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Girls recount 'Amazing Experience'
Female football players return from Hollywood
Queen Laifah
Wauzeka-Steuben High School students Celina Giddings and Megan Klema joined Queen Latifah on the set of her television show last week in Hollywood.

By TRICIA HILL

After helping to save their school’s 2013-football season Wauzeka-Steuben’s female football players Celina Giddings and Megan Klema were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to not only meet Queen Latifah but also be guests on her television show.

Queen Latifah paid for an all-expense trip to Hollywood for not only Giddings and Klema, but also Giddings’ grandmother and Klema’s mom. The two girls and their special guests left the Dubuque airport on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. for Hollywood. They returned two days later.

Arriving in Hollywood, the girls were immediately taken to the Queen Latifah production studio, where they were able to meet Queen Latifah.

Giddings and Klema went right into hair and makeup, which they enjoyed because they were able to sit and hear stories about the Emcee award winners the hair and makeup people had done the night before.

“It felt like I had a lot of makeup on, but they made it look natural,” Klema said.

Before going on the show the girls were given some scripted questions that Queen Latifah was going to ask. Even being prepared, the girls were still nervous about going on the show. However, Latifah threw in some other questions the girls didn’t know about to make it seem like a more normal conversation.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Giddings.

Outside of being special guests on the Queen Latifah Show, the girls were given the opportunity to have some down time and get to know Queen Latifah. Giddings and Klema were given a chance to throw the football with Queen Latifah during their down time.

“It was so easy to talk to Queen Latifah, it was like talking to a normal every day person,” Klema said.

The girls not only met star Queen Latifah, but also movie star Dylan McDermott. McDermott walked right up to the girls while they were at the Queen Latifah studio and told the ladies not to get hurt.

“It was surprising just to have him walk right up to us,” Klema said.

Before the girls and their family members left Hollywood, they were given the chance to take a bus tour and check out Los Angeles.

Now that the girls are back home in Wauzeka, they still feel as if it was all a dream. They so far have heard no negative feedback from the community on them being on the show, but sometimes they hear people say, “We didn’t know we had superstars in little Wauzeka.”

Giddings and Klema thought the show was an amazing experience and plan to continue to play football throughout their high school careers. Giddings is a junior; Klema a sophomore.

As the girls continue through their first football season, they have two accomplishments in their mindset: for the team to come together and play as a team and to win their homecoming game next Friday night against Cassville.