Bella Ballard — a 17-year-old Altadena teen with a love for sports, community service and collecting vinyl records — was named the 104th Rose Queen during a ceremony on the front steps of Tournament House Tuesday, Oct. 25.
“Ladies and gentlemen … Queen Bella,” said Tournament of Roses President Amy Wainscott, as she presented Ballard with a Mikimoto crown featuring more than 600 cultured pearls and six carats of diamonds.
The moment came after a festive evening, full of live singing and dancing, and onstage interviews between emcee Lu Parker, of KTLA5, and each of the seven-member Royal Court — all ready to be ambassadors for the upcoming Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game.
“I am extremely happy right now, as you can probably tell,” Ballard said after the ceremony. “I am just so happy that we can finally be a true court with princesses and a queen.“
Here’s a few pics from the evening while we wait for the announcement 👀 pic.twitter.com/ViV3oPBurT
— Brennon Dixson (@TheBrennonD) October 26, 2022
Ballard, a senior at The Ogburn School – a distance learning school – was all smiles as the Royal Court of six gathered around her on the stage the Tournament House in Pasadena.
The journey to the stage Tuesday was much in part though Ballard’s love of sports — not only playing them, in particular soccer, but also using athletics as a path to service.
“I especially love giving back to the community in any way I can, and that one way is through women’s sports,” she told the audience in answer to Parker’s on-stage question. “Giving back is truly fulfilling, and one of the best ways I know possible.”
Ballard lives in Altadena, where she is a volunteer with Ronald McDonald House Charities, a volunteer soccer coach with Chelsea Football Club, a soccer player at Santa Clarita Blue Heat Football Club, West Coast Football Club, Venice Beach Football Club,and a tennis player at The Arroyo Seco and Flint Canyon Tennis Club.
She enjoys reading, calligraphy, collecting vinyl, playing chess and learning astronomy and astrophysics.
The Royal Court — full of accomplished teens — is now set, too. They are: Salia Baligh of Pasadena, a senior at the all-girls Alverno Heights Academy; Michelle Cortez-Peralta of Pasadena, a senior at Pasadena High School; Adrian Crick of Altadena, a senior at Sequoyah School; Zoe Denoncourt of Pasadena, a senior at Marshall Fundamental; Sahanna Rajinikanthan of Arcadia, a senior at Arcadia High School; and Uma Wittenberg of La Cañada Flintridge, a senior at La Cañada High School.
Bella Ballard of The Ogburn School is named the the 104th Rose Queen along with her Royal court at the Tournament House in Pasadena. @RoseParade #rosequeen #pasadena #bellaballard pic.twitter.com/xUzakPVVxX
— Keith Birmingham (@photowkb) October 26, 2022
Ballard’s selection follows a month-long process that entailed students from 30 Pasadena-area schools participating in interviews.
The Royal Court was selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, academic achievement, youth leadership, and community and school involvement.
“Honestly it just takes that you be you,” Adrian Crick, a Royal Court princess, said standing beside Ballard after the ceremony. “If you want to be on this stage or do something, then you should do what you love, be yourself and then chase what you can.”
Ballard couldn’t agree more, she said.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Ballard added. “I think really believing in yourself and pushing yourself to be the greatest version of who you truly are is the best way.”
Ballard, the daughter of Joseph and Angela Ballard and sister to Samantha, will be attending Yale in the fall where she hopes to study economics, law or astrophysics.
The history of the Rose Queen goes back to 1905 when Hallie Woods was selected to ride in a horse-drawn carriage down Colorado Boulevard. Since then, Rose Queens have had a wide range of success.
From May Sutton, queen in 1908, the first American player to win the singles title at Wimbledon, to the 2000 queen, Sophia Bush, an actor nominated for a People’s Choice award for her role on “Chicago P.D.”
Today, the 1940 Rose Queen, Margaret Huntley Main, is the longest-living queen at 101 years old. From Northern California, she was set to watch Bella Ballard be crowned live on the Tournament of Roses YouTube channel.
As in years prior, participants in this year’s Royal Court are selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, youth leadership, academic achievement, and community and school involvement, according to Tournament of Roses officials. Every member will also receive a $7,500 educational scholarship.
The group will also serve as ambassadors of the Tournament of Roses, the Pasadena community, and the greater Los Angeles area before the princesses and Rose Queen ride on a float in the 134th Rose Parade and attend the 109th Rose Bowl Game on Monday, Jan. 2.
And that will be a big moment, said Wainscott, Tournament president, noting that this year’s Parade theme is ‘Turning the Corner.”
“On Monday, January 2, 2023, when over 30 million viewers worldwide are watching the greatest parade in the world, we will all enjoy seeing one of the most beautiful anticipated of all floats carrying the Rose queen and the Royal Court, and turning the corner into the joy that each new year brings.”
Rose Queen At a Glance:
Bella Rose Yaeko Ballard
Age: 17
City: Altadena
School: The Ogburn School
Hobbies: Reading, calligraphy, collecting vinyl, playing chess, and learning astronomy and astrophysics