Goldy The Gopher Heading To National Cheer Competition
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- He doesn't even have vocal chords, but a local guy you may recognize is heading out to perform at a national cheerleading competition.
"Goldy the Gopher" will travel to Florida this week to compete in the Universal Cheer Association college nationals. Also competing are cheerleaders from the University of Minnesota and the school's reigning champion dance team. Goldy will be competing in the mascot skit competition.
As coordinated as the school's dancers are, as strong as the cheerleaders are, there's only one spirit rallier that everyone knows by name. Goldy is the school's mascot.
Like the football team, he has a head coach.
"He's very easy to work with very friendly, he has a mind of his own as well," Taylor Hannah said.
During their long, tedious practices, they communicate non-verbally.
"He's got no vocal chords, he's very shy," Hannah said.
Shy, but confident, he won nationals in 2013 and his pals are cheering for a repeat. Here's his winning routine:
"Best case scenario, we'll be coming home with a gold medal," Hannah said.
Now wouldn't that be appropriate. Gold for Goldy, that's the goal.
If you'd like to watch live streams of all the University of Minnesota teams at nationals this weekend, the web site varsity.com will have them all.
Goldy will compete at 7:05 p.m. Friday. The University of Minnesota dance team will compete at about 8:42 a.m. and 1:41 p.m. Saturday. The All Girls Cheer team will compete at 5:36 p.m. Saturday, and the Co-Ed Cheer team will compete at 5:40 p.m.
The dance team finals are at 11:18 a.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, and the Cheer team final is at 5:30 p.m.