Southern Oregon’s talent pool runs deeper than you think.

At least that’s the word from a Medford modeling agency whose owners have snagged a coveted casting call for Sports Illustrated magazine’s new swimsuit model search.

"It’s Chicago, L.A. and Medford!" exulted Tanja Lippert, co-owner of Ryan Models.

Indeed, on Friday, at least 500 would-be bathing beauties are expected to converge on studios at 320 E. Main St. to audition for a spot on an NBC television reality show and a shot at gracing the pages of S.I. next year.

"Originally, it was going to be Portland," confirmed Corrie Caster, a scout for NEXT Model Management, a New York-based agency co-hosting the Fresh Faces Swimsuit Model Search.

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But Ryan Lippert, who has run an agency here for more than two years, lobbied hard for a venue in Medford. To his delight — and surprise — promoters agreed.

"We’ve worked with Ryan before, and they’re a great tool for us," Caster said. "It’s really great where there’s an honest environment to work with."

Now, Lippert said his goal is to launch a local model onto the international stage.

"We really need to send someone from Southern Oregon to this show," he said. "We want to put Southern Oregon on the map."

It’s entirely possible that a local young woman will be among a dozen contestants chosen for a six-episode TV reality show, Lippert said. Dates and times for the NBC show have yet to be announced.After selection on Aug. 25, the candidates will live together in a house in Los Angeles, where they’ll be filmed as they compete for the Sports Illustrated spot.

The competition will culminate with two final contestants who will be flown to an exotic location to shoot a photo spread for Sports Illustrated. TV voters will choose the winner in Feburary.

Along with the exposure in what’s traditionally been the best-selling issue of the magazine, the chosen model will receive a $1 million contract from NEXT.

Other casting call sites include Minneapolis, Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean Medford is an odd choice, Caster said.

Dozens of Southern Oregon models have launched successful careers from here in the last 15 years.

"NEXT feels that we’ll find someone really special out of Medford," Caster said. "Their look is so different. It’s a really home-grown look. They’re healthy. Their skin is really beautiful. It’s a completely natural, fresh look."

The best candidates will be female U.S. citizens aged 18 and older with strong, healthy, athletic bodies, said Tia Reagan, one of several partners in the Loft modeling center in downtown Medford.

"It’s not the editorial girls who are all skinny and weird," Reagan said.

Potential models should show up between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. bearing two snapshots — full body in a bathing suit and a head shot, no makeup — plus copies of their driver’s license.

They’ll be evaluated by a NEXT scout and filmed by an NBC TV crew.

Lippert and his partners opened the Loft in April and already represent some 60 clients. A few of those models could have a good chance at the Sports Illustrated gig, he said.

One potential candidate is Chey Hale, an 18-year-old volleyball player who recently graduated from Ashland High School.

Lippert believes she possesses the qualities prized by Sports Illustrated: good looks, a healthy body and a passion for sports.

"Sports Illustrated is the ideal thing I would like to do for modeling," Hale says. "I just want to see where it takes me."

Even young women with no experience should consider trying out for the contest, Caster said.

"The girls that never thought they could be a model are the ones who do really well," she said. "It’s the ones where grandma pushes them to do it. It’s the ones at the back of the class."

If that girl turns out to be local, so much the better, says Tanja Lippert.

"Southern Oregon, be on the lookout," she said.

Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail jaleccia@mailtribune.com