April 12, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF Spirit Team held two auditions this past weekend, one for the mascot, Knightro, and one for the KnightMoves dance team. The auditions were held Friday and Saturday.
Twenty students expressed interested in becoming Knightro but only four were chosen in the competitive tryouts. Two returning members were selected along with one current UCF freshman and an incoming 2010-2011 freshman.
A total of 17 women won spots in the 2010-2011 KnightMoves dance team tryouts. Positions are not guaranteed so everyone, even the returning team members, must audition each year.
"It was a very competitive tryout this year," said coach Linda Gooch. "I'm excited about the talent we were able to attract. The skills of the freshmen certainly put pressure on the returning team members."
The prospective dancers learned two routines over the weekend to UCF's traditional fight song and another up-beat song. The dancers were chosen based on traditional dance skills and technique along with overall athleticism and ability to entertain the UCF crowd.
The returning KnightMoves members are Jessica Brown, Rachel White, Stacey Woodruff, Kristen Anderson, Cait Morgan, Julia Rice, Alyssa Scafidi, Kaley Zimmerman, Kelsey Clark, Kaitlin Embrey and Natalie Diaz.
The new members include Jordan Pierlussi, Kirsten Winship, Gabriela Garcia, Janelly Crespo, Paloma Martin and Chelsea Burns.
"This is a very athletic group of young ladies with excellent dance skills," said Gooch. "They will be fun and entertaining for our fans to watch."
An interview was also included in the evaluation for both the Knightro and KnightMoves tryouts.
The 2010-2011 spirit team is looking forward to rehearsing for the 2010-2011 football and basketball seasons.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.