The Life Of A Dazzler

Everything happens in perfect synchronization. 

The Dazzlers run onto the basketball court during a media timeout, and the attention of nearly 10,000 fans turns to them. Some fans throughout the arena may even ask: “How does their hair stay so perfect?” 

Why? Even through a full game performance, not one strand of hair is out of place. 

For third-year Dazzler Bailey Goodnight, her goal is for her hair to be the last thing she has to worry about during a performance. The secret is the Water L<ss Heat Shield Spray that she uses before her curling iron and the Treseme Extra Hold Hair Spray she applies after each section is curled. A strong hairspray ensures that she can focus on the action of the game and manage her facial expressions. 

Especially during a fast-paced basketball game, it is crucial for her to maintain intense focus.

For more than 30 years, the Dazzlers have performed as campus ambassadors at the University of Florida. They don’t compete nationally, and their performances are centered around dance rather than gymnastics capabilities or stunts. They’re, distinctly, not UF’s cheerleaders. Faces you’ll recognize? FOX Sports sideline reporter Erin Andrews famously once was a member. New England Patriots cheerleader Aryn Kathryn Hillary, who you saw performing at Super Bowl LX, was, as well. 

For generations of Dazzlers, their role has been clear: perfect hair, sharp movements and an unwavering sense of optimism for the Gators. If the basketball team is down by 20 with two minutes left, the Dazzlers are still cheering. If the football team trails by two scores at the half, you would never know it from the smile on their faces. 

That is who they are. 

They’re an integral part of the UF athletics ecosphere. But how do they strike this mental balance, dividing their mind and performance? Similar to their hair, it’s all preparation. Lots and lots of preparation.

The dancers are there hours before a fan steps foot in the arena. In a dressing room full of companionship, support and clouds of hairspray, 11 of the 21 Dazzlers get set for a basketball gameday performance. 

Some bring dinner — a Subway sandwich or Caesar salad. Others, like Goodnight’s close friend freshman Jenna Sasson, have an assortment of candies, from sour spaghetti and Skittles to Life Saver gummies. Each candy is organized in its own packaging, set on the makeup counter next to rows of curling irons and makeup bags. With four hours to prepare before game time, the snacks and meals begin routine. 

“The candy reminds me of [childhood] dance competitions,” Sasson said before holding up the bag to share with the women sitting on either side of her. Each performer also drinks electrolytes or energy drinks, ranging from fruit punch Gatorade to peach Alanis. With only a few large Hollywood vanity mirrors, they share space or spread out on the floor to finish their gametime looks. 

So while the women on the team begin preparing half a day before events, their training began weeks, months and even years earlier. For many, dance classes started at 3 years old. Disciplines like ballet, lyrical and tap are most common for young girls. Among these dancers, their interest in the sport emerged early on, with most saying they turned to competitive dance during elementary school. The women either continued to pursue competitive dance, joined their high school dance teams or did both. That produced an intensive schedule as young as 5, but it's nothing compared to what they do now. The Dazzlers typically train five days a week, with additional workouts sprinkled in to increase strength and endurance.

Goodnight is a pre-dental student in addition to being a Dazzler, so her Google Calendar manages her busy schedule, especially for activities related to the team. After ordering a strawberry açaí refresher from Starbucks before settling in for a two-hour study session at the library, she opened her calendar to her schedule. 

“Everything in blue is for the Dazzlers,” she said. Every day of the month featured a blue tab relating to a Dazzlers’ practice, performance or appearance. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the team works out with a trainer to build its strength off of the dance floor. These days also include game-scenario training. 

Dazzlers coach Madeline Soave keeps a minute-by-minute log of every play in a football or basketball game. For hours, the team practices each possible situation in real time.

While it doesn’t frequently cross your mind, think about what you see when watching from the stands. If a foul during a basketball game leads to Florida free throws, the Dazzlers have practiced rising to their knees, preparing for a Gator chomp. There are so many other similar, trained moments.

“Something big we’ve been talking about is building performance endurance,” Soave said. “It’s a four-hour-long performance, and they’re never ‘off.’”  

The term “always on” is frequently used by both the members of the team and Soave. She said they are expected to be performing not only with their bodies but also with their faces for the entirety of each appearance. In practice, she emphasizes the need for mental toughness. You have to hold a smile through any game situation. 

For the physical performance, Monday, Wednesday and Friday are reserved for developing skills and practicing routines, assuming no games or appearances are scheduled. Soave allows women on the team to take the lead during these practices. To begin the session, a senior like Cecilia Coleman leads stretching and warmups, which usually take around 20 minutes. 

On Wednesdays, junior Madeline Leachman leads a section in a technique such as a perfect aerial, a hands-free cartwheel. The team expects every Dazzler to master this skill on both the left and right sides of her body because the dancers perform the move after free throws at, you guessed it, every basketball game. 

Leachman also teaches 20 to 30 minutes of ballet each week. Soave said she wants the women to perfect their craft by training skills they learned at a young age. 

“The schedule really isn’t that bad,” Goodnight said. “I’m not required to be at every single one of these events.” 

The team consists of 21 dancers with one senior captain and one junior captain. All 21 women are required to attend every football game. However, for men’s and women’s basketball games or community appearances, Soave creates a roster of around 11 girls who attend. 

To keep things consistent, junior captain Anna-Katherine Risalvato leads every women’s basketball game, while senior captain Dani Schenone holds the role during the men’s games. 

Captains are selected by Soave once she sees clear leadership demonstrated throughout an individual Dazzler's early years on the team. She said it was an instant connection with Risalvato and Schenone because of their ability to keep high spirits through any situation. 

During practices, the captains teach skills and routines that are performed throughout a game, like the aerials during free throws or the jumps after each basket is scored by the Gators. On the court, they call out each action before it is performed. 

While not every woman performs at each game or community event, practices are mandatory. Even a few minutes of tardiness results in sitting out for the duration of practice. The Dazzlers can’t use their phones or complete homework assignments during that time. This is a firm line for Soave because the opening minutes of practice include warmups and stretching. Without preparation, dancers face a greater risk of injury. 

As a STEM major, Goodnight said she feels the pressure to maintain a structured schedule. With difficult classes, exams and daily Dazzler activities, the workload can become overwhelming. 

She finds support from her sorority, Delta Zeta. The two halves of her life appear through the two black backpacks she carries every day. 

While carrying her Delta Zeta backpack with the small pink Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon, she embodies a student, a future dentist and someone contributing to her community through philanthropy events for the Starkey Foundation. When she dons the backpack with FLORIDA embroidered across the pocket and orange-and-blue bows hanging from the straps, she becomes the performer. 

The passion required of any student-athlete mirrors the commitment of the Dazzlers, despite not being formally recognized as a sport by the UAA. Soave, a former graduate assistant at Grand Canyon University, has experience on the national level and sees untapped potential at UF. 

The Gators could evolve by joining the competitive circuit, she contended, as in-state counterparts Miami and Florida State have already done so. She said she knows the UF squad has qualities that would translate well to the national stage, and she hopes to be the coach who can push the team to the next level. 

“I think there’s a very specific style to this program that other teams don’t do,” she said. “There’s small things like they do sliding claps and obviously their chomps.” 

The Dazzlers also represent UF at appearances like the Night to Shine special needs prom, the women attend the event to greet attendees, take photos and spread love for Gator Nation. 

They uphold their position by being kind to the people they interact with, staying off of their phones and maintaining professionalism. In today’s social media culture, Dazzlers are trained to expect a camera at all times. Exhibit A: During the UF football game against Texas this season, junior Brigitte Bontoux heard a fan call from near the entrance to the locker room. 

“She sees a fan telling her, ‘Hey, do ‘Horns down! Do ‘Horns down!’” Soave said. “And she just smiled and you see her do a chomp.

“That ended up on TikTok.” 

A small interaction like this could have been damaging for Bontoux and the Dazzlers. As university representatives, the Dazzlers face reprimand for speaking or acting against an opposing team. 

“We’re trying to educate people about who we are and just how valuable we are to the University,” Soave said. “A video like that, if she would’ve just taken the suggestion, that would have gone to administration.” 

That’s why she constantly reminds the women to be “ready for anything.” While the team can practice for any number of game-time scenarios, sports always have intangibles. The Dazzlers must prepare for situations such as a crowd becoming too rowdy before a game or players on the bench getting into a scrap. While Soave holds high expectations, she said nothing matters more than her team’s safety. 

A police officer travels with the group, along with Soave and her volunteer assistant coach, Alexandra Gambin. Together, they monitor the crowds and ensure that the women remain safe. 

“She’s an alumna of our program,” Soave said. “A highly esteemed alumna.” 

Gambin is a full-time nurse in Gainesville who danced for the team for five years at UF. She volunteers her time to the team as an assistant coach to help Soave with organization, game situation awareness and training. 

She understands the pressure the women feel every time they put on the sheer tights and sparkling uniform. For five years, she sat in the dressing rooms, applying layers of makeup and curling her hair, ensuring hair spray held down every flyaway. 

Like Gambin, the Dazzlers share career aspirations. Some plan to pursue a career in professional dance. Others, like Goodnight, will continue their education and earn postgraduate degrees in medicine, law, engineering or business. 

So maybe the secret to their hair is not really a secret. But it is a representation of the Dazzlers’ mentality. The heat protectant and hair spray they use is calculated and a routine perfected from years of practiced movements and knowledge gained through trial and error. 

Like their hair and makeup, each performance receives this attention to detail, repetition and unfiltered determination.

This story appears in the Spring 2026 print issue of Grandstand Magazine. Click here to see the full issue in its original print format.