Ice Girls Set For 06-07 Season
Published on October 12, 2006 under SPHL (SPHL)
Florida Seals News Release
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - A large group of young ladies gathered at the Osceola Heritage Park Exhibition Hall. They carried photos, resumes, dance shoes - and a dream.
They all wanted to be part of the B & W Mobile Auto Detailing Florida Seals' Ice Girls squad.
Under the watchful eye of Ice Girls' coordinator Kristin DeCubellis, dance choreographer Jenna Straub, judges and members of the Seals' family, the ladies danced, answered questions and displayed a wide variety of talents. It was all in hopes that they would be selected for either the Ice Girls' promotions team or the newly formed dance squad.
"I think the Seals' Ice Girls are just a huge part of this organization. The fans absolutely love them," DeCubellis said in a post-audition interview. "The Ice Girls are the fans' first impression of the organization. When the fans come in the door, they're the first thing the fans see and the last thing they see when they leave."
Last season, the Ice Girls became an instant hit. Through their appearances in the community and at Seals' games, the ladies were as popular with the fans as the players were. They were the subject of a poster night giveaway, sought after by corporate clients for promotional pictures and signed as many autographs as the guys they cheered for all year.
As the 2006-2007 season draws near, the Seals' organization decided to add an entertainment side to the Ice Girls. This season, they have added a dance component to the squad.
"We're doubling our team. We're looking to have 16-20 girls on the team. They're all going to be Seals' Ice Girls but at least half of them will have the ability to dance," DeCubellis said. "We're looking to have about 10 girls at every game and at least five of them will be dancers. Between one of the periods, they'll come out and dance."
"Both teams are just as important," she continued. "They're both going to be on the poster. They'll both be on the calendar, have the trading cards, all that kind of stuff. We're looking forward to it."
Straub, who has an extensive resume in dance, was tabbed as the choice for choreographer. Her goals for the dancers are very simplistic but steadfastly professional.
"I just want to make sure that this season we are a very professional performance team," she explained. "I want to make sure that we are out there on the ice making sure the crowd is excited and pumped up for the next part of the game. I want the girls out there performing well, smiling and keeping the crowd going."
"We had a lot of awesome girls come out with great personalities. There were only a handful of girls I felt that were really what I was looking for dancing wise," Straub added. "I'm so picky when it comes to girls dancing but we did get a couple of good ones today, which is awesome. I feel like it's going to be a good squad this season."
Dancing aside, the Ice Girls squad is a key tool in the marketing of the Seals' franchise. The job of the judges was to find the right ladies to represent the organization.
"I would first say personality, personality, personality," DeCubellis said. "Our main thing is that we are interacting with the fans. Our number one fans are the children. We love them."
"A huge part is to be able to speak well and interact with the fans. To me that's number one," she continued. "Obviously we are looking for girls who are nice looking. We want attractive girls who are just really outgoing. For me as the director, it is important to have girls who are reliable, responsible and classy. They still can have some sex appeal but to me I want them to remain classy."
Seals' Director of Marketing Rickey Lee Watson, one of the judges for the auditions, understands how important the Ice Girls are to the franchise's marketing plans.
"The main thing I think we were really looking for today was to see if they had a heart and love people," Watson said. "It's about having the charisma and having the personality that's open to the public and very family-oriented and loves children. That's what our league is about. It's a family-oriented business."
"The Ice Girls are very important. They carry the label, they carry the logo and they carry the reputation [of the franchise] out into special events," he said. "Where ever they go, even when they aren't working, they're still a Seals' Ice Girl."
When all of the dance steps were finished, all of the interviews conducted and talents displayed, the judges had a very tough decision. Here are their choices for the 2006-2007 B & W Mobile Auto Detailing Florida Seals Ice Girls:
Avola, Nadine
Beinkampen, Laura
Boroski, Ashley
DeCubellis, Kristin
Dickerson, April
Fuchs, Julie
Gayday, Anna
Haydu, Jessica
Hofmann, Anne Marie
Luxe, Ashleigh
Lopez, Erika
Martin, Audra
Montella, Deana
Stauffer, Rachel
Straub, Jenna
Walker, Caitlin
(The full squad will meet for the first time on Sunday, Oct. 15 at 1 P.M. Kristin will contact each member via email with location information.)
Even the Ice Girls' corporate sponsor, Buster LaFauvre of B & W Mobile Auto Detailing, was impressed with the auditions.
"There was a lot of good talent out here today. There were a lot of good dancers and ones who will be good on the promotions team. I 'm looking forward to a very good Ice Girls squad this year," LaFauvre said. "The talent was awesome. I'm very happy to be sponsoring the girls. I think it's going to be a great season."
SPHL Stories from October 12, 2006
- Barracudas Announce Schedule for First Week of Training Camp - Jacksonville Barracudas
- Ice Girls Set For 06-07 Season - Florida Seals
- Seals Open House October 21 - Florida Seals
- Barracudas Unveil New JaxCudas.com - Jacksonville Barracudas
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
