The Los Angeles Lakers, whose hot shooting in the previous round propelled them once more to the top of the Western Conference, suddenly hit a dead end. In a blink of an eye, the team’s entire offense collapsed, and it wasn‘t because of over-confidence or sloppy errors. Shaq and Kobe had simply met their match.
"It was really painful to watch," Cheryl, 23, says. "I kept on praying for the guys to somehow pull it together in the end, but I guess it fell on nothing."
Led by its trademark daunting defense, The Detroit Pistons scored a shocking 87-75 victory over the heavily-favored Lakers. The ensuing silence was deafening, as Larry Brown’s boys took L.A.’s homecourt advantage and threw it back in their faces. Detroit eventually clinched the title in five games.
"It just wasn’t meant to be," the cheerleader mumbles. "And it was all the more difficult for me to put on a happy face when all we really wanted to do was cry. That’s probably the most difficult thing about this job."
Cheryl, a dance instructor and communications graduate from the University of Southern California, is entering her third year as a member of the Laker Girls—pro basketball’s equivalent of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders of the NFL. She is also, more importantly, one of three Filipinas who successfully made the cut for next season. The other two, Alexie Agdeppa and Shelby Rabara, made their hardcourt debut in 2003.
Last week, Cheryl and Alexie, along with fellow Laker Girls Becky Hamm, Nicole Irving, Kristin Jacobs and Nancy Karr, visited Manila and headlined NBA Madness, the league’s interactive basketball showcase for people of all ages. And although this appearance didn’t include refs or a half-time show, it did include cheering fans—Filipino hoops enthusiasts both young and old.
The event was praised for its makeshift basketball theme park, interactive challenges, games and exhibits, but the girls, along with the coveted Larry O’ Brien Championship Trophy (renamed in honor of the NBA’s third commisioner), were still the main attraction. Without a doubt, they brought their own brand of "Showtime" (the term used to describe the razzle-dazzle plays of Magic Johnson’s Lakers in the 1980s) to basketball crazy Manila.
"Dancing for L.A. is definitely on a very high level because we’re a professional group," Cheryl explains. "We’re on a team that has a colorful history and that’s why we always strive to do better than anybody else around the league. We have a lot more energy, and this is thanks to the huge support of the crowd. They absolutely love us. And that’s what makes this the sweetest thing in the world."
She is hardly exaggerating.
Known for their whistle-bait figures, dolled-up looks and skimpy outfits, the Laker Girls have always been about glamor and intensity.
"I think it’s the way that we express everything," Alexie shares. "The music, the choreography, everything. It’s our task, we’re there to entertain, we’re there to wow the spectators. We live by their cheers."
Indeed, some people will gladly take an hour-long trip to the arena to watch an NBA game live, while others may tune in just out of curiosity or if there was nothing better to watch on TV. In any case, fans and non-fans alike are equally enthralled by the sideline show. The pom-pom shaking, heavily-powdered halftime girl may not exactly be what the sport is all about, but rapt attention is almost always paid when the dance team runs onto the court.
"I guess the audience likes our stuff very much because they seem to dance along with us whenever we’re at the games," Alexie smiles. "It’s so cool to see that people enjoy watching our group and we’re thankful for that."
Any hardcore Laker fan will surely agree with the team that the dances are entertaining. However, the spectacle and high-profile aspects of working with one of the nation’s highest profile NBA teams can also be deceiving and, at times, even unfair.
Around 400 females join the annual cheerleading tryouts during the summer months in the hope of being selected as one of the two dozen Laker Girls when the new basketball season begins each November.
During clinics, applicants must learn complicated dance routines and new cheering moves. If they make the cut to the call-back, the dancers are then required to choreograph and perform solo. In addition, they also have to complete an interview in which their sports knowledge is tested.
"It’s like going through the eye of a needle," Cheryl says. "But the great thing about it is that anybody out there can audition. And age can play an advantage here, although it isn’t usually a big factor. You could be well into your 30s and still get chosen if you’re really good."
As nimble Filipinas who slugged it out against caucasians, Cheryl and Alexie faced not an age difference, but another glaring handicap. At 5’3, "we were definitely shorter than everyone else!" Alexie laughs. "I guess it was expected for us to have a significant contrast in height, but yes, definitely, I was kinda intimidated by the other girls."
She adds: "In fact, I thought that because I was short, it was gonna hurt my chances. So thankfully, everything worked out fine."
Whatever shortcomings the two had, however, they made up for with their extensive dance backgrounds. Alexie Agdeppa, who has been fox-trotting since she a was child, is currently a Dance/World Arts and Cultures major at UCLA. She also moonlights as a private dance instructor. The same goes for Cheryl, who has been teaching at the United Spirit Association for several years now. Both have also had training in ballet, tap, jazz and hip-hop, just to name a few styles, and this prepared them well for their professional roles.
"We just had to suck it up," recalls Cheryl. "The tryouts are always grueling and exhausting. I guess that ‘no pain, no glory’ stuff really makes sense after all."
The competition to make it as a Laker Girl is so fierce that not even returning members are guaranteed positions on next year’s team. Even though some have survived past cuts that were bigger than corporate downsizing, dancers are still required to try out again like the other candidates.
"Anyone has as much of a chance as the returning members do," Alexie says. "It doesn’t matter if you were on the team before because you have to try out again every year."
Cheryl nods in agreement. "That’s why my advice for those who want to follow our path is to just keep on doing what they’re doing, keep smiling, entertaining, and most important of all, have fun with the job."
At least on that last piece of advice, there won’t be much of a problem.
As a Laker Girl, dancing for people and cheering for their team is always part of the job. It also leads to a large amount of fame and exposure, but it’s definitely not living on easy street. She performs her hearts out at all home games up to three times a week, volunteers with several charities a month, practices twice a week, as well as attends paid appearances, occasionally with Lakers players.
"It’s pretty hard to think of cheering for any squad except Los Angeles, probably because we’ve always aspired to make the team," Alexie says.
Along with Cheryl, they both represent the Lakers at various community and international events. And they point out that fulfilling these civic duties are just as important as getting Jack Nicholson (the Lakers’ biggest fan who schedules his movie shooting days around Lakers’ home games) and the rest of the Staples Center crowd roaring.
"We all love to do it," Cheryl exclaims. "This is one of the most rewarding things about our job. I had no idea how wonderful it is and how involved we are in different communities all over the world. You can actually feel that you’re doing something worthwhile."
As for their future aspirations, the two girls insist that they’re not looking that far ahead.
"Honestly, yes, I do see this as a stepping stone. Not necessarily for something bigger, mind you, but simply for change, for other opportunities," Cheryl imparts. "I’m sure there’s a lot of that out there, but right now, I’m living in the moment, and I’m enjoying it."
"Me, too," Alexie says. "Some girls do see this as just another temp job before they break into superstardom and be the next Paula Abdul. But I feel like I’m already where I wanna be. It’s a dream come true. And I’m sure most of the girls in this squad will tell you the exact same thing."
If cheerleaders decided the outcome of the NBA Finals, L.A. would’ve won convincingly, simply because no other sports dancing team is as popular, sexy and dynamic as these Laker Girls.