Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, parents, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament tips off this week in Washington, DC, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of articles in the week ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage with an interview of Charleston Cougarette Kylee Poole.
You are from Knoxville, TN: what made you choose Charleston? I was looking at a couple of different schools including the Boston Conservatory North…but it was too cold for me! I knew that I would have more freedom here rather than spending my entire time studying dance so it was the environment that led me here.
You are a double major in dance & communication: how did you choose those subjects? Originally, I wanted to go into dance therapy so I was a dance & psychology major, but I later fell in love with communication and got interested in sports broadcasting after watching so many basketball games.
You are in the honors college: how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work on the dance team? It makes it “easier to be busier”. Our coaches do homework checks and look at our grades to make sure that we are doing all right in class, and if we are not then we cannot attend practice. I like to stay busy so if it requires getting up early to get my homework done then I will do that.
You are a junior: what is the post-graduation plan? I will dance for as long as my body lets me. I am looking at a cruise ship contract or maybe a Disney show or an NFL dance team. I am also interested in theater so perhaps a traveling company. After all that I will probably try to go the sports broadcasting route.
What is the biggest difference between a traditional dance style like ballet and a more modern style like the Cougarettes? We have 3 different kinds of style: jazz, hip-hop, and pom. The biggest difference from a classical style is strength/precision. We wear ankle/wrist weights to practice that allows us to “snap” our movement, but the classical style is more flowing, which can also be fun. When there are 25 of you and you can all hit your mark at the same time (like the Rockettes) then it is a strong performance.
You run your squad’s social media account: what kind of work does that involve? I have been doing it for a year and really love it. I get all the important dates from my coaches and plan out when to send notifications about clinics/events to the community. I make a lot of graphics and attend outside events even if I am not dancing at it to take photos/videos and then make a quick post. I also do recruitment, which involves meeting with future dancers and their parents about the audition process and what it is like to be on the team.
1 of your hobbies is photography: any advice for a blogger who wants to take some good photos during a basketball game?! Get a nice camera if you can: I mostly use my phone but am also learning how to use a Nikon. You do not need to have the best seat in the house: I try to get in the aisle so that there are not fans directly in front of me. You want to take shots of the action rather than the “in-between” so it helps if you know what teams will do at certain points during the game.
You have been on the team for 3 years, which means you got to experience last year’s legendary 31-win season: did you get to dance during the CAA title game win over UNCW and/or the NCAA tourney loss to San Diego State? We sent our 6 upperclassmen last year, so I did not get to attend. I did get to cheer at the Charleston Classic last season where we beat Virginia Tech/Colorado State back-to-back: it was a big deal to bring that title home. We also appeared at several screening parties on campus for our student section. I am very excited to get to go to the CAA tourney this year.
What has been the best part of this season: beating Liberty in Florida, the Senior Night win over Hofstra last Saturday, other? I really loved the Senior Night win over Hofstra. It was special both for the basketball team’s seniors and for ours. We competed in January for a dance title and Hofstra is 1 of our biggest competitors. The crowd was on their feet the entire night and it was a great game.
The Cougars are the #1 seed in the CAA tourney: any predictions? I predict that we will do well. Pat Kelsey is a great coach/inspiration and once the boys get on a roll then nothing will stop them. I have been looking at some bracket predictions and if we end up playing my hometown Volunteers in the Sweet 16 then it would be incredible!