Texas A&M’s dance team is among the many student groups that have been barred from participation at home football games this season due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The dance team usually carries flags onto Kyle Field for the football team’s pregame entrance out of the south endzone tunnel. However, due to a strict sideline personnel limit set by the SEC, the team will not be doing so this season.
Captain and three-year team member Callie Davenport said although the team will not perform its pregame duties, they plan to pull tickets and sit together at this year’s home games.
“We can’t be out on the field, but we do get our own section to sit with each other,” Davenport said. “It’ll be fun.”
In addition to being stripped of their flag-carrying privileges, the Aggies have implemented new protocols and revised their practice schedule. While the team is still able to practice on campus, they must take their temperature before each practice, wear masks at all times and social distance.
Hannah Broussard, a three-year member and social officer, said the team usually practices three times a week in the fall, but they have less to work on this semester and will be practicing less.
“Instead of working out twice with each other and once on our own, we now work out once together and twice on our own each week to limit being around as many people at once,” Broussard said.
If a team member tests positive for COVID-19, only girls in contact with that person are required to quarantine because of how closely the team is adhering to the mask mandate and distancing policies.
The team members will spend most of their time conditioning and perfecting their technique instead of learning new dance combinations this fall, as they do not have any upcoming performances planned. The dance team’s main events usually include all men’s and women’s home basketball games, which could begin in November.
“We haven’t really gotten any information on basketball season yet, but we’re hoping to start like normal,” Broussard said. “It could be a possibility that we would just do SEC play, [and] in that case we wouldn’t start until January.”
Though the team will not be making its usual appearances in uniform this semester, the Aggies do have the opportunity to bond as a team while keeping up their dance skills without the stress of performances.
“It’s obviously kind of sad that we don’t get to do some of the things we’re used to, but we’ve been doing a lot of team bonding which has kept the morale up and I know as officers we just try to make it an encouraging environment,” Davenport said. “We try to focus on the things we have to look forward to instead of the things we’re missing out on.”
Davenport said she is most excited about leading practice this year and getting to know the girls on the team better. Although this season is like none other, Davenport said she loves being a part of the Aggie dance team because of the engagement she has with the university.
“It’s really unique,” Davenport said. “What we get to do and how we get to support the university in such a special way.”
Broussard likewise enjoys representing A&M and said one of her favorite aspects is getting to travel to tournaments to support the men’s and women’s basketball teams. In years prior, Broussard traveled to Nashville and Greenville, South Carolina, to show support for the Aggies at the SEC and NCAA basketball tournaments.
“Traveling together is always a lot of fun to make memories with each other, bond and have fun cheering on the team at tournaments,” Broussard said.
Although the Aggie dance team’s members often have fun and are rewarded with perks such as traveling, Broussard said their opportunities are hard-earned and well deserved.
“I think the team has enriched my college experience in a lot of ways, mainly just giving me a lot of responsibility and something to really dedicate my time to,” Broussard said. “It’s taught me a lot about commitment and what it takes to be part of a team, as well as the value of hard work and dedication.”