Oh the places you'll go...

Each year, right around the time that the Royal Court of the Tournament of Roses is announced, I am reminded of the 80/20 rule (80% of the work is done by 20% of the workers). This certainly seems true of the seven impressive young women who survived the month-long winnowing out process which began with 900 supplicants to the throne. Our own Tracy Cresta ’13 is a case in point. Chosen to be one of the seven who will ride down Colorado Boulevard in royal splendor on January 1^st. At La Salle, Tracy is also a captain of the cross country and track and field teams and is a member of the National Honor Society, the California Scholarship Federation, Student Ambassadors and the Physical Activity Club. She will need to balance studying for tests, turning projects in on time, filling out college applications and maintaining a high degree of involvement in her chosen sports and activities while appearing at more than 150 events that is expected of a member of the Royal Court.  And, Tracy wasn’t the only Lancer ready to shoulder the burden of Tournament responsibilities. Jen Robi ‘13 and Alexandra Cross ‘13 made it to the final 25, from which the seven members of the Court were selected.

I find it fascinating that talented and involved young women like Tracy, Jen and Alex are willing to squeeze one more thing into their incredibly busy schedules. Even more remarkable is the fact that they confidently put themselves into an arena in which over 900 other teenagers were vying for the same seven slots on the Queen’s Float. While it may be true that many of the 900 contestants may not have been as serious about winning one of the seven slots which were awarded to Tracy and her companions, still, in an era in which adolescence is viewed by many as a self-centered world of drama, intrigue and wildly inaccurate gossip; these young women chose to lift themselves above the "sturm und drang" of adolescent social pressures to reach for a goal that, if achieved, meant more work, more self-discipline and less time to do the things that teenagers do.

What they may not realize, in the midst of the excitement and publicity which surrounds their selection to the Court, is that they are absorbing magnificent life lessons that will serve them well on their journey to adulthood. These are lessons that high school teachers have been trying to share with their adolescent charges for as long as schools have existed: discipline in one’s personal and professional life; cooperation with individuals one probably never met before and who may (or may not) become life-long friends, being pleasant to complete strangers (over and over again), channeling one’s energies in support of situations completely out of one’s control and, especially, smiling even when you don’t feel like it.

Tournament of Roses President Sally Bixby chose as her theme:

Oh the Places you’ll go

The great educational lesson for these young women is to be found in President Bixby’s observation that this year’s theme will have resonance in the lives of all the girls on the Royal Court.  In her words: "There is nothing you cannot do; nowhere you cannot be." I can’t think of a more important message to give young women who are about to enter the uncertain world of adulthood in which higher education and professional success are being challenged by economic turmoil. The Tournament’s world of possibility opened to these young women at the time of their 15 second interview in which they successfully distinguished themselves from the other 900 candidates.  But it didn’t stop there. This queen and her six princesses had to pass through four more rounds of interviews in which 250 candidates were reduced to 75, then 25 and finally, seven.  The stamina, commitment and drive needed to successfully negotiate this challenging process say a great deal about the Royal Court.  More importantly, it reflects their strength of character and sense of confidence so necessary later in life when they will be confronted with promoting themselves in job interviews, sustaining long hours as they build their career and balancing family and work, when the time comes.

            I asked Tracy Cresta what she has learned so far from her experience with the Tournament. Amazingly, she replied: “I’ve learned how to be more confident.”  This, from a young woman who has a full schedule of athletics and service activities at School on top of a grueling schedule with the Tournament. Oh, and by the way, she plans to attend either San Diego State University or Loyola Marymount University and hopes to become a lawyer and later, a judge.

“Oh the places you’ll go.”