Flamettes become a club sport team

The Liberty Flamettes are the queens of campus, and they are finally getting the recognition they’ve worked hard for. 

After being a completely student-run group since its creation in 2017, the Flamettes are officially a part of Liberty University Athletics as a Club Sports Team. 

The Flamettes are a dance team that perform primarily at Liberty sporting events. As a student-run organization, they have received no funding, oversight, equipment or uniforms from the university for the past five years. During that time, the group has consistently pushed to be included in Liberty’s Club Sports program. 

Their efforts were not in vain, and as of this fall, the Flamettes are officially a part of Liberty University Club Sports, as Kyle McQuillian, Club Sports associate athletic director, announced. As a Club team, the Flamettes will be given school funding, a new head coach and the ability to represent Liberty in national competitions.  

The addition of a head coach, however, could be a big transition for the group. Prior to this season, the team members were used to running everything themselves. 

In the past, all financial and scheduling tasks fell to the captains, as well as choreography. With a new coach entering the scene, those responsibilities will certainly be lightened. However, this search for a head coach remains ongoing.

 “The three captains are really excited to kind of switch over from having that much responsibility of the team to letting a coach kind of take control,” Captain Madison Cruzan said. “I’m not exactly sure what our role will change to.” 

Along with a new head coach, members look forward to new performance opportunities. 

“We’re really excited. It opens doors to perform at different Club Sports games like hockey and lacrosse and volleyball,” Cruzan said. “So that’s going to be really exciting.” 

They will also have the chance to perform on a national scale. The Universal Dance Association (UDA) College Nationals and the NCA Cheer and NDA Dance College Nationals are two massive competitions based out of Florida, and the Flamettes hope to represent Liberty at one of  them.

However, entering the collegiate competitive dance scene will prove to come with challenges for a team that is only five years old. 

“Our team is really focused on the Spirit Squad aspect,” Cruzan said. “So, this is going to be definitely a new style for us.”

Cruzan said they will compete in a jazz style, which is different from what the team does on the sidelines or on the field.  She noted they will be facing other teams who have a long history of competing and being well-funded. 

“But we’re really excited for the challenge,” Cruzan said .  

PALSGROVE is a sports reporter. Follow him on Twitter.