“Let’s dance two!”: With Drive and an Edge, Bloomington dancers complete “unique” double-header

Dancing and cheering for two games on a Saturday is quite a feat, but throw in a previous Friday night game, and you have one dance-tastic marathon. So after dancing for THREE games in a just over a 24 hour period, the loved ones of the dancers for both indoor football’s Bloomington Edge and the Central Illinois Drive hoops team probably expected them to be more than a bit tired after the third game. And when the dancers arrived home and said that the halftime entertainment included monkeys riding dogs, their families probably thought some extended bed rest was in order. When the dancers completed the entire halftime description, “Monkeys riding dogs while herding sheep into a pen,” their loved ones must have considered reaching for the phone to determine the feasibility of hospitalization for exhaustion. But fear not; yes, the halftime of the evening’s Bloomington Edge IFL game was as described. Monkeys riding dogs that were herding sheep into a pen.

But the more miraculous feat was that six dancers performed for a Drive game on Friday night, another Drive game on Saturday afternoon, and then an Edge game Saturday night. Whew! Let’s take a look at this unique double-header of dance.

The double-header came about because there are some new sports team owners in Bloomington, Illinois. Jim Morris and Scott Henderson not only purchased Bloomington’s IFL franchise during the off-season, they started a franchise in the Premier Basketball League (that just won the league championship, by the way), the Central Illinois Drive. Both teams play at Bloomington’s US Cellular Coliseum. So, if you buy a football team with a superb dance team in place with Bloomington dance legend Stacy Terry running things as Dance Team Coordinator, what would you do for your new hoops team? Have Stacy create a dance team for basketball’s Drive, of course!

Adding a dance team to the Drive seemed natural, since one of the owners had his kids in dance at Stacy’s studio for years. But things had to happen fast to get it done. “We had a real short turn around,” Stacy recalled. “We only had two weeks to do an audition and start.” Was Stacy surprised that many of the dancers for football’s Edge would also want to be part of the basketball squad? Stacy smiles, “No, I knew they were going to.”

Prior to the afternoon basketball game, Amber and Jess explained why they wanted to be on the Drive dance team in addition to being veteran Edge dancers. Amber laughed, “Because we love it,” and Jess added, “And we love each other.” There is a lot of overlap of the two squads, but Caitlyn and Lauren are rookies and dance for the Edge football side only.

And if a pro dance double-header was not challenging enough, due to spring break schedules, some dancers were out of town. Therefore, the double-header dancers had to learn a lot of routines, but with changes as to who was where during the dances. This switching up of formations meant re-doing the same dances with different people, which Stacy said was the toughest part. Plus, this season, for both Drive and Edge games, the dancers are performing extended halftime routines, new from last season. Prior to the Saturday afternoon Drive game, Stacy said, “They might be a little slap happy by game time tonight.”

Rachel and Sarah were handing out Drive player collector cards prior to the game. Sarah is usually only on the Drive dance team, but was going to fill-in also during that night’s halftime performance at the Edge football game. Did it seem a lot to Rachel and Sarah to have two games in one day? Sarah replied, “Yes and no. It’s a lot of dances to keep sorted out, which one we are doing which time.” Rachel chimed in, “And which way we are doing it.” Sarah added, “But we have plenty of rehearsals, so we are ready.”

The obvious challenge for the arena crew was being ready to turn a basketball court into an indoor football field once the Drive game was over. But the dance teams also had to be quick. With a visiting basketball team using one locker room, and a football team arriving from out of town needing their own locker room, plus both of the teams needing places for their meals, Stacy’s dancers also needed to clear out of their locker room right after the afternoon Drive game, and then come back a few hours later to prep for the football game. But, voila, as gates opened for the evening game, the dancers were now Edge Dancers, and they happily greeted guests as they arrived.

During the afternoon, at halftime of the Drive game, the dog riding monkeys made an appearance, but the evening’s halftime show at the Edge game had the the monkeys riding the dogs, plus they rounded up some sheep into a pen. As the second quarter wound down, the Edge dancers were able to visit with the dogs and the monkeys “back stage.” It was a big thrill for Alice, who has loved monkeys since she was a little girl. Everyone was anxious to see how this would play out, except for maybe the sheep, which seemed quite happy to remain behind in the tunnel. Finally, the sheep came out and the herding ensued. Then the Edge dancers went out for their performance, and prior to and after their dancing, made sure to “tap dance” around any “souvenirs” left by their barnyard halftime entertainment peers.

During the second half, the Edge Dance Team continued to perform, including helping out a young “guest dancer” and also visited some of the arena suites, including visiting dancer Jess’ dad.

But the real excitement was yet to come, with visiting Lehigh Valley giving the Edge all they wanted. In the fourth quarter, the fans were struck silent as Lehigh Valley quickly scored with on a TD pass to take a four point lead with 0:52 to go in the game. During the final half minute, the Edge failed to convert on fourth down, but a Lehigh Valley holding penalty kept the Edge hopes alive. Down to the last seconds, on what seemed to be the final play of the game, an Edge incompletion seemingly ended their hopes for a home win. However, a Lehigh Valley pass interference penalty gave the Edge one last play with 0:02 left. The Edge’s Andre Raymond rushed for a touchdown to win it as time expired. The crowd erupted, and the Edge Dance team rejoiced, as Jess jumped into Alice’s arms.

So, to paraphrase Chicago Cubs legend Ernie Banks’ enthusiasm for double-headers, the Drive and Edge dancers attitude of, “Let’s dance two!” still left them with boundless energy to celebrate a wonderful victory. Two games, two wins, lots of great entertainment by Stacy and her dedicated, talented dancers. But their night was not completely over, as the dancers for the Edge hit the field to greet fans and sign autographs. The monkeys, dogs, sheep, and their cowboy had hit the road for another gig somewhere down the lonesome road of sports. But Bloomington’s teams always have their Dance Teams to entertain and pump up the fans. And the fans have had a lot to cheer about, the Drive won the PBL championship, and the Edge are 7-1, after losing the season’s first game up north in Chicago.

SO much thanks to Stacy and her dancers for allowing UltimateCheerleaders to see their March 24th double header performance. Stacy and the dancers are incredibly gracious and hospitable, in addition to talented and fun. And big thanks to the entire Edge/Drive staff, including co-owner Scott Henderson, for all of their assistance!

And, wait, there is more! Stay tuned for interviews with Rachel, whom you might want to hire if a wedding is in your future, and we will check in with seven-year veteran Alice, who has added some new responsibilities to her roles, on and off the field. Plus, there are more photos of the day’s activities here and check out both squads’ joint Facebook page here.