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Keep talented dancers in clothes they like
What’s Fresno State without the F and S? Reno Tate. Pretty soon, two different letters will be missing from football sidelines and the basketball hardwood, and the result will be equally ridiculous sounding—watch. It seems as though conservative thought is killing the independent dance team. The athletic department announced Tuesday that it will assume administrative control over the Spirit Squad from the Division of Student Affairs. Translation: Instead of the cheerleaders and dance team (and Timeout) being bossed by the student activities people, they will be bossed by someone in athletics. Aside from a few nameplate changes, it doesn’t seem like such an impactful change, but there’s a catch. There will be no more dance team or cheerleaders—just Spirit Squad. There will still be dancing and tumbling and crowd leading, just under one name—confusing for any returning members of the squads. “ The dance team has been getting better and better the past three years,” senior cheer squad captain Rachel Azevedo said. “For some reason, I’m not sure why, [the athletic department] wants to combine the two teams.” When the athletic department officially assumes control over the squads July 1, the two will be united into one and moved under the athletics umbrella so they will feel more appreciated by the department. It seems as though by doing so, the dance team will be tamed down from its current state. When tryouts go down May 7 from 5-9 p.m. in the North Gym, will the cheerleaders be trying out for dance or vice versa? “ We are going to go more towards a combined squad,” interim spirit squad director in athletics Teena Shields said. “Whereas in the past, we’ve had a very distinctive two squads of cheer and dance.” This season, the dance team was the most distinctive it has ever been. A meshing with the cheerleaders isn’t what they need to stay that way. Fresno State’s dancers took sixth place in the United Spirit Association National Collegiate Championship. Then when they took the “Fresno State” off of their name and danced with their coach, Stacia Hodges, they won the national championship in the open division. They’re talented, they’re winners, and last but not least, their inventive and exciting outfits had just as many—if not more—sets of binoculars trained on them than either Pat Hill’s or Ray Lopes’ Bulldogs. During basketball games, the dance team would retreat to somewhere in the Save Mart Center—I think to Clark Kent’s phone booth, but I’m not sure—and run out fully changed to hype the crowd for halftime. Those who found themselves fans of the multiple attires might not like the new change. “ They will see only one uniform,” associate athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said. Student Activities adviser Connan Campbell, who worked with the spirit squad when it was controlled by student activities, tried to be reassuring to everyone who that quote just offended. “ They might have two or three uniforms,” Campbell said, “but everyone will have the same one on at the same time.” Azevedo laid down the bottom line. “ I guarantee you there will be no midrifts,” Azevedo said. “I think the uniform will be more of a cheerleader uniform, like what you’ll see high school cheerleaders wearing.” And we know how prudish those are—for good reason. Nobody wants to see the high school girls in revealing clothing—at least they better not—but there’s nothing wrong with what the dance team is doing. They’re winning national championships. It seemed as though the minority was the lady who grumbled, “is this a bawl game or a naaght club,” when the team did their routine during the Western Athletic Conference tournament. But one very believable argument for the shift is that more than a few people weren’t digging the different duds. “ I don’t know if it’s the athletic department, alumni or boosters, but whoever the people are looking down at the floor in the football stadium or the Save Mart Center aren’t liking what they’re seeing,,” Azevedo said. Reed-Francois said the athletic department is trying to create more of a family atmosphere. To those who know what two things the athletic department can get rid of to make its events more family-friendly—welcome to Fresno Se. |
