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The Big Dance

By Julia

It’s that time of year Wizards' fans. March Madness is in the air.

Selection Sunday has come and gone, and like all basketball fans around the country, we’re all stressing over our tournament brackets.  Well, that and we’re all watching each NCAA matchup with hawk eyes in hopes of pinpointing which college player will be drafted next by the Wizards.

I must say, tournament fever makes me sentimental.

My love of the NBA came out of my love of NCAA basketball.  In fact, one of the reasons I’m a basketball fan in the first place was because I danced for my college dance team, Duke University’s Dancing Devils.

Yup, that’s right. Just like Bradley Beal and John Wall, I and many of the Wizard Girls honed our skills on the collegiate level before going pro. 

In fact, it might

Life Outside of being a Wizard Girl

By Leah

When we run out on the court in our white heeled boots, curled hair, and sequins costumes, it is hard to believe that being a Wizard Girl isn’t the only job we have.  As a surprise to many fans, the girls you see smiling and dancing on the Verizon Center court are also software engineers, project managers, broadcast journalists, dietitians, marketing directors, among many other notable professions.  For me, I spend my life outside of the Verizon Center in an elementary school classroom as a Special Education teacher, teaching students with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, dyslexia, autism, and emotional disabilities. 

My day begins at 8:00am when tons of smiling faces burst open the classroom door.

Michelle P's New Year's Resolution

It’s a new year full of hope and excitement that is definitely felt around the Verizon Center! This is the time of year when most of us reset our motivational clocks as resolutions are created and new goals are set in place. A majority of the time, we tend to set attention on improving our overall health, vowing to get in better shape or make changes to our diets. As Wizard Girls, we maintain a constant focus on physical fitness, diet, and health year-round, so while we are of course always looking to improve in these areas, we sometimes have to look elsewhere to set new resolutions. (I know I’m a little late, but I’m actually still working on mine!)

Obviously, our main job as Wizard Girls is to perform during games, cheering-on our team to that next victory at home - but it doesn’t stop

Michaela's Rookie Experience

By Michaela

Rookie season has been a complete whirlwind of excitement and opportunity. Only a few months ago I drove 6 hours, straight through the night from Connecticut, to audition for the Wizard Girls.  It would be my first time in DC in ten years and I could only pray that the trip would be worth it. I arrived at auditions hopeful, confident and determined to achieve my dream. After making it through a fun but stressful three rounds of dance auditions, I was relieved to be called as part of the finalist group. The next two weeks I slept on friend’s couches, searched for jobs and apartments and went to Wizard Girl practices in the hopes that I would be calling DC my new home.

Wizard Girls in Thailand

By Devon

I could barely sleep the night before I left for Thailand, worried that I would leave something important behind like a uniform or my boots, yet at the same time I was determined for this to be the first trip that I would not over pack for!  I must have jumped out of the bed 6 times throughout the night to make sure that I had everything and once I felt secure that I did, I stopped to take a deep breath and give thanks for being afforded such an amazing opportunity.

Before I knew it, it was time to board the plane. Myself along with three-year veterans Michelle P., Michelle L. and rookies Dani and Amber were about to embark on a journey that we would never forget.

2012-2013 Wizards Home Opener

By Joanna

I set my alarm for 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, 2012 so that I could hit the gym and get my energy up for the long day ahead…I knew I would need it! The night before I had packed away my uniforms and practice attire, along with my makeup and hair needs. Though it had only been two days since our last practice, it felt like I had been away from my teammates for far too long. I pulled into the parking garage at the Verizon Center just before our call time of 12 o’clock pm. I was greeted by a myriad of familiar faces: my teammates, security staff, and members of Game Operations. As a Wizard Girl in her second season, I had made this very walk into the arena countless times. This time felt different.

The energy was incredible; the locker room had an air of excitement about it

Making of a Wizard Girl

Check out the process the 2012-13 Wizard Girls had to go through to make the team on 'The Making of a Wizard Girl.'  It started with prep classes and open auditions, then there was training camp for the finalists and lastly the final audition and the selection of the team.  Watch the Journey here >>>

Interview With Wizard Girls Dance Team Manager Derric Whitfield

WizardGirls.com caught up with Wizard Girls Dance Team Manager Derric Whitfield for a quick interview on his thoughts on his new squad and the upcoming season.

WizardGirls.com - Looking back, how did your first full season as dance team manager go?

Derric Whitfield - My season with the Wizards was wonderful.  Everyone was so welcoming and helpful with my transition to the team. The 2011-2012 Wizard Girls were some the best women I have ever gotten the chance to work with.  There was so much talent, beauty, and grace on the team.  They are my first NBA squad and will never be forgotten.

WG.com - How exciting is it to have your final 20 member team set?

DW - I'm overly excited about our new squad.

2012 Tryouts Recap

On June 16th, the Wizards held their annual Wizard Girls Open Tryouts at Verizon Center and it was the first time tryouts were held on the arena’s main floor. Wizard Girls’ captains Devon, Brittney, and Julia were in attendance to scout and meet the contestants. “It’s a pretty incredible experience this year,” said Julia, “It’s the first time it’s been on the arena floor. It gives the girls an experience like none other and it’s like being at a game.” Around 150 talented dancers attended the tryout in hopes of becoming one of the 20 members selected for the Wizard Girls’ dance team.

Wizard Girls Photo Shoot

On Tuesday, September 27th the Wizard Girls showed off for their first photo shoot of the year. They also showed off their stamina as the shoot ended up being a marathon one running from around five in the afternoon until three in the morning! While there may have been some tired people it certainly didn’t show as the photos came out incredibly well and NBA photographer Ned Dishman was very excited about what he had in the can even after he had been shooting for around ten hours. The squad was set approximately a month and a half prior to the shoot and while for some of the girls this was second nature, others were enjoying their first ever professional photo shoot.

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