to repeat the exact same three-piece try-out.  Following those 7 threesomes, it was Interview time.  They cleared the public all the way to the upper level seats in Pauley, so we couldn’t really hear what was being said.  After each Interview, each applicant performed a brief little original dance, but I think it had to include “twirls,” because that was the element that I think I recognized as being in each girls’ piece.

If I remember correctly, in the Past, it took a few days before Final Results were known.  But apparently, the 21 Girls found out on Sunday Night — the Night of the actual Auditions — via the Official Cheer web site.  And as you can imagine, there were probably 10 girls who were understandably close to tears.  Despite their looks, these are NOT Professional High Fashion Supermodels who try out and get rejected for campaigns all the time — These are teens who might have had their hearts set on being a UCLA Cheerleader, ever since they donned the Blue and Gold Mini-cheer Uni at a Rose Bowl Tail Gate 13 years ago.  I believe that the Judges’ score cards will be made available to the girls, in terms of private discussion of them with Mollie, if they are interested in the details.  Hopefully, this meeting will help those who are determined to make it next year.

I received an e-mail from one of the applicants on Monday.  I am going to respect her privacy and not disclose her name or “number,” but the letter was so sweet, it would make your heart melt.  The letter corroborates what I said above about the intense emotion involved.  I look forward to one day photographing this gorgeous young lady, while she’s leading an 8-clap on the Rose Bowl sidelines, in that iconic Uniform, in front of 80,000 enthusiastic Bruin fans.  Then both of our dreams will have come true.

Here are 10 new photos from the Auditions.  And for any newcomers:  The photos enlarge when you click them, and they have pop-up captions when you mouse over them.  Enjoy these 10… and come back soon because there are at least 30 more that I will be posting over the next few days.

 

     

That’s it for today.  I forgot to put “Last one for today” in that last caption, as Maya’s smile got me all ferklempt.  Stay tuned for about 30 more solo shots coming soon.