Former Oahu resident joins the Laker Girls

Marysa Carr used to watch the Los Angeles Lakers a lot on TV when she was growing up in Kapolei. At least that’s what her father, Mark, told her.

"He was like, ‘You know when you were little, you would always talk about how Magic Johnson was your favorite player,’" Carr said.

She doesn’t remember any of that, but over the next year, Carr will be making some basketball memories of a lifetime when she takes the court at the Staples Center as a member of the famed Laker Girls dance squad. She will literally be following in the footsteps — not to mention the high kicks and spins — of choreographer and former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul and "Falling Skies" actress Moon Bloodgood, both former Laker Girls.

"I was so excited. It was like I was on a roller coaster," said Carr, 25, recalling the moment she learned she had made the 22-member team.

This was the second time Carr tried to fulfill her hoop dreams with the Lakers. She tried out last year, making it to the final round before being cut.

"I was really bummed for a while but I got over it and I decided to try again," said the Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawaii graduate.

Her selection this year came after an intense audition process in mid-July involving two days of dance and two days of interviews, competing against about 500 other women at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, Calif.

"You’re just in awe because you’re in the Lakers practice gym and you look around and there are just so many girls and they all look amazing, so it’s definitely a lot of pressure," she said.

The tryouts included a few quirks that reflected the spontaneity of game situations when the squad is called upon to perform at a moment’s notice. In the first round, contestants were taught a quick "across-the-floor" dance combination and then performed it in small groups. "But they don’t tell you when to go; you just have to kind of step up when you’re ready,"Carr said.

In the next round, contestants learned another routine and were given identification numbers, but they were not called in numerical order to perform. "They just shout out random numbers and you have to be ready to go," Carr said. "It’s pretty scary and everybody’s there watching, so you have to be kind of on your toes."

Waiting for word from Lisa Estrada, a former Laker Girl who is now the director of game operations and entertainment for the Lakers and the Laker Girls squad, was equally challenging. Carr returned to Hawaii to await notification, fielding the call with her family listening in.

"Last year, I was in the same position and I didn’t get it, and it was pretty devastating and I was really upset. But this year Ifound myself in that position again and it just felt exactly the same," Carr said. "I was so nervous and scared about what (Estrada) was going to say when she finally called."

When Estrada contacted her, she kept Carr on edge by making small talk and — what else? — asking about the weather in Hawaii.

"I was wondering, Why is she doing this? If she was going to cut me, she probably wouldn’t have said anything like that. She just would have got to it. … Finally she told me I had a spot on the team."

Carr, who graduated from UH in 2013 with a degree in marketing and management, is now busy rehearsing with the team and looking for additional employment. Laker Girls are paid per appearance — 41 regular-season home games as well as preseason and postseason games if the Lakers advance to the playoffs, plus other public events.

This is Carr’s first time living outside of Hawaii and she’s residing in L.A.’s tony west side, not too far from the beach.

"I have to live near the beach," she said. "I just went to Santa Monica Beach a few days ago and I was really surprised. It was really nice."

Carr was captain of the dance teams at UH and Kamehameha and danced with Kaneohe-based 24-VII Danceforce. Her training at UH came in handy for the auditions, but she knows she’ll have to take it to a different level for the Laker Girls, considered one of the elite squads in sports entertainment.

"I think our style at UH was a little bit more contemporary, and the style of the Laker Girls is a little bit more sharp with their movements," she said.

She’s looking forward to the Lakers’ season, hoping to watch an injury-free Kobe Bryant lead a young team, and is throwing herself into learning the Laker Girls’ routines.

"We’re just working really hard," she said. "I didn’t realize how hard the Laker Girls work to perfect their craft."