Pasadena “Court” to Fly on Goodyear Blimp

Pasadena Tournament of Roses Queen, Courtney Chou Lee and Royal Court, Princesses Mary Gaule, Jasmine Jenkins, Bridget McDonald, Molly Novell, Lauren Valenzuela and Quinn Young are to take to the air aboard the world famous Goodyear blimp, following in the now traditional footsteps of all Pasadena Rose Court winners before them.

For over 35 years the seven members of the Royal Court have been invited to fly in the Goodyear blimp, which is based in Carson, California. As one of the more than 150 community and media events the Royal Court will attend, the blimp ride has become one of the highlights of their year-long reign. The ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses will fly aboard Goodyear’s aerial ambassador today (3 December).

“We’re excited once again to host the Royal Court,” said Bob Urhausen, airship public relations manager. “We look forward to having the Queen and Court out for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.” In order to guarantee that the Goodyear blimp will be in town, the flight for the Royal Court is scheduled for the week of the big game between UCLA and USC, according to Urhausen.

The seven members of the 2009 Royal Court were chosen from over 1,100 Pasadena-area young ladies. Selections were reportedly based on a range of qualities including public speaking ability, poise, academic achievement, community involvement and personality.

The Goodyear blimps are often used to provide the best aerial views of major television events, which include the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade and 95th Rose Bowl Game on Thursday, January 1, 2009, where the Goodyear brand, technology and products will be viewed by some of television’s largest audiences.