University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDY GOPHER FINISHES THIRD AT NATIONAL MASCOT CHAMPIONSHIPS
1/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Goldy's second-place finish was his best-ever placing at the national championships, organized by Universal Cheerleading Association and hosted at Disney MGM Studios. Goldy performed a Minnesota-themed skit, highlighted by references to the Minnesota Twins, Jesse Ventura and hockey.
The University of Minnesota Dance Team and Cheer Teams will participate in their respective finals on Saturday evening.
The University of Minnesota cheer squad and dance team earned paid bids to the national championships after both teams submitted performances on video to be judged by a committee. The dance team's video was judged second best in the nation and the top five teams in the nation earn paid bids. The cheer squad's video took top honors in the Mid-America Region. The four regional winners, along with four at-large selections, received paid bids to the national cheer competition.
The dance team's best finish at nationals was fourth in 1994-95, while the cheer team's top performance was an eight-place finish in 1997-98.
The Golden Gopher spirit squads are coached by Sam Owens, Beth Frees and Amber Struzyk. The competition will be shown at a later date on ESPN.
