Gophers dance program, the U's most-decorated, led entirely by former team members
MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota dance team is the most decorated program in Gophers athletics, with 22 national championships since 2003.
One of the secrets to their success is a coaching staff made up entirely of former team members.
This is Amanda Gaines' 13th season as head coach. She's led the team to dozens of national championships in recent years. And before that, she was on the teams that earned them from 2005 to 2009.
"I think the traditions mean so much to us because we've lived and breathed them on both sides," Gaines said.
It's part of what fosters this program's success, and Gaines' coaching counterparts are part of the legacy, too.
Tia Tumbleson, in her fourth season as assistant coach, danced on the team from 2015 to 2019.
"We do it for the relationships," Tumbleson said. "Being able to coach them and be resources for them, and just people in their lives is just one of the best things."
New this year, they've added a third coach to their staff: Lauren Busyn. She knows these dancers on a deeper level because she was their teammate just last season.
"I could use my voice when I was on the team, but now I can have a little bit more input," Busyn said.
Busyn was on the floor when the team went viral last year at nationals.
"The team like felt so connected and so unified that going out there just like, we kind of knew, like results aside, that we had something special," Busyn said.
"I think it kickstarted dance being more on the map," Tumbleson said.
People around the country fell in love with the team, and their social media pages blew up.
"Our team account, we manage that, like we run it and we're the second-most followed account behind football," Gaines said.
Following all the attention, though, they want to make sure it doesn't distract them from their real purpose. This year's team motto is "heart over hype."
"If the hype comes again, if, you know, TikTok blows up, if people are paying attention at nationals, that's great," Gaines said. "But at the end of the day it's about, like, we're doing this because we love it, not because that hype is guaranteed."
They're going into this season knowing they have to earn that attention all over again.
"Regardless of what the expectations are, like we have to take it as a fresh start every year," Gaines said.
This weekend, WCCO's Marielle Mohs will be in Orlando, Florida — bringing you exclusive coverage of the college dance team nationals. Tune in for her reports, and see the unveiling of a new women's basketball league starting Friday.