I’m very disappointed by this entire topic of bashing the cheerleaders and golddusters. Once again, this proves that Charlotte will never have the loyalty that other schools have to their programs (nice turn out at last night’s game, by the way). Sure South Florida might have cute outfits with their bellies showing, but do they have two National championships like the Golddusters or even one like the cheerleaders. NO!!! I’ve never even seen them drive up to Daytona Beach to watch us walk away with 1st or 2nd place. Our girls have true dance and cheerleading ability…something that you are so spoiled on that you don’t know the difference. And for whoever it was that said you remember when the golddusters would go on to be honeybees and panthers and they had true talent. You can ask any of them that have gone on to those two teams and they will tell you that being a Goldduster is a lot more challenging than shaking your poms and doing routines that the honeybees and/or panthers perform. Not to diminish anything that the Top Cats or Bob Cats do because both programs are very respectable, but it’s a different type of performance between college and professional teams.
RIGHT NOW, there are at least 3 former Golddusters that are Top Cats and there are also 3 former Golddusters that are on the dance team for the Bobcats. I promise you that they will tell you that you have to have a lot more dance talent to be a Goldduster than to be a Top Cat or Bobcat, but this obviously isn’t the focal point and the term “talent” lost it’s true meaning and is being defined here as “who shows more skin wins”.
Here are some little known facts about your Golddusters.
The Golddusters are so well known on a National level for dance that many girls choose to come here to try out and be on the team. Right now there are 7 girls that are paying out of state tuition to be on your Charlotte dance team. They came from Texas, Colorado, California, New York, New Hampshire, Virginia, Florida and South Carolina. The rest are homegrown. All with tremendous talent!!
The past two years when they attended camp they walked away with the Most Collegiate award of the entire camp. Other schools in attendance of this camp that they were up against were Louisville, Ohio State, NC State, Chapel Hill, Duke and USC just to name a few. This is an award that is voted on by all schools that are attending and YOUR CHARLOTTE GOOOOLDDUSTERS won the vote because they presented themselves in the most upstanding collegiate manner of any of the other teams there. NOT only did they win that award, but they walked away with the 1st place in the style routine competition and the team dance routine competition as well as a bid to attend their National Championship in Daytona Beach, FL.
They are currently ranked 2nd in the nation. The cheerleaders are ranked 3rd. Both teams ALWAYS make the top 10. The golddusters have been in the top 2 places for the past 6 years. And the cheerleaders are always in the top 5.
They practice three times a week for 10 hours a week and get NO school credit for it. Other schools give their cheerleaders and dancers school credit, but your girls still choose to come here. They do it because they love performing for all of you, even the less appreciative and supporting our basketball teams.
Yes, I was once a Goldduster many, many years ago and wore the short skirts and half tops, but I’ve seen how much this program, as well as the Cheerleading program, have grown and I’m completely irritated that you don’t realize how lucky you are. Both teams are being coached by people who were once a part of the program while in school and have stayed to continue a tradition and to continue in it’s improvement from years past. They also do it because they love it and want to give Charlotte something to be proud of that continues to give your school NATIONAL recognition.
