Lindsay Sprague is in her eighth season as the head coach of the dance team of the University of 
South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. She has been the head coach of The Carolina Girls Dance Team since the Athletics Department initiated it in the fall of 2007. In their very first season, Lindsay led the team to a 10th place finish in Dance Division 1A at the National Dance Alliance’s Collegiate Championship. The team has since placed as high as 4th in Dance Division 1A (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) and 2nd in Division 1A Hip-Hop (2012).
While attending the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earning a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, she was on the Golddusters Dance Team for four years and helped the team win one second-place, one third-place, and two fourth-place finishes in Division 1 at NDA’s Collegiate Championship.
She was on staff for the National Dance Alliance for three years serving as an instructor for high school and college dance teams, as well as a choreographer for NDA summer camp curriculum. She has choreographed award-winning routines for multiple dance studios along the east coast, in addition to many competitive dance teams on both the high school and collegiate level. Sprague’s choreography for the Carolina Girls took home the “Innovative Choreography” award in Division 1 Hip-Hop at NDA’s Collegiate Championship in 2010. She and the Carolina Girls have twice been featured in the Dance Spirit magazine’s Dance Director’s Survival Guide. In addition, Sprague was one of seven collegiate dance coaches nominated for the Spirit Industry Trade Association’s award for Outstanding Dance Director in May of 2010.
Lindsay is backed up by Morgan Chapman and Katie Beth Mickelsen. They both bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the program. Morgan is in her second season as an assistant coach and is a four year veteran of the Carolina Girls. From 2009 to 2013, she entertained thousands of Gamecock fans at Williams Brice Stadium and Colonial Life Arena. Katie is in her first season as an assistant coach. Katie is in her first year as an assistant coach. She received several regional and national dance convention scholarships through New York City Dance Alliance, LA Dance Magic, West Coast Dance Explosion, Dance Attack, and others. She won any awards while on high school and college dance teams as well as being named Miss Drill Team Utah 2003 and spent four years on the Brigham Young University Cougarettes for four years where she won three national championships, was captain of the team for two years, and also spent one year as the assistant coach.
The Carolina Girls Dance Team’s primary purpose is to support Gamecock Athletics and to provide an entertaining and spirited environment at all designated appearances and events. The team performs at all home football games, men’s and women’s basketball games, in addition to competing nationally at NDA College Nationals. Each dancer on the team is held to a high standard not only as a dancer, but as an ambassador for the University of South Carolina.
Since their inception in 2007, the Carolina Girls have since become well known for their entertaining performances at Williams Brice Stadium and Colonial Life Arena. In addition to performing at South Carolina home football games and basketball games, the team also competes nationally at the National Dance Alliance’s Collegiate Championship each spring. The Carolina Girls most recently placed 4th in Dance Division 1A and 3rd in Hip-Hop Division 1A at the 2013 Championship.
The Carolina Girls Dance Team is open to all full-time students in good academic standing at the University of South Carolina. Auditions are held each year at the end of the spring semester, at which dancers are required to perform various technical sequences, as well as three routines in the styles of jazz, pom and hip-hop. Selections for the team are determined by judges’ scores based on technique, performance and collegiate image.
Being a Carolina Girl is a significant commitment and following academic studies, it should be a top priority for every team member. Carolina Girls are representatives of the University and are expected to uphold its values and standards accordingly. Dancers are also required to maintain strong technical skills and stay extremely fit. The team practices 3-4 times per week, attends a weekly ballet class and trains at Carolina CrossFit. The season begins in early August and ends after nationals in April.
In Lindsay’s opinion, their team is different than many other teams that they compete against because most of their dancers don’t come from a dance team background. Most are trained in competitive studios, so it takes a while to adjust to the styles in which the Carolina Girls perform, pom in particular, as well as the level of uniformity that is expected from a competitive dance team. They do, however, come in with great technique and style, which Lindsay believes gives their program an advantage.
Attending NDA College Nationals each year is a proud moment for Lindsay. Not only is it an 
honor to represent such a wonderful and well-respected university, the team has consistently placed in the top five for the last six years. The girls work extremely hard from August to April and going to Daytona Beach and being competitive amongst so many incredible programs is very rewarding.
Lindsay believes that the one thing that the seniors tend to know about dance that the younger dancers still have not learned yet has to do with no longer standing out and being a part of a team. The seniors on the team obviously have more experience and usually know what to expect, but more than that, they understand the importance of being a team. This is often a new concept to many dancers during their first few months on the team. Although they adjust quickly, it can be a big change for many girls who are used to standing out in a crowd. Being a part of this program means you have to dance just like the person next to you and that you are a part of something much larger than yourself.
Her goal for the Carolina Girls for the upcoming season is to continue building a tradition and making a name for their program.
The Carolina Girls program was established in 2007, so they just completed their 8th season. The team started with 15 dancers and they finished this past season with 30 dancers.
If you would like more information about the Carolina Girls, visit their website at http://www.gamecocksonline.com/ot/spirit/scar-spirit.html, call them at 803-777-4675, or fax them at 803-777-1880 or email Lindsay at LSPRAGUE@mailbox.sc.edu. You can also like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and watch them on YouTube.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Lindsay Sprague of Carolina Girls Dance Team.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
