Last Saturday Florida State beat UNC-Greensboro by 10 PTS in the 1st round of the NCAA tourney and will face Colorado in the 2nd round tonight. The Seminoles lost the ACC title game by 5 PTS to Georgia Tech but are 1 game away from making their 3rd straight Sweet 16. 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 today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Emily McManus about being a captain and not being able to join the basketball team in Indianapolis tonight.
You were born/raised in Florida: what made you choose Florida State? I toured all of the major universities in the state but FSU was the best. I saw the potential in the program and we are nationally-ranked so I wanted to come here for both school and dance.
You have been dancing since age 3 and this is your 4th year on the team: what is your favorite part about being a “Golden Girl”? We do a lot of different things but basketball season is my favorite part.
You are also a captain: what is the key to being a good leader? You have to put the team before yourself and do what is best for all 25 girls. You need to make them feel comfortable and push them to be the best: I try to keep them motivated throughout the year.
What does your team do at basketball games during a normal year? Normally we get to be in the corner near the basket and it is super-exciting. We do different routines during timeouts/halftime to show the crowd what we have been working on. We do war chants and t-shirt giveaways to get the crowd going and keep the atmosphere high. We also get to travel for the ACC/NCAA tourneys and support our team.
What do you think the role of a college dance team is today, and how has it changed over time? Some people have viewed dance teams as just the pretty faces on the sideline but we have evolved to become an important part of athletics and the university. We are always there to support as many teams as we can.
You are majoring in Criminology, minoring in Psychology, and are an investigative intern at the local Public Defender’s office: what made you choose those subjects, and how do you like the internship? My mother works in the legal field so I have always had an interest in doing that and have always enjoyed my classes. I got the internship last summer but it was postponed twice due to COVID. I am getting a lot of hands-on experience and am expanding my horizons beyond dance.
Your post-graduation plan is to study for the LSAT while hopefully becoming an NFL cheerleader: where do you want to go to law school, and which team do you want to cheer for? My dad’s side of the family is huge Dallas Cowboys fans but I am also a Miami Dolphins fan. I will most likely stay in Florida for law school so my top choices are to stay here at Florida State or perhaps Florida International.
How do you like basketball, and is that your favorite sport? I love basketball and it is my favorite. I did not know much about it when entering college but it has been exciting to see the team progress every year: it is such a fast-paced sport.
Due to COVID your team has been unable to participate this season and you did not get to travel with the team to Indianapolis last weekend: how frustrating is it to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? Frustrating would be an understatement! We really want to be there for the team every step of the way but it is out of our hands. We cannot cheer/practice/travel the same way but the team still has our support. I would like everything to be back to normal but there are bigger issues than us getting the chance to go see them play.
You are playing Colorado tonight: any predictions? We are winning and moving on! I have a lot of faith in our team: we are a bunch of fighters and I am ready to watch us win again tonight.