1,100 Young Women, and a Few Good Men, Try Out for Royal Court
By Terry Miller
Published: Thursday, September 24th, 2009
The annual Rose Queen & Royal Court Tryouts were held Saturday and Monday at the Tournament House in Pasadena.
More than 1,000 Pasadena-area young women and a few good men tried out, hoping to become a part of Pasadena history as they participated in this unique selection process.
Seven finalists will be named to the Royal Court in the coming weeks.
Of course, as predictable and as timely as the Parade itself – a handful of Arcadia High School boys tried out once again for the coveted Rose Court.
One contestant said “It takes a lot of courage for boys to enter” the prestigious Royal Court tryouts. Doubtful as it is that a male will be selected on the court, one hopeful said he did it to “meet girls” and another just wanted an “official” TOR photo with the bouquet of Roses.
As the young women waited for their turn to say a few words and give their first impressions to the TOR Committee on the south lawn of Tournament House, reigning Rose Queen and Arcadia resident Courtney Lee and her court gave the hopefuls a few words of wisdom, telling each of them not to worry and to be sure to enjoy the experience.
As ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses and the City of Pasadena, the 2010 Rose Queen & Royal Court will reign over the 121st annual Rose Parade and the 96th annual Rose Bowl Game on January 1.
The parade, themed “2010: A Cut Above The Rest” is sure to once again be a New Year’s Day celebration seen by millions of people around the world.
Not all was celebratory, however. Casting a somewhat dark cloud over the beginning of the annual festivities, TOR President Gary J. DiSano died on Sept. 20. Before his death, it was DiSano who chose the theme, “2010: A Cut Above the Rest” for the January 1 Parade.
DiSano said about his theme, “the Tournament strives to put a Parade and Game together every year which are better than the last, we look forward to exciting Pasadena and the world once again with our spectacle.” Disano was 62 years young.
“Gary was an enthusiastic and fun-loving individual,” said Jeffrey Throop, Executive Vice President of the Tournament of Roses. “He was passionate about the Parade and Game and never let any setbacks inhibit his dedication to the organization. He will be greatly missed.
Throop said that next year’s Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game will be held on in honor of their recently departed president.
- Photos by Terry Miller
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how do you try out for the tournament of roses and what qualifications must you have?