Erin Harold, Coach of the Pom Squad (Official Dance Team of Texas Tech) and an Adjunct instructor
of Dance at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, tells us that their team is comprised of up to twenty technically trained dancers who are mentally tough and willing to push themselves every day to become the best versions of themselves that they possibly can. They are incredible ambassadors for their University doing over 150 appearances/athletic events throughout the year while maintaining a 3.46 average GPA.
Erin is in her third year as the Pom Squad coach. During her first year at Texas Tech, she led the Texas Tech Pom Squad to a national’s third place in Open Dance, the highest in program history. Originally from Wheeling, W.Va., Harold is a graduate of WVU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology and also is an A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer. She was a two-year member of the WVU Dance Team, coached for three years and earned two consecutive National Dance Alliance (NDA) collegiate national championships. Harold also is on staff with the NDA as an instructor, choreographer and adjudicator
Harold has been a highly sought-after teacher and choreographer in the tri-state area of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, and had recently traveled to Texas and California to teach master classes, as well as set choreography. She has choreographed for several state festivals and pageants, and just recently finished choreographing a production for the nationally recognized organization, Broadway Cares.
The Texas Tech University Pom Squad is one of the Spirit Squads at Texas Tech. Spirit Squads lead the fans in supporting the teams at football, basketball, and volleyball games. They serve as ambassadors not only at athletic events, but also at many different school functions. In addition, the Spirit Squads gladly participate in their community by volunteering at local schools, charity events, and youth organizations. Being a proud part of the Texas Tech Spirit Program is more than just a year-round commitment. It means dedication from each member to maintain the school spirit of the students, the alumni, and the fans. The Spirit Program members take pride in knowing that they are an essential part of such a wonderful tradition!
The Pom Squad is a dance team that consists of talented dancers with extensive dance training. They perform all styles of dance at the highest level including: Jazz, Hip Hop, Lyrical, Contemporary, and Pom. There are Tech Pom Squad alumni that have danced for the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Houston Texans, New York Jets, and the Kansas City Chiefs. Some of the Pom Squad members work for companies such as NDA and UDA.
You can find the Pom Squad dancing at home football games. The Squad also performs at women’s volleyball, men’s home basketball games, selected baseball and soccer games. In addition, squad members travel to the post season football bowl games, NCAA/NIT tournament basketball games, and the Big 12 basketball tournaments. Each spring the squad competes at the NDA Collegiate National Championship in the Hip Hop and Open Dance 1A divisions. In 2013 the squad finished 3rd in Open Dance Division 1A, the highest final placement in Texas Tech Pom Squad history. Also, in 2014, they finished 3rd place in the Open Dance 1A and 5th place in the Hip Hop 1A. Additionally, the Pom Squad placed 7th in Open Dance and 4th in Hip Hop at 2015 NDA Nationals. The squad also represents Texas Tech at many university and community events throughout the year.
In Erin’s opinion, the first and foremost reason that Texas Tech’s Pom Squad stands out from other dance programs is that the support they get from their University is second to none. The dancers are rewarded on a daily basis for their time and effort in representing Texas Tech. They also set themselves apart by striving for excellence in all forms of dance, not just one. Erin expects them to be top notch at all games, appearances, practices, performance, and in the classroom. The Poms are a family, and the relationships their dancers create and the experiences they are able to have while being a part of their program absolutely make it different than any other in the country.
Erin says the proudest she has been since being affiliated with the program has been this year when the Pom Squad was finally able to be recognized as their own team. A lot of the time they were mistaken as cheerleaders and no one really knew what they were. This year, however, they have been able to perform more at football and basketball games and that has helped to show that they have their own identity and that the dancers are really very talented.
One thing that the seniors tend to know about dance that the younger dancers still have not learned relates to their philosophy and work ethic. They laugh about this all the time, but the sooner the dancers buy into the team philosophy and work ethic, the easier the whole process becomes and the more they are able to enjoy it.
Erin thinks their veteran dancers tend to understand that process a little bit more and don’t take advantage of their opportunities. The seniors rarely say “no” to an opportunity and that, in turn, leads to even more lifelong memories that they are able to take with them. She thinks the seniors also tend to understand the value of creating relationships with every single person on the team. They are a TEAM! They don’t have little groups within the team. They all work together and try to figure out how to make their specific puzzle fit together.
According to Erin, every year the team goes into the next year trying to be better than the year before. She’s not just talking from a competitive stand point. They want to ultimately be better at games, better in the classroom, and better at nationals. Erin believes that as the program continues to grow, the talent pool will also continue increasing and that really makes her excited for their upcoming auditions. Ideally, she would like to continue placing in the top three at nationals in both divisions, have a squad average GPA above a 3.5, and have an even bigger national reach with their game day performances.
The Pom Squad hosts a yearly College Prep Dance Clinic for high school through college age dancers designed to help potential squad members prepare to dance in college. The classes include Jazz, Hip Hop and Pom and focus on dance technique.
Erin believes that the benefits that their students receive are second to none. They offer out-
of-state tuition waivers, $1,000 Leadership Scholarship, monthly meal plan, a state-of-the-art practice facility, an athletics strength and conditioning program, academic tutoring, and paid uniforms and travel. At Texas Tech, they treat the dancers as an equal part of the Spirit Program; therefore, their dancers get really outstanding opportunities. Their graduating seniors have been all over the country representing Texas Tech (i.e. San Diego, Houston, Dallas, New Orleans, Mobile, Daytona Beach, Kansas City, and Las Vegas) They are absolutely looking for dancers who want to continue improving and being challenged once they get to college. Their ideal dancer is someone who isn’t content with where they are and wants to continue working hard to push themselves to the next level as a dancer, student, person, and teammate.
If you would like more information about the Texas Tech University Pom Squad, visit their website at www.spiritsquads.ttu.edu, call them at 806-742-5433 or email them at spirit@ttu.edu. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter at @ttupom.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Erin Harold of Texas Tech University.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
