Interviewing the winning teams as they prepare for the big show in Huntington Beach

Kellam is bringing VB to the OC. After winning the Regional WTW Competition in 2008, Team Kellam is eager to show the OC what they’ve got at this year’s WTW National Championships. With summer upon them, Team Kellam is already busy planning and rallying for the big event. Team director Kaleigh Tharrington fills us in on all of the excitement.—Chloe Barton

HURLEY.COM: TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS.
KALEIGH THARRINGTON: We had our first practice yesterday and we decided that we would start at the top of the show and go from there. Getting started was a little more difficult than we thought because everyone has their own ideas that they want to be incorporated in the show some how. So, it was a challenge getting everyone to listen and on the same page. By the end of the day my voice was completely gone.

WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN THIS WHOLE PRODUCTION?
I am co-director of the entire show along with my friend Kristan.

WHAT DO YOU DO AS DIRECTOR?
Everything! Kristan and I started looking at the clothes and trying to put outfits together that go with our theme. We picked the music and gave it to someone to cut for the performance. Basically, we have had to outline the entire show so everyone can start working on his or her individual role.

A LOT OF WORK GOES INTO A PRODUCTION THIS BIG.
Seriously! We thought we were completely dialed until we had that practice yesterday. Afterward, we left it thinking 'OMG, this is a lot.’ We have plenty of time though so I know we will be able to get it all done before we come out to California.

WILL THIS BE YOUR FIRST TRIP TO CALIFORNIA?
I’m actually going to school in LA next year at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, so I visited California earlier this year to check out the campus. But, I am super excited to go again because I love the area and a lot of my friends have never been to California. We are all counting down the days.

HOW ARE YOU GUYS GOING TO REP VIRGINIA BEACH IN THE OC?
If I could sum up Virginia Beach in two words it would be military and beach. We are located on the coast next to a military base, and we spend all of our free time hanging out or surfing at the beach. We really want to show the West Coast that the East Coast lives the beach-culture lifestyle too. I think that a lot of people don’t know that the beach is a huge part of East Coast culture, so we want to really bring this out in our show.

WHAT SETS YOU GUYS APART FROM THE OTHER FIVE SCHOOLS?
We want this the most and are giving it everything that we have. Also, I think that we have an advantage coming from the East Coast because we have a different perspective on the beach-culture lifestyle. Everyone is so excited to get out there and show the West Coast what we’ve got.

Check out Kellam’s winning videos here.