Once a Stinger, Always a Stinger

Maria Palacios Geraci ‘77 BY MARIA PALACIOS GERACI, CLASS OF ‘77

It was August, 1974. Richard Nixon had just become the first U.S. President in history to resign, gas was 53 cents a gallon, and the only classrooms that had air-conditioning at MCC were the portables where Mrs. Ralph taught Spanish, and Mrs. Stewart taught Typing and Journalism. But most importantly, Melbourne Central Catholic High School had no dance and drill team.

The quest to add a dance and drill team at MCC had begun a few years earlier. Local squads such as Satellite High School’s Scorpionettes and Eau Gallie High School’s Deckettes were well known in Brevard County for their fun and innovative routines during football and basketball game half-times. If those schools could have a dance squad, why couldn’t MCC? The administration’s answer was always a variation of “who is going to put it together, and who will be in charge?”

Luckily, not just one person, but two came through. The girls’ P.E. teacher, Miss Ivey (who later became Mrs. Washburn), and MCC’s beloved librarian, Sr. Rita Sheridan, volunteered to take on the job together. Word spread quickly around campus and on a hot humid September afternoon, the first MCC Dance and Drill Team tryouts were held in the gym. Every girl who came to the tryouts made the squad. The only requirements were a love of dance, a willingness to put ourselves out there, and a mother or other relative who could sew together a uniform.

Once we had a squad, the next decision was a name.

Believe it or not, we almost became the Hustlerettes, although I’m sure Sr. Rita would have had a thing or two to say about that! But in a unanimous 12-0 vote, we chose to become the Stingers, a perfect squad name to complement our mascot, the Fighting Bee.

The next decision was voting for officers. Lorraine Kelly Totty, an original squad member, recalls that we went into a classroom and sat behind a desk. Each girl put her head down while Miss Ivey called out names and we raised our hands to vote. Our first captain was Anne Chocolaad, and our co-captain was Sue McWilliams.

The next order of business was uniforms. The first Stinger uniform was a simple sleeveless shiny gold one-piece short dress made with satin material donated by Mr. Perno, a member of the MCC staff, whose son Frank graduated in the class of ’77. We ordered white boots and long white gloves and we were ready to learn our first routine.

Because we came together in that Fall semester of ’74, it was too late to do much that football season, but we had a goal to give our inaugural performance at the last home football game. We decided to dance to the Fifth Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away” and because the song mentions going “up, up and away in my beautiful balloon” we thought, why not use real balloons as props? Yes, we thought big even back then! Each girl was going to dance with a helium balloon in her hand and at the end of the song, we would let our balloon go up into the night sky.

The only problem with the balloons was that it too windy outside to both dance and hold a balloon. I’ll be honest, no one I asked could remember what happened to those balloons. What I do remember about that first performance was that the music cranking through the P.A. system was too scratchy to hear and that we found out the hard way white boots and green football turf do NOT mix well. Nevertheless, we were determined to make it work.

With basketball season quickly approaching, we knew we needed another routine. This time we decided to dance to the theme song from the movie, “The Sting”. The Deckettes from Eau Gallie High School were kind enough to give us a crash course in dance and drill routines. They taught us their routine to “Hey, Look Me Over” and we used some of those steps to choreograph our own signature performance, adding in of course, the high kick sequence that was to become the highlight of every Stinger routine. The audience loved it. And we were hooked!

By the summer of ’76, the Stingers had grown to 20 members and were now a staple at MCC football and basketball games. Cecelia DuPont and I were co-captains. Going into our senior year of high school we wanted to make a splash with the “fancy” tuxedo uniforms

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that other dance squads wore. The problem was that those uniforms were pricey.

Luck was once again on the Stingers’ side. My mother knew of a seamstress who agreed to sew our uniforms at a highly reduced rate. We bought green fabric at a bulk discount and still had leftover yellow satin from the roll Mr. Perno had donated two years earlier. I remember the uniforms, which consisted of a tuxedo jacket, a white dickie, and shorts with suspenders, cost a total of $20 per girl (that included material and labor). Those uniforms, which we wore to the first home football game that year, were handed down to new generations of Stingers for a long time afterward.

Another exciting thing that happened in the ‘76-’77 year, is the Stingers’ first foray into the world of high school dance competition. We spent a weekend in Fort Lauderdale and competed against other high school teams. We came away with 2 first place trophies- one for Best Dance Routine, “Live and Let Die” and Best Dance Routine with a Prop “I Got Your Number” (we danced on a chair!).

Then, that summer, things took a turn. Sr. Rita and Mrs. Washburn could no longer put in the hours required to moderate the squad and the Stingers were in danger of being disbanded. That’s when the Stingers really got lucky with Sandra Bodfish.

Mrs. B. (as she is affectionately called by Stinger alumni) recalls, “Sally Rowlette’s mom called me to discuss my dance background and asked if I would consider taking on the job as moderator. I had seen these young ladies perform at games and was always impressed. They were used to looking after themselves, including providing their own costumes, choreography, and competitions. Fr. Paul Henry then made the call, and who could say no to the MCC principal and priest?”

Once Mrs. B. had charge of the squad, things progressed quickly. She took the Stingers to their first one-day workshop in Tampa where they learned new techniques and choreography. The Stingers competed with high school teams all over the state of Florida winning 6 Florida State championships. They also competed in Texas and California and earned 3 National Titles. Other highlights include being invited to perform at the ’86 World’s Fair in Vancouver BC, Canada. When asked about her favorite Stinger memory, Mrs. B. responded, “When Walt Disney World chose Stingers to perform at many special performances. They would transport us in fancy buses from MCC to Disney for practices and performances. They would bring huge costume vans to the MCC gym to outfit Stingers, and send professional choreographers to teach them routines that they would perform with the ‘Disney dancers’ and many celebrities.”

Mrs. B. fondly recalls all the extras that went into making a performance special. “Over the years we added some male students to competition routines, we created back drops and props, and my favorite combination routines that included jazz, ballet, pom-poms, costumes and of course high kick. We were always famous for our precision high kick routines.”

None of this, she notes, could have happened without the support of family, fundraisers, and the many alumni who have played a huge role in the growth of the Stingers. “They joined our many trips as chaperones, advisors, try-out judges, and supporters.”

Like Mrs. B., who says she will forever love the many friendships she made along the way, the Stingers hold a special place in my heart. The friendships, laughter, struggles, and the many life lessons learned, helped shape me into the woman I am today.

Like so many other Stingers after me, I was blessed to dance next to my sister, Carmen Palacios Dick, class of ’79 (who has finally forgiven me for giving her that demerit when she talked too much at practice), and other lifelong friends like the Jané sisters (Miriam, Lourdes, and Tessie—all 3 Stingers!). Stingers are sisters, best-friends and some are even mother-daughter. But we all have one thing in common. We love to dance. And we love MCC. Go Hustlers!

Note: I would like to thank Sandra Bodfish for contributing to this article and Lorraine Kelly Totty for her excellent memory. Any inaccuracies are mine alone.