| |
About
Jersey Village Gold Dusters
Drill team is a way or life! Unlike other high school organizations,
being a member of the drill team is an eleven-month commitment.
Practices last 3 hours each day with two hours being dedicated
after the school day officially ends. Additionally, practices
are held in the summer with some girls devoting 4 weeks of
their summer vacation preparing for camp, choreographing dances
and learning routines. "A tradition of excellence"
is our motto appropriately depicting our ultimate goal and
we are proud of our accomplishments.
The Gold Dusters’ year is divided into three distinct
categories. The "kick-off" of the Gold Dusters'
year coincides with the Jersey Village Falcon football season
where the drill team provides half time entertainment. Preparation
for contest season starts in November and culminates with
competition on the local, regional and national levels in
February and March. Spring Show is held in April or May
and consists of all new material choreographed around a
theme and showcases the individual and group talent for
the student body and community. In addition to dancing,
the girls, at a minimum, maintain UIL required scholastic
levels but many of them are honor students participating
in advanced level classes and earning college hours while
attending Jersey Village High School.
Our girls are workers and leaders at school. Drive and
determination motivate the members of the team to excel
in all aspects of their life and our goal for them is that
they will apply what they have learned about hard work and
dedication to future endeavors.
Director, Courtney Sturhan
 |
Courtney Sturhan is a native Texan
that grew up in Missouri City. She graduated from
Elkins High School in Fort Bend ISD where she was
on the Elite Dance Team for three years. While on
the Elite, Courtney served as an Lieutenant her Junior
year and Co-Captain her Senior year. Upon graduation,
she moved to Fort Worth where she attended Texas Christian
University for a year and a half. After deciding on
a major, Courtney moved back to Houston to complete
her degree at the University of Houston.
She began her career as a Drill Team Director at the
age of 19 when she lead the Houston Christian High
School Silver Spurs Drill team to many great achievements.
Upon receiving her Bachelors of Science in Psychology
with a minor in Dance, Courtney was fortunate to have
the opportunity to work at Cy-Falls High School where
she was the ACCESS Graduation Math Aide and the Sky
Dancers Assistant Director. When faced with the opportunity
to teach dance full time, Courtney moved back to Fort
Bend ISD to teach at Austin High School. While at
Austin, she was the Assistant Angels Director and
helped to lead the Angels to the National Marching
Auxillaries Championship. After three fantastic years
at Austin High School, she was given the opportunity
to direct he r alma mater. At Elkins High School,
Courtney was able to enhance the dance department
by improving the technique and enrollment of the dance
classes. She also led the Elite Dance Team to many
acolades which included numerous technique, choreography
and showmanship awards. After two successful years,
Courtney and her sister decided to take a leap of
faith and open a scrapbooking store in Sugar Land,
TX. Quickly, she realized that her heart was missing
something. Her passion is dance and is so glad to
be back.
Courtney is excited about working with the Gold Dusters.
She truly believes that the 'Gold Dusters are one
of the cleanest dancing teams around' and cannot wait
to add her little flair to the team. The traditions
of Gold Dusters are important to her and strives to
keep the standards high. Among her favorite styles
of dance are pom and kick for football season and
lyrical, modern and jazz for competition season. Her
favorite 'season' is Spring Show season because it
is the time when the girls get to show what they have
accomplished throughout the year to the Jersey Village
student body.
She has a wonderful and loving husband, Brian that
is so understanding and accepting of her love of dance
and dance team. Her beautiful daughter, Madison will
be three in July and is the light of her life.
|
Assistant Director, Heather Townsend-Fike
 |
Mrs. Fike has a unique combination of professional
dance and choreography experience in the Texas style
of dance/drill team. She has directed dance companies
in Texas, Arkansas, & Oklahoma. She graduated from
Cy-Fair High School where she was a top officer for
the Bobcat Brigade. Mrs. Fike also taught with Mrs.
Barbera Tidwell for Half-Time USA, is a former Miss
Half-Time USA, and former Southwest Texas State Strutter.
She is the founder and former Director of Arkansas Ballet
Theatre, as well as, the Miss Sugar Creek Days Scholarship
Pageant. She has 27 years of professional experience
in teaching ballet, modem dance, jazz, Pilates, folk,
and ethnic dance. She has trained and certified for
these roles with the likes of The Pilates Institute,
The Jose Limon Company, Pineapple Dance in London, Jacques
d’Amboise, Gus Giordano, and Bella Lewitsky. For
many years, she worked with elite gymnasts on floor
and beam routines throughout South Texas with many of
her students qualifying and winning the US National
Gymnastics Competition and one of her gymnasts, Chelle
Stack, represented the USA in the Seoul, Korea Olympics.
She has served as artist in residence in several school
districts in Texas, Arkansas, & Oklahoma, as well
as received grants for dance productions she danced
in and choreographed for the Tulsa Arts and Humanities
Council. She has danced with LSU Dance Theatre, LSU
Folk and Ethnic Ensemble, LSU Ballet Ensemble, Baton
Rouge Ballet Theatre, Ballet Arkansas, Gash-Voight Dance
Theatre, Dance Kaleidescope, in addition to owning two
dance studios. |
|
|
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)