Rams hold cheerleader auditions, including some male hopefuls

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Hundreds of hopefuls strutted their stuff to try to land a spot on the Los Angeles Rams cheerleading squad.

And this year the crowd was a little more diverse than usual.

Among the 230 candidates who showed up for Sunday's auditions at USC's Galen Center, 11 were men and two had disabilities.

Last year the team added two male cheerleaders to the squad.

Choreographer John Peters said it wasn't a planned-out decision.

"Last year we weren't setting out to make history," Peters said. "It just sort of happened. We had two gentlemen show up to our audition. They did everything we asked the women to do."

And they were good enough to make the team.

That led to the Rams making NFL history, with the first male cheerleaders to appear at the Super Bowl.

Both men - Quinton Peron and Napolean Jinnies - were classically trained dancers and have been performing their entire lives.

Trenton Cockerl-Patrick was among the men trying out Sunday to follow in their footsteps.

"It's truly a dream come true," he said. "I come from New York. I'm relatively new to LA. It's great. I love the energy of today, I love the vibe of it. It's very exciting."

After trying out with last season's squad - including Peron and Jinnies - the candidates will find out if they go on to the final auditions. The next big hurdle to pass is the interview process.