Tivy High School Golden Girls booster club gets nonprofit status, varsity roster hits 29

Reese Wentrcek has wanted to be a Golden Girl since first grade. She made varsity her freshman year, describing it as “really scary.” She considers her teammates her closest friends.

June Rye grew up watching her two older sisters wear the blue and white uniform and decided as a child that she had to do the same.

Abbye Moroney tried out because her friends were trying out and she didn’t want to miss out.

All three are now student leaders of the Tivy High School Golden Girls, a 56-member dance team that recently cleared a significant organizational milestone: its booster club received official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

“Our purpose is to support our Golden Girls here with their fundraising efforts,” said booster president Amy Moroney. “To support all their activities, purchase costumes, help send them to competitions — all the things that they need so that they continue to be a bright and shining light for our community.”

The team has grown from 38 members to 56 in recent years, with varsity expanding from 18 to 29 dancers. That growth comes with steep costs. The team’s signature glitter hats — custom ordered from their team shop — cost $150 each. Professional choreographers, travel buses, competition registration fees, tights, and jazz shoes add up across a roster of nearly 60 dancers. Many current performance outfits are hand-me-downs.

The booster club’s goal is eventually to eliminate those out-of-pocket costs for families.

The Golden Girls are not cheerleaders. Addressing the common conflation of the two, the student leaders explained: cheerleading involves gymnastics, stunts, and aerial maneuvers. Golden Girls perform jazz, lyrical, and novelty routines year-round, with a signature high-kick focus.

“You have a designated kick routine,” Moroney said. “It is long. Like you’re kicking for like two minutes straight. And then you have to do a jump split at the end. Jump splits are hard.”

Upcoming events include the Bob and Sue Dad-Daughter Dance on Sept. 25 — a comedic halftime show featuring the dancers and their fathers — and a Junior Dance Clinic on Oct. 3 for younger Hill Country youth to dance alongside the high schoolers. The team also recently hosted a fundraiser at Kendra Scott and is coordinating a follow-up holiday event.

The winter show spotlights fall choreography. The spring recital, historically held at the Cailloux Theater, features a massive JV and Varsity Final Sendoff kick routine requiring up to 10 costume changes for the officers.

“It’s more than just dancing,” Amy Moroney said. “It really builds up their leadership skills and teaches them to become great leaders and women in the future.”

To support the Golden Girls Booster Club, follow them on social media or contact the Tivy High School Golden Girls program directly.