Synchronized feet tap the floor, big smiles gleam off the court and adrenaline pumps through the pom-poms the App State dance team holds as they perform to the rhythms and music played on the sideline of games. 

Previously known as the Appalettes, the App State dance team has been around for almost 40 years and is sometimes overlooked in its role in the App State spirit program.

The team has 18 members, including the four captains, and currently operates without a coach. Head cheer coach Morgan Delgado works closely with the dance team to get into contact with athletic directors and others connected to the athletic department.

Maggie Pittmon, a junior public health major and member of the dance team, is skillfully inclined in the choreography department. She makes sure all dancers are on track with past and current choreography. 

“Since it is tough that we don’t have a coach, I think it’s great we are all so self-motivated and I feel like we all really hold each other accountable,” Pittmon said. 

Although the team is a part of the spirit program, they are not funded through the school. In the past two years, the team has funded enough money themselves to be able to attend the Universal Dance Association’s College Camp at East Tennessee State University, a camp designed to teach college dancers while also bringing in choreographers from across the country. The App State cheer team has attended this camp in the past.

“UDA is a new thing for us and it completely changed our team,” said Taylor Burchett, a senior business management major and team member.

The dance team encourages all passionate dancers to try out for a spot on their team. The team holds clinics before tryouts so dancers can learn the choreography in a less competitive setting. Tryouts occur in the spring semester before the upcoming season. The first day of tryouts, April 12, consists of technical skills such as leaps, jumps and turns.

“You have a lot of room to dance and judges can see you clearly,” Burchett said.

The next day, dancers learn “Fight Song,” which is a well-known game day ritual song. Around 16-20 dancers are selected for the second round to make the team.

“One thing I would say to a girl who may be nervous who’s looking to try out is to really showcase your personality,” said Juliana Grant, a graduate student nutrition major and co-captain. 

Grant said a large part of the program is “being able to keep each other accountable.” 

Managing a sport while keeping up academically can be challenging.

“It definitely does get stressful, but it’s 100% manageable,” Pittmon said. 

The dance team practices four to five times a week while also coming up with schedules for games.

“We have a big Excel spreadsheet of every game and we send it out with the time of arrival and populate ourselves,” Burchett said. 

 Dance practices are scheduled differently each semester based on school schedules, and dancers are granted early registration. 

Although the dance team attends the basketball, football and wrestling matches, other sports have reached out to other coaches and the director of athletics to have dancers at their home games such as soccer and baseball. 

Practices throughout the week can be demanding but many dancers describe practice as an outlet.

“I feel like I can leave practice as a whole new person and a weight off my shoulders and come back and reevaluate schoolwork,” Pittmon said. 

Many dancers help each other out with schoolwork from similar majors outside of practices and games.

“We do truly have such a diverse group of girls,” Burchett said.

Rachel Gaillard, a senior public health major and team member, said the first words that come to mind to describe the team are “strong women.”

Due to the size of the team and frequent practices with one another, the bond between these women runs beyond dancing.

“I am a completely different person than I was four years ago,” Gaillard said. “We truly do keep up with each other, anytime we see each other we smile.”

Some dancers, such as Grant, have been a part of this team for years and have many memories to reflect on since their time joining this program. 

“Seeing Luke Combs and having my friends and family send me pictures from ESPN, that was unreal,” Gaillard said. 

During the 2023 football season, upperclassmen dancers were able to travel with the cheer team to Orlando, Florida, to rally the Mountaineers for their bowl game. Burchett said that was her favorite experience. 

“This team has shaped us all in so many ways,” Gaillard said.