B6 Plain Talk: Heritage Edition October 10, 2014 www.plaintalk.net Boogie ‘oogie Coyote dancin’ shoes The USD dancers are part of a team that has come a long way. Left: Thomas Hantzenbuhler/ the Plain Talk Top: James D. Cimburek/P&D By Alan Dale The Plain Talk Dancing has been with the human race since the dawn of time. Humans have shook, shaked, boogied, and twerked since there was beat and someone was brave enough to capture rhythm and use their own body as its conduit. For many colleges these dancers evolved over time into teams that would represent the school colors and ability to pound the ground with insatiable moves to accompany music with physical force. At the University of South Dakota, the Coyote dance team is a huge part of the culture that plays a part of the Dakota Days celebration and the weekto-week party called a football game at the DakotaDome. They push ‘play’, hit the dome turf and give it their best as the team is now part of an evolution. Dance teams are no longer about the girls with the perfect looks who move more like they are shaking ants out of their pants, but now it is about the athleticism and the power of men and women alike. These ladies and gentlemen are athletes, thank you, very much. “The skill level has gone up a lot in the last 10 years,” senior dance team member Becca Molsberry said. “As dancing becomes more popular across the country, you have to keep stepping it up from the previous years. The competitions have gotten a lot tougher. “Twenty years ago it was more about the show and looking good on the sidelines. It was about the presence and image of the dancer. Now you have to have the skill set and not just the looks. You need the skills and talent. For us it’s a 10-month season and even then you always have to be working on your flexibility and your skills.” A team of 19 Coyotes, that will show their stuff at halftimes of Coyote football games and then go behind the scenes to harness their talent to prepare for national competitions, is made up of a number of people from various Cheer From Page 4B cheering at USD. She said that cheerleaders play a large role during games. “[Cheering] just kind of made you feel a bit more involved with the University,” Stern said. “it made you increase the sense of school spirit and the importance of it… Being there with a full crowd, most people don’t realize what that does for the players. You felt like you played a little bit of control… even though it’s a real small part that they [cheerleaders] play, it played backgrounds. It is music that creates that bond. “We have a lot of different backgrounds,” junior Jamie Kleene said. “We have people who want to be teachers, a lot of psychology majors, and we have health sciences and nursing. We all come from our own backgrounds but we all share the same love for dancing. “If you go to a gathering you have a football player and a nursing major they are both dancing to the same song. Everyone loves to dance.” The music is about feeding the fix for a need to move. It also helps some new college students find a place on campus. “It’s a great college experience and has really enhanced it,” sophomore Maggie Schmidt said. “It’s made me more focused with my school work and my time management especially. It’s made me have more school spirit that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t join the dance team. “I have no idea what I would have done if I hadn’t joined dance.” Senior team captain Charles Gageby knows that when they hit the spotlight the dancers indeed fall under scrutiny. “I think they watch us,” Gageby says of the people in attendance. “I know they are watching, you can see it on their face a ‘what’s happened?’ look. When they announce us and when we run out on the field and they cheer. When you don’t think they are watching and you do a skill or something and you will hear a gasp and so you know they are watching. They see when you do things that are more impressive.” Performing Saturday on Dakota Days’ ultimate day – the Coyotes’ game against Northern Iowa – adds a little bit more nerves to the team. “It is more pressure because there are way more people at Dakota Days and there are more people watching in all the different areas so they can see every little mistake,” Gageby said. Gageby is one of thousands of young men who have evolved into key, a big impact.” Stern said during her cheerleading days there were times when cheering was difficult. One of those times was during a big rivalry game at South Dakota State University (SDSU). “The SDSU fans weren’t very pleasant to us because we were real close to them,” Stern said. “You know those games were always fun games too … back then they’re throwing coyotes and rabbits on the floor. You know it was just a different atmosphere. When we went to the smaller arena at SDSU, the sound in there was just deafening.” Though Stern has fond memories of her male, dance team members, nationwide. What was once a move that brought cruel commentary has come a long way even if there are still the occasional disses. “It’s awesome, even my first year was tough, but as the years have gone on it’s gotten even better,” Gageby said. “I had people say inappropriate things and it’s come a long way, especially being in the Midwest. “The boys as well as the girls have negative stereotypes. I think a lot of people don’t realize the technical skills and the level of strength required. A lot of people think they can do what we are doing even though it is a lot tougher than it looks.” The USD team is also more resilient as the program continues to build in stature. “It’s amazing seeing how the dance team has evolved in the four years since Charles’ and I’s freshmen years,” Molsberry said. “Being able to be on the sidelines as a part of the game, part of the atmosphere, part of the tailgating, part of the pep rallies and being part of the whole school spirit is so exciting.” What else is exciting is the team’s goal of making it back to National Dance Alliance championships in April. Last year they were knocked out in the preliminaries but were able to beat South Dakota State to take some solace from their trip. “We are hoping to get to the finals which is a Top 10 finish,” Molsberry said. “Considering we don’t have a dance coach that makes it even more of a challenge.” The immediate challenge is to perform on Dakota Days…something they are looking forward to doing. “Dakota Days is exciting, it’s an adrenaline rush to be a part of DDays,” Schmidt said. “Being the 100th anniversary should make it even more exciting.” “It’s one of the greatest times at the university,” Kleene said. “Going to the D-Days football game is really exciting and to be a part of it on the field. Seeing everyone in the crowd and seeing the Dome packed.” cheerleading days, she hadn’t always planned on being a cheerleader while at USD. “I had one of my best friends that had cheered the prior season and she talked me into it,” Stern said. Stern is still friends with some of the girls she cheered with while at USD. “The friendships that you made, you know were long lasting,” Stern said. “The travel was fun, we had a good team. You know when you cheer for a winning team, it made things a lot of fun.” Stern is a Lemmon native, and now resides in Chandler, Ariz. WHY THE COYOTE? By Sarah Wetzel For the Plain Talk Coyotes (always pronounced Ki-yote) are smart. Coyotes are savvy. Coyotes adapt to an ever-changing world. Wait, are we talking about USD students or an animal? It turns out, both! Coyotes thrive in an ever-changing world. According to National geographic, Coyotes will hunt almost anything and live almost anywhere. Their cleverness allows them to live not only in mountains, forests and deserts but even in cities like Los Angeles. This resourcefulness is also a quality desirable in a USD student. “Diversity and Charlie Coyote inclusiveness are assets that can be utilized to help prepare all students for living and working in an increasingly complex and global society,” the university’s website reads. Also according to the USD website, the mascot has been official since the editors of the school’s first yearbook dubbed the teams “the Coyotes” in 1902. And it stuck. Scott Bollinger, a current resident of Pierre, described a time about seven years ago when he was asked to don the sacred suit of Charlie Coyote for an alumni event. “I was president of the alumni association at the time,” Bollinger said. “It was a fun experience to do. You’re not supposed to say anything so people don’t know who you are. I was walking around the House of Senate gallery and we got the Speaker of the House and the president of the senate to introduce Charlie Coyote. It was just a brief cameo appearance. “They had no idea who was in the suit.” Bollinger also commented that his time in the suit was “hot.” The heavy material of the costume takes its toll. Bollinger said he was simply asked to put on the suit for this one event. “I just agreed to do it on the fly,” he said. “It was an easy thing to do. For this one it was just a walk in wave at everybody kind of thing. You know, shake a few hands here and there. It wasn’t like the Charlie Coyote today where he’s at football games.” Having the mascot at events definitely makes a difference according to Bollinger. “It drew more attention to the university,” he said. “[It] reminded all the legislators that the university was having an event and they should come down and see what’s going on at the university. So that was really beneficial.” But the school’s mascot has not always been the costumed creature we see before us at sporting events today. According to the USD website, the mascot had its beginnings in a pet coyote named ‘Tootsie’ belonging to Fred Borsch. According to Borsch’s great-nephew, Jeff Jacobsen, Tootsie was named official South Dakota coyote in 1947. The beloved coyote passed away in 1959. Dr. Mick Shaeffer of Ottumwa, Iowa, was instrumental in bringing the costumed mascot to life in the early 1970’s according to the university’s website. The first version was constructed out of paper mache. Shaeffer served as Charlie Coyote for five years while attending the university. Charlie Coyote continues to entertain and inspire sports fans to have the best experience possible at USD. USD Cheerleaders have been on the field for the 100 years of Coyote football. Former cheerleader Stacie Stern said, “(Cheering) increases the sense of school spirit and the importance of it. … Being there with a full crowd, most people don’t realize what that does for the players. You felt like you played a little bit of control … even though it’s a real small part that they [cheerleaders] play, it played a big impact.” Thomas Hatzenbuhler / For the Plain Talk EAGLES CHARITIES CHICK D CHICKEN DINNER KEN Kids Meal (1 Leg Dinner) $2.00 2 pc. Chicken Dinner $5.00 Dale’s Famous Dessert Cole Slaw & Baked Beans Dine-In or Carry Out D-Days Friday October 10th 5 PM Till 7:30 PM EAGLES CLUB 114 West Main St. • Ve West Vermillion, SD • 605-624-9934 ermillion, WELCOME ALUMNI &VISITORS