Dance team has full squad this year
Lauren Dickens
Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: News
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dance squad is in full swing
this season. The squad currently practices
four days a week in order to be
ready by the first home basketball
game. The first game that the squad
will be dancing at is Nov. 1st and nine
more games after that.
"Vol State had a dance team in the
1970's, but it dissipated," said Stacy
Womelduff, the dance squad's coach.
"I started working with the athletic
department about three years ago and
there were other community colleges
that had cheerleaders, and that was it. I
decided that maybe we had a need for
girls and guys to support our athletic
department, so I chose to go down the
road of a dance squad instead of cheering."
Last year was the first year that Vol State had a dance squad. "We started out with six people then two people quit. We had four and it was hard to start out the year with four, but they did an outstanding job," said Womelduff.
"The night they performed was incredible.
They had the crowd into it and now this year seeing what I saw last year from just four people, having a full squad this year I have no doubt that people will fall in love with them," she added.
The squad has a dancer that won nationals in high school. "We have some very experienced dancers," said Womelduff.
The captain and choreographer, Julie Smith has been dancing for 17 years.
"I take the basics: tap, jazz and ballet,
but I spice up my style with hiphop,break dancing, modern, Pointe, and contemporary," said Smith.
She has also danced on a 12 time college national winning dance team at the University of Memphis. Her high school dance team won nationals two times and she has been on ESPN four times.
A normal practice for the squad consists of everyone showing up on time on the track and running two miles before practice even starts. After running the squad stretches then goes over the material learned from the previous week's practices.
"In practice all outside drama is left at the door and never brought to practice. There is no chit-chat. We get in there, make ourselves and our dances better, and get out," said Smith.
"I'm hoping that each year it's only going to get stronger," said Womelduff.
"I want to keep us growing at all times and at every practice make us a be??er squad, added Smith.
In the spring, there will be a scholarship awarded to a dancer.
"Last year I didn't have the dedication, and this year I have girls that really want to get in and are ready to get started," said Womelduff.
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