Tryouts for the Tournament of Roses Royal Court Start This Weekend

About 1,000 Pasadena-area young women are expected to flock to the Tournament House this weekend and early next week to audition to become a Princess — and perhaps, even Queen — of the Tournament of Roses Royal Court.

Over the course of the next month, the 2017 Tournament’s Queen and Court Committee — a group that carefully vets the applicants and decide the members of the Royal Court — will interview each person who applies and find the seven candidates that best fit their criteria. This year’s court will be announced October 4.

Then, just a little over two weeks later, will come the special moment when one of the Princesses will be crowned the 99th Rose Queen.

To participate, applicants must be unmarried young women with no children who live in the Pasadena Area Community College District. Candidates must also be a senior in high school or a full time college student that hold at least a 2.0 GPA, be at least 17 years old by December 31 but not older than 21 before January 5, and be able to commit to about 100 Royal Court appearances if chosen.

The first round of the tryouts will take place Saturday, September 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m and Monday, September 12 from 3-5 p.m. at the Tournament House at 391 South Orange Grove Boulevard.

The first round of interviews will only ask 250 applicants to return, while the second will bring back 75. The third round will narrow it to 25, and the next will determine the seven members of the Royal Court.

During the first round, no questions will be asked of the candidates. They have 15 seconds to make good first impressions in front the committee, who are looking for applicants who possess the right combination of academic achievement, confidence, public speaking skills and overall personality. It’s important to note that the selection process will not be treated as a beauty pageant.

The 99th Rose Queen, who will be chosen out of the seven members of the Royal Court, will be selected on October 20th, well before the 103rd Rose Bowl and the 128th Rose Parade which both take place on January 2.

Those who wish to apply can pre-register for the 2017 Royal Court Tryouts by submitting an application at www.roseparaderoyalcourt.com.