Rose Queen: Time Again to Vie for the Crown

The line of dolled-up young women roping the Pasadena Tournament of Roses House can mean only one thing: It's time for tryouts.

More than 1,000 young women from the San Gabriel Valley area are expected to turn out Saturday to start the month-long interview process of vying for the coveted title of the 94th Pasadena Rose Queen or a spot on her Royal Court.

The seven young women will ride on the Royal Court float of the 123rd Rose Parade on Jan. 2 (New Year's Day falls on a Sunday this year). Three La Cañada girls, either residents or students, were named rose queen and princesses for the 2011 parade. 

"We're expecting more than 1,200 young women because the senior classes are larger this year,'' said Meredith Flinn, public relations assistant for the Tournanment of Roses.

Initial tryouts run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The girls wait to stand before a panel of nine judges for a brief interview, and pose for a picture holding a rose. They also receive a tour of the Tournament House. 

Judges select the queen and her court based on a combination of qualities including public speaking ability, poise, academic achievement and community involvement.

For candidates who cannot make it Saturday, tryouts continue Monday from 3-5 p.m.