Now that we are two weeks into the new semester, academics are in full swing and recreational teams and clubs are beginning to regroup. Anticipation is spreading quickly across campus. However, there are a few questions floating around concerning the status of some of last year’s most talked-about teams. There has been speculation about both the Quidditch and Dance Teams, each one facing individual concerns.
The Quidditch Team recently faced rumors that it was not large enough to continue. Jack Schwab, on the team last year and a current sophomore on campus, has confirmed that the small Rollins team has, unfortunately, broken apart.
The team had previously struggled to recruit due to our small community of students, and they had relied on outside community members to support them. “For a couple of reasons, that team fell apart,” says Schwab. However, two dedicated players on campus will still be competing for an outside team in Gainesville, and Schwab hopes to “at least keep practices going on Mills and maybe get a practice squad of people who just want to play for fun with no real commitment.”
As such, for any avid Harry Potter fans or students just beginning to delve into wizarding sports, there is still hope! For anyone who is interested in the activity or in the potential of joining the local UCF team, you can contact Jack Schwab at jschwab@rollins.edu.
In addition, this year’s national championship is in Kissimmee April 8—9; it will be an entertaining tournament, and just under an hour away.
The other team in question is the Rollins Dance Team (RDT). Doubtful inquirers are wondering if the team received the appropriate monies to continue their program after a petition was issued last year in attempt to receive funds from the college.
The team was reestablished just last year by Francesca Agostino, a recent graduate from the Crummer Graduate School of Business.
Agostino restarted the program as a part of her Crummer Graduate School of Business leadership certification project. Her goal “was to bring back RDT as a program to provide performance opportunities for dancers on campus and engage [the] campus and local community in Rollins spirit.”
One of the most important parts of the project was “to have a sustainability plan, to ensure the program [could] continue on.” However, after some difficulty communicating this goal to Rollins Athletics, the team did not receive a promise of appropriate funding.
After this, Agostino discussed with the team their options: “continue the team without a coach, no longer have a team, or have the Rollins community help us communicate our value to Rollins College.”
Quitting was not an option to this team of determined and passionate ladies. They launched an online petition that night in an effort to make Rollins Athletics aware of the value and impact of the team within the community.
“Within 24 hours we received over 1,000 signatures,” the Rollins Dance Team reported. The following day, the entire team met with President Cornwell and was able to negotiate with Rollins Athletics a plan “to be back this year as a partially funded recreational sport.”
Agostino extended her most sincere thanks to the Rollins community for extending love and support to the team, and for “appreciation for the art of dance.” She added, “I cannot emphasize how much the ’15-’16 Rollins Dance Team has contributed to this effort and how proud I am of their leadership, maturity, patience and passion.”
As far as the work to be done ahead in developing and sustaining the team, Agostino is confident that “our team is strong enough to face any challenge as long as we face it together.”
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