Last Sunday Missouri earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Tigers started this year 13-3 and are now back in the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2018. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Allie Hickey about graduating in May and not being able to join the basketball team in Indianapolis this week.
You were born/raised in Kansas City: what made you choose Missouri? I was born in Little Rock, AR but moved to Kansas City in 7th grade. I always knew that I wanted to go to a big SEC school. Mizzou was always in the mix but not until I came here to visit did I know that I wanted to go here…especially after they won the football game I went to!
You have been dancing/performing since age 2 and this is your 4th year doing so in college: what is your favorite part of being a “Golden Girl”? There are so many things: in addition to performing at games we are also ambassadors for the university and I love the responsibility/pride that comes with that. Entertaining Tiger fans is the reason I wanted to do it but I never expected to love it so much.
What does your team do at basketball games during a normal year? We sit on the sideline under the hoop near our team’s bench. We do chants with the cheerleaders and perform a full-out routine twice/game. We get the crowd pumped up and do smaller routines during timeouts.
What do you think the role of a college dance team is today, and how has it changed over time? My mom was on her college dance team so I think that I have some good insight on this. I think we are not that different from other college athletes: we love our school and want to show out for them. 1 difference in our role is that we bring joy to our fans in whatever we are doing. Dancing/cheerleading as a whole have progressed in terms of techniques/expectations: both have gotten more intense and have incorporated new ways of learning. We just want to keep our fans happy and keep them smiling even if our team is losing.
You are a Communications major and are also pursuing a minor in Business and a certificate in Sales and Customer Development: why did you pick those subjects? My older sister/mom majored in Communications and my dad is in sales. I like that it is a broad major and I can apply it to a position in any field. I knew that I wanted to go into something on the business side so the accounting/finance classes will certainly aid me.
You graduate in May and will be moving to Texas: what is the post-graduation plan? I already have a job lined up as an executive assistant to the CEO of LifeCare Health. I have always wanted to move down to Dallas and would like to keep dancing but it is not guaranteed. I am very blessed/excited to have a job waiting for me.
How do you like basketball, and is that your favorite sport? I like basketball a lot. In my 4 years it has been a rollercoaster: my 1st game was Michael Porter Jr.’s very 1st game and that 1st year was just insane. It has been cool to see the players grow from year to year as they go through their triumphs. I am a football girl if I have to pick 1 sport: there is something so special about fall Saturdays and it is a magical feeling unlike any other. Any chance to dance is an opportunity I am excited for.
Last Sunday the Tigers made the NCAA tourney as an at-large team: how excited was the student body to get its 1st NCAA tourney appearance since 2018? The last time we made it was during my freshman year: it was very different back then when I was at the Selection Sunday party but that was not the case this year. It was not expected this year but everyone is fired up about it and every place in town will be packed.
Due to COVID your team has been unable to participate this season and you will not be traveling with the team to Indianapolis this week: how frustrating is it to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? It would be different if we could congregate as we do during a normal year. Just like so many other things it is really frustrating, but there are bigger things affecting our world so this year has taught me to put everything into perspective. We have been so lucky due to the support that we get: obviously we would prefer to have a normal year but we did as much as we could and got to do some things that other teams were unable to do. We had anywhere from 15-18 girls socially distanced at our basketball games. Since it is my last year it would be great to be in Indianapolis but there is nothing we can do about it.
You are playing Oklahoma on Saturday: any predictions? I know that Oklahoma is good so I really hope it is a good game. The Tigers have done well this year and have played hard and kept their heads on straight. We have seen some amazing moments this year and since I love sports the games have become some of my favorite memories. I am so excited to watch/support them.