Lexie Westergard is new Utah Jazz Dancer

SHELLEY – Former Shelley resident Lexie Westergard becomes the first NBA star from this area in recent memory.  

Shelley has a new NBA star.  That’s right.  And you just thought we produced NBA basketball floors in Shelley.   Well, we also produce those who perform on those floors too.  But this team player is not 6’7, nor do they weigh 222 lbs.  Instead, they report in at 5’4â€, weighing 125 lbs, including gym bag and shoes. 

Lexie Westergard is Shelley’s new NBA Star, recently joining the Utah Jazz dancers.  Westergard has spent her life on the wood floor but not shooting basketballs. She has instead been dancing nonstop since she was three years old. 

As a Utah Jazz team dancer, Westergard will perform at home games and commercial or charity appearances.

Being a Utah Jazz team dancer is not an easy task.  “We practice two times a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays for four hours,†Westergard said.  “We have a personal trainer and have a plan we set up with them.†  In addition, each dancer must keep up a personal training regiment.

Westergard became interested in the Utah Jazz Dancers while attending a game last season. While at the game, she saw an old friend who was a Jazz dancer for the last three seasons. 

“Honestly, I paid more attention to the dancers than I did the game,†Westergard said.  “And I said I want to try this. It looked like [my friend] was having so much fun, just cheering on the sideline.   So I went to all their prep classes.  I had four prep classes before the two-week audition period.  And, I knew this is exactly what I wanted because I fell in love with being able to perform for others and not dancing by myelf. 

A Jazz Dancer must audition each year to make the team.  They receive a specified stipend for each practice and game during the season.  

While on the team, Westergard plans to attend Mountain Technical College (MTECH) in Lehi, Utah, to become a surgical technician.  After a year of schooling, she will receive her certificate as a technician.   

In 2018, Westergard was asked before the Distinguished Young Woman Pageant what she loved so much about dancing.  She responded because it allowed her to express her emotions and feelings, which brought her peace. 

Today, Westergard’s love for dance has changed.  She said, “[Now]  I get to share my talent with others and see my joy in their faces.â€

And joy is what she will experience as a new member of the Utah Jazz Dance Team.  Go Luck, Lexie Westergard, on the basketball court this season.