The Team

The Charger Girls are the official dance team of the San Diego Chargers produced by Olmstead Productions. The team was formed in 1990, and has since become one of the most premiere dance teams in the NFL. The team is currently comprised of 28 professional entertainers, career women and college students. Although being a Charger Girl is a part time job, much time and hard work is devoted to the position. As an official representative of the Chargers' organization, the Charger Girls are very active in the community. They have donated their time to such charity groups as the Junior Seau Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children's Hospital, the American Diabetes Association, and D.A.R.E., to name a few. The Charger Girls have traveled extensively including trips to Sydney, Australia, Tokyo, Japan, and Berlin, Germany. Because of their growing popularity, the Charger Girls have appeared on numerous television shows on the local, national and international level including "E" Entertainment Televisions and were rated the "Best Cheerleaders in the NFL" by Sport Magazine.

e2k events and entertainment

The San Diego Chargers have contracted e2k events and entertainment to produce and manage the Charger Girls. e2k is the number one sports entertainment production company on the West Coast. Along with the San Diego Chargers, e2k has produced nine NFL and NBA dance teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings. Since 1993, e2k has produced and directed the NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders, comprised of one all-star form each team. In addition to these teams, e2k has produced tours in Austria, Japan and Mexico, featuring professional NFL and NBA cheerleaders from across the country. In 2004, e2k was featured in the Wall Street Journal for producing the first professional dance team in the Czech Republic.

e2k had produced over 400 halftime shows, including spectaculars for the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl, and the World Cup. e2k also serves as a game enhancement consultant to the NFL. e2k works closely with some of the top choreographers in the world. Their production credits include projects with Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, George Michael and Twyla Tharp.

Lisa Simmons, Team Director

Lisa was named the Director of the San Diego Charger Girls after cheering three seasons with the team. During her three seasons as a San Diego Charger Girl (2002, 2003, 2004), Lisa was a team captain and selected to represent the San Diego Charger Girls at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in 2005. In addition to being a Director, Lisa is an Associate Producer for e2k Sports. She has choreographed for several cheerleading and dance teams, both collegiate and professional, including the 49ers Gold Rush Cheerleaders. She is a former member of the award-winning dance team at San Diego State University, where she graduated with a degree in Sociology. Lisa began dancing professionally while in high school in her home town of Riverside, California. She took her first dance class when she was just five years old and started her cheerleading training at the age of ten. Lisa worked as a sales consultant and business owner until her appointment as Director of the San Diego Charger Girls.

Maria Giannini, VP Sports Entertainment, e2k Sports

Maria has directed nationally televised halftime shows for the NFL American Bowls in Australia with Chris Isaac, Mexico City with Joy Enriquez, and in Hawaii with N'Sync, 98 Degrees, Sugar Ray, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Jessica Simpson. She also produced the 2003 and 2004 Detroit Lions United Way Thanksgiving Day Halftime shows featuring Mary J. Blige, Wyclef Jean, and John Mellencamp.

Maria directed the John Elway Retirement Ceremony, televised on ABC and the Dan Marino Half- time Retirement Ceremony in Miami on ESPN. For the past six years, Maria has served as the Director of the NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders. She has also directed NFL Pro Cheerleading Tours to Mexico and Japan, which included directing individual cheerleaders from over 16 NFL teams. In 1997, Maria served as the Entertainment Director for the MLS San Jose Clash. Prior to that, she had extensive experience as a coach and choreographer for nationally-ranked cheerleading teams.

Beyond her sports entertainment experience, Maria served as the Associate Producer of the "Midnight Surprise" for the San Francisco Black & White Ball; was a Production Manager for the 100th Anniversary of the Big Game Auction, and choreographed for the 2000 Pokeman Parade in New York.