On March 6 Loyola Chicago beat Drake 64-58 in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Ramblers were swept by the Bulldogs during the regular season but showed that the 3rd time is the charm as they made the NCAA tourney for the 3rd time since 2018. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Loyola Chicago dancer Grace McClain about dealing with COVID protocols and winning the conference tourney.
You grew up in Phoenix and later moved to San Diego: what made you choose Loyola Chicago? I had an aunt who went to Loyola and she told me all about the culture. My mom is from Chicago and I love the city. This is a great school and it invests so much in its students.
How did you 1st get into dancing, and what is the best part? I have been dancing since I was 10 years old and was on the dance team in both high school/college. My favorite part is the team aspect: bonding with everyone and feeling proud of myself and my teammates about what we accomplish every day.
What do you think the role of a college dancer is today, and how has it changed over time? It has definitely changed. In the past it was more stereotypical of just cheering on your team at games (which is something we focus on), but the dance world has changed so much and become more advanced. We are invested in winning a national title every year and are working toward that while growing Loyola spirit. We try to get more recognition for the hard work we put in.
You are majoring in Psychology: why did you pick that subject, and what do you hope to do after graduating? I have always been interested in it, especially social psychology: how people react to/think about certain situations. I have a job set up at a supply chain company so I will be working in customer service, where psychology will definitely help. I will also take some dance classes and keep training.
What does the dance team do at basketball games during the season? We are cheering on the guys the entire time and staying sharp/clean while engaging the crowd because they are just as important as us. We do routines during timeouts/halftime and work with the band/cheer team.
How frustrating has it been to be a dancer for a great basketball team during a pandemic? It was definitely frustrating. We would like to engage as much as we can but COVID protocols do not always allow us to do that. We are trying to stay positive and things are looking up and hopefully we can engage this weekend.
Last Sunday the Ramblers had a 6-PT win over Drake in the MVC tourney title game: how excited was everybody to win the conference tourney for the 2nd straight year? It was the most exciting win that I have ever experienced: I definitely cried! People were not really expecting it but I knew that we would pull it off. The energy was electric and we all believed in the team.
Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tournament? Our itinerary is not finalized but we will do a send-off for the team, which will be super-fun.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the tournament, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? It is based on a point system as well as seniority: did you do extra workouts, extra volunteering, etc. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we will take in every second of it. I am excited: whether we win or lose it will be a great weekend.
How do you feel about going to Pittsburgh to face Ohio State, and any predictions? I think that we can beat the Buckeyes. Everyone is really excited/hopeful. We feel really prepared on the band/cheer/dance team and the basketball team treats every game like the Super Bowl.