Ellie Shouse grew up a Tampa Bay Lightning fan, but the Lightning Girls caught her attention as much as the on-ice action did. She had long thought about trying out for the group as soon as she could and got the chance in late July.
Several days later, Shouse got what she had been waiting for. She was named to the 14-woman squad July 28, after a two-round tryout at Amalie Arena that required learning the Lightning’s preferred dance style on the same day.
“It was amazing,” she says. “It was absolutely amazing … I’ve worked so hard for this, so I was really happy that all that hard work paid off.”
Shouse, 18, will be the only active Lightning Girl representing the Plant City area. The team’s coach, Crystal Brown, is also a Plant City resident and got her start as a Lightning Girl in 2008. Brown later became a team captain before transitioning into her coaching role with the team.
Shouse decided to try out this year. Supported by friends and family — especially her mother, Kim Shouse — she drew upon previous dance and cheerleading experience for the July 23 auditions.
First came a July 19 prep class to get auditioning women ready for the real deal. Though the audition dance itself wasn’t taught, the Lightning gave Shouse and the other women an eight-count routine in the same style.
“Style-wise, it’s more of a cheer-dance type thing,” she says. “Sharp moves, some rhythm. But mainly, they look for personality in your dances.”
The first round of the July 23 audition had the women perform a different eight-count dance and simultaneously make their personalities come through. Those who made the cut for the second round were asked to do a longer routine, Shouse says, with “four to six eight-counts.” Shouse says the team looks for visible enthusiasm in addition to good dancing, and that there is a particular “look” sought after.
“You had to come ‘Lightning ready,’” Shouse says. “That’s what they call it. Hair, makeup, the whole nine yards.”
Shouse’s friends did her makeup and hair before the audition to help her de-stress. She says some women took the dress code — a half-top, shorts and tights — and ran with it, bedazzling their outfits with sparkly materials.
By looking “as happy as possible” and nailing the routines, Shouse became one of three 18-year-olds added to the roster.
The Lightning Girls aren’t just expected to show up at games and dance. The schedule is demanding enough that Shouse likens it to having a job. She and her teammates practice twice a week leading up to the preseason, then once a week following that. Game nights would make up for the loss of one practice per week, as the Bolts will play as many as three home games in some weeks. There are also “boot camps” on Saturdays to help the dancers stay physically fit.
The Lightning Girls are also active around the Tampa Bay area, which is another factor that made Shouse want to join. They frequently attend fundraisers and events throughout the community to help out and spread Lightning team spirit where they can.
“It’s very interactive, which I love,” Shouse says. “It’s all about the fans’ experience and the community’s. Not just ours.”
Shouse will now balance her schedule as a Lightning Girl with her schedule as a college student. She is attending Hillsborough Community College and plans to major in criminal justice, then enter a career in law enforcement. Her schedule may be loaded but, for the chance to be one of the dancers she grew up watching, Shouse believes the experience will be worth it.
“It was a dream come true,” she says.