Spring Break
GETTING THEIR KICKS
Kimberly Primicerio
Issue date: 3/16/09 Section: Focus
They're not cheerleaders, nor are they a typical dance team. They certainly display school spirit and fancy footwork, but they add one more element to the mixture: they kick. They kick like their lives depend on it.
Hard work, dedication and strong quadriceps allowed the UConn Kickline to form lines like the Radio City Rockettes and beat their rival team, the Quinnipiac Bobcats, in an early March competition on Long Island.
UConn Kickline is a club sport team that was formed about six years ago. The team has grown into a 15-member group performing at competitions and UConn basketball games.
Many of the kickliners come from dance or cheer backgrounds. Some of the girls started dancing as 2-year-olds. Seeking out the team was a way many girls could keep their love for dance or cheer in their lives.
"I thave been dancing since I was 5 years old and when I came to college I knew it wouldn't be the end of my dancing career," said Amanda Caruso, a team captain and 8th-semester finance major.
Over the past couple of years the team has become a dedicated and skilled group, according to team captain Laura Just, an 8th-semester biology major. The team has moved up in the ranks due to their intense, two-hour practices that keep the girls on their toes.
"We do full-out kicks the entire practice which is definitely beneficial to our stamina and flexibility," said Beth Berman, a 6th-semester psychology major. "Try doing that for two hours straight."
A full kick is basically a leg to the face, Just said. The team makes sure they kick high at every practice so they can develop muscle memory. Just said the group can learn a routine in about one-and-a-half practices but there's more to it. The girls need to focus on having sharp heads, pointed toes, and a smiling face, among several other factors that add to the visual effect of the teams' routines. If the team perfects their kicks at practice then during a performance they can concentrate on other things, Just said.
Hard work, dedication and strong quadriceps allowed the UConn Kickline to form lines like the Radio City Rockettes and beat their rival team, the Quinnipiac Bobcats, in an early March competition on Long Island.
UConn Kickline is a club sport team that was formed about six years ago. The team has grown into a 15-member group performing at competitions and UConn basketball games.
Many of the kickliners come from dance or cheer backgrounds. Some of the girls started dancing as 2-year-olds. Seeking out the team was a way many girls could keep their love for dance or cheer in their lives.
"I thave been dancing since I was 5 years old and when I came to college I knew it wouldn't be the end of my dancing career," said Amanda Caruso, a team captain and 8th-semester finance major.
Over the past couple of years the team has become a dedicated and skilled group, according to team captain Laura Just, an 8th-semester biology major. The team has moved up in the ranks due to their intense, two-hour practices that keep the girls on their toes.
"We do full-out kicks the entire practice which is definitely beneficial to our stamina and flexibility," said Beth Berman, a 6th-semester psychology major. "Try doing that for two hours straight."
A full kick is basically a leg to the face, Just said. The team makes sure they kick high at every practice so they can develop muscle memory. Just said the group can learn a routine in about one-and-a-half practices but there's more to it. The girls need to focus on having sharp heads, pointed toes, and a smiling face, among several other factors that add to the visual effect of the teams' routines. If the team perfects their kicks at practice then during a performance they can concentrate on other things, Just said.
Be the first to comment on this story