Tournament President Wainscott Honored by Chamber of Commerce

Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott, honored at the President’s Breakfast by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, said she basically “graduated” to Pasadena from Wisconsin.

Introduced by Raphael Henderson following a welcome from Pasadena Chamber of Commerce CEO and President Paul Little, Wainscott told a packed Pasadena Hilton ballroom audience, which included the 2023 Royal Court, they should “imagine being an 18-year-old high school graduate, jumping into your best friend’s car, and traveling 3,073 miles from Eagle River, Wisconsin, ‘the snowmobile capital of the world,’ population 1,133, to Los Angeles, California, population 3 million!”

As Wainscott recalled, “We made a two week trip of it, visiting relatives along the way,” and revealed a pre-cell phone trick, when there was such a thing as a “long distance call.” 

“We were making person-to-person collect calls from fictional relatives,” said Wainscott, “knowing that my dad would not accept that call, but he would know that we were safe.”

Her “incredible journey,” brought her to Pasadena with “a total of $780 in traveler’s checks, (somewhere around $4,000 in 2022 dollars), one nice outfit, and absolutely no plan.” 

The resourceful future Tournament of Roses President promptly found an apartment and then went to work for a temporary personnel agency. 

One of those temporary assignments was at the Building Department in the City of Pasadena, which turned into a permanent position.

Finding that she had an affinity for building and construction, Wainscott eventually earned her contractor’s license in 1993 and over the next 16 years, her professional path crisscrossed the Rose Parade in numerous ways.

Residential remodel jobs would be for Tournament members, for example, and her work with parade seating companies allowed her to “see the Parade and Tournament through many different lenses within and outside of the association.”

The 2023 parade will actually mark 30 years for Wainscott as a volunteer. She has served on a number of committees, from the parade to the Bandfest to operations, eventually becoming the first and only female Parade operations chair. 

Wainscott also acknowledged the fact that the yearly parade requires “935 determined individuals, 37 committed staff members, nine float building organizations,  and thousands of other volunteers to take the world on this particular journey.”

Touching on the 2023 Rose Parade theme, “Turning the Corner,”  Wainscott noted,  “We wanted a theme that not only celebrates what we do as an organization, but highlights our ability to rebound after an incredibly difficult time for our community, our country, and our world. 

“It’s a theme that shines a light on the tournament’s ability to fulfill our mission as a volunteer-driven organization with resilience, fortitude, and endurance. For our volunteer members, staff and participants it (the theme) instantly transports them to Orange Grove and Colorado Boulevard.”  

“For others, New Year’s is a time of renewal of resolutions and turning the corner in their own personal journey. That turn has meant so much to so many in the last 133 years.”

Wainscott said her peers have visited nearly 4,000 musicians since February, selected 16 equestrian units, and introduced the world to the Royal Court 2023, a group of “smart, funny, and accomplished young women.” 

She said that the parade is so much more than vintage cars and horses. 

“It is the mission, precision timing, collaboration, and teamwork that the tournament focuses on for 364 days – all for that one day — to share our growth as an organization and to bring joy and happiness to the world.”

About the selection of Gabby Giffords as Grand Marshall, Wainscott said, “Gabby epitomizes turning the corner, and I can tell you that she’s looking forward to her ride down Colorado Boulevard and the coin toss for this year’s Rose Bowl game.”