Gophers dance team will represent U.S. at cheer world championships in April

They’re the most decorated program in Gophers athletics. They’re national champions. And now, they’re Team USA.

The University of Minnesota dance team has been selected to represent the United States at the International Cheer Union World Championships in Orlando in April.

The ICU World Championships, which the ICU says regularly welcome teams from about 70 countries, are an annual dance and cheer competition. The Gophers dance team will be competing in the jazz and pom sections, using the pom routine that brought the team a national title last month at UDA nationals and a new jazz routine.

The Minnesota dance team has won 23 national titles and is the most decorated dance team in the country. But it’s been over a decade since Minnesota last applied for national team consideration; the only other two times it applied, in 2010 and 2014, it was successfully named as the national team.

The team’s coach, Amanda Gaines, cited the extended season length and the fundraising that comes with being Team USA as reasons for not putting Minnesota’s name in the ring recently.

But this year was different.

“We felt like we had the right group this year, and they were hungry to get this opportunity,” Gaines said about the decision to apply this year. “So we decided to go for it again.”

Last year, it was the Gophers dance team’s rival, Ohio State, that was selected as Team USA for the world championships.

The U.S. has won the jazz and pom sections at the world championships for the past three years.

The competition this year will run from April 23 to 25, and, if the competition follows its streaming pattern from last year, Minnesota fans can watch livestreams and replays on Olympics.com.