Golden Eagle will be a BYU Cougarette

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Savannah Martin, a senior at Maple Mountain High, has been offered a half tuition scholarship at Brigham Young University as part of the Cougarette dance team. The Cougarette dance team was first established in 1946 and is an important aspect of BYU Athletics. They are a part of the BYU Spirit Squad which includes the coed and All-Girl Cheer Squads and Team Cosmo.  Since 2000, they have joined forces with the cheer squad promoting spirit and dancing during home games. The mission of the Cougarettes is to provide high quality halftimes and dance performances while maintaining the standards, spiritual focus and atmosphere of BYU and the LDS Church.

Becoming a member of the Cougarette dance team is very competitive and anywhere from 100 to 150 applicants audition each year and many of them come from across the country to be a part of the 16 dancers.

“When I found out I had made the National Champion Cougarettes, I was in shock. There were so many emotions going through me. It’s hard to put into words, following the initial shock and after it had all sun in, I felt an overwhelming peace and joy knowing that all the years of hard work and dedication paid off,” said Martin.

The Cougarettes take great pride in being role models for young LDS dancers and are also involved in providing service through performances, firesides and many other activities.

“I always tried to do my best no matter what I was doing. Whether it be my academics or my dancing or any other activity I was involved in. I put forth my full effort always and never gave up even when I was discouraged. Also, my parents, teachers and coaches always pushed me to reach my highest potential. Thus, I owe much of my success to their belief and support of me,” said Martin.

The Cougarettes dance in jazz, funk, lyrical, character, high kick, and military. Dancers are required to know and have ability in ballet, modern and jazz techniques. The Cougarettes have been named as one of the top 25 Collegiate Dance teams in the Nation by "Dance Spirit" magazine. They were National Collegiate Dance Team Champions in 2007, 2006, 2005, 2001, 1999, 1998, 1997, having won the NDA Collegiate Cheer and Dance Team Championships. Eight titles as well as three top four finishes have made the Cougarettes truly a team to watch.  They are credited with raising the level of competitive collegiate dance teams to a new and respected height.  The Cougarettes were also USA (United Spirit Association) National Champions in 2005 and 2006.  In addition, they performed at various live sites and venues throughout the 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

 

Attributions
By Aimee Vargas, Micala Pearson and Jamie Gashler, MMHS Staff Writers