INDIANA — The Hoosiers and Boilermakers are not shy about their fierce rivalry. The two Indiana schools divide many houses and families across the state. But in one activity, the programs formed a sisterhood of sorts.
This is Wood's 5th season as the Director of the Redsteppers in Bloomington. The storied program started with Bailey and Title IX. Bailey approached the band director and asked if she could start a female dance team to perform alongside what was at the time, an all-male marching band. Bailey was given the go-ahead and she got to work doing her research, scoping out other teams across the country for a style and look.
Wood relies on her many years of dance and cheer experience, both from childhood and at a professional level. She uses her experience performing inside of Lucas Oil Stadium to coach her team to be game-day ready. Wood took the team through a COVID-19 year where she says they continued to practice each day, even though they had no games to perform at, but that they just continued to meet for their own mental health.
"We are working on our technical skills. It's amazing to me the women that come onto this team, how technically advanced they are," said Wood."A lot of young women today who want dance in college, they want both, They want the game day feel but they also want to be able to go show their technical aspects and compete.""I think Redsteppers is so special because we are a part of the band," said McLain.
The Purdue Goldusters perform alongside the All-American Marching Band and the world's largest drum at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafeyette. Hess says this continuous growth and change is not only important for the fan experience, but also for the dancers themselves. They are also competing for the first time this year at a national dance competition as an added challenge for the team.