For Hazen High School senior Errin Williams, getting on the school’s drill team was the event she was most looking forward to in high school. Now, she’s surpassed her dream and has been selected for a spot on the Seattle Seahawks’ Sea Gal squad.

“It’s been a dream for me to kind of get out there and do something different,” she said. “And I think that this opportunity was the best way to do that.”

Williams competed against 200 other contestants and veterans from the 2013 Sea Gal team at auditions April 28 to May 4. She was one of only about two dozen women chosen for the squad.

“Errin is an excellent dancer and has great poise and projection, which helped her stand out during the audition process,” said Sherri Thompson, Sea Gals’ director.

Williams reportedly also used her athleticism, knowledge of choreography and passion to win over the judges.

Being on Hazen’s drill team prepared her somewhat for auditions, although, Williams said she’s always been a dancer and drill is slightly different from a cheer squad.

“I love dancing and I wanted to continue in some way,” she said. “Drill isn’t really dance; it’s a little different. So I wanted to challenge myself and do drill and see how far that could get me.”

Williams was a lieutenant on Hazen’s drill squad her junior year and a captain her senior year. Participating on her high school drill team has kept her fit physically and mentally prepared for other challenges like this opportunity, she said.

To prepare for auditions, she said she turned on different types of music to see what she could do with it.

“Auditions were hectic,” Williams said. “They were fun; they were crazy; they were exciting. There was a lot of waiting to get called back.”

The thought of taking to the field and experiencing all of the Seahawks’ screaming fans is what motivated Williams to tryout for the squad this year. Although football is her favorite sport to watch, she said, she’s not the go-to person when it comes to football-specific questions, but she understands the basics pretty well. She’s excited about meeting new people on the squad and the team’s players.

As a Sea Gal, she will attend the squad’s many community and fan appearances, participate in parades and marketing shoots for the team.

“I am excited, but I’m nervous, but I think it will be fun,” she said. “I think it will be a great experience.”

Williams will attend Bellevue College in the fall as a full-time student, with plans to pursue a transfer degree to Washington State University to study organizational communication.