Sumner High Senior Sets Sights on Seattle Sea Gals

Sumner High School senior Christian Fernandez has studied dance for 15 years. Her family's had Seattle Seahawks season tickets for just about as long.

Having that opportunity to watch the glamorous Sea Gals year after year, it was only natural that Fernandez aspired to one day don the uniform of a Sea Gal and cheer on the Seahawks herself. "I always looked up to them," she said.

She may get there soon, as Fernandez has made the cut to the final round of competition this Sunday when the 2013 Sea Gal team will be selected from a pool of about 60 women.

Fernandez, speculates she may be one of the youngest in the group. "I decided the year I turned 18 is the year that I'm going to make the goal to try out," she said. She turned 18 just this last Saturday.

The process began with an optional set of workshops that Fernandez attended to begin preparing for her auditions in April. Open auditions were April 14, semi-finals were April 21, and she sat down with team leaders this past Monday for a formal interview.

In that time she received advice from a 2012 Sea Gal through family friends in order to start learning the squad's style and techniques.

The rest was all on her, and she brings a hefty dance background to the audition process. Fernandez began dance studies as a child at Dancemakers Northwest in Bonney Lake. Currently she dances at The Surge Dance Center in Lake Tapps as well as Westlake Dance Center in Seattle. She is also dancing at the Academy of Ballet in Enumclaw.

"I do everything except dance en pointe," she said. "I can't do pointe because of my back. My favorite styles are probably lyrical and tap."

Looking ahead to Sunday, Fernandez admits feeling "excited" and "anxious," and despite her young age, she's wise enough to savor the moment. "I'm taking it all in, one step at a time," she said. "It's a lot."

Regardless of how Sunday will turn out, Fernandez has a solid plan post graduation: she'll be attending UW Tacoma and studying business "because I'd love to hopefully open up my own dance studio," she said.

So really, it's not the end of the world if she isn't selected. "If I don't get it, I'll just try out again. Hopefully I'll make it, fingers crossed."

The final auditions will be shown in a live webcast at www.seahawks.com beginning at 5 p.m. this Sunday, April 28. The 2013 squad consisting of 24 to 32 members will be announced at the end of the competition. The direct link to the webcast page is: http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/live.html