There’s a new face in the TCU Spirit program. Brittani McLaurin handles the coaching, logistics and scheduling for the Rangers, cheer team, Showgirls and SuperFrog.
What does a game day look like for you as Spirit Director?
“I branch out to each Spirit team just to ensure that they have all that they need from the coach’s standpoint, but also what they need from the athletic standpoint.
“I am also the Showgirls head coach, so it’s a dual role that I have. Not only do I ensure that all our Spirit teams are taken care of, but I also have to turn my attention specifically to the Showgirls to ensure that they have all they need.
“At kick-off, my brain is everywhere. I just make sure that I lock eyes with every single Spirit team just to ensure that I am the resource they need, but also that everything is running as smoothly as possible.
“My heart has the most joy when I see the smiles on my athletes’ faces. I know that no matter what we’re going through or what’s happening, if they are having fun, then I am having fun.”
Who helps support each of the TCU Spirit teams?
“We have a great coaching staff. On the cheer side, we have a head coach and two assistant coaches. Rangers have a head coordinator and two assistant coaches. For Showgirls, there are two of us. For mascots, we have a consultant who is a former SuperFrog and alum, a designated captain and a handler.
“In total, we’ve got a good group of 10. It’s a big group, but we need all those hands on deck because if you break down our Spirit teams, we’ve got 40 on cheer, we have 29 on Rangers, 25 on Showgirls, and nine with SuperFrog.”
When did you first get involved in Spirit?
“I grew up dancing and I started at the age of three. I started in a ballet studio. From three to 17, I was hardcore ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical all the things that really immersed myself in dance. It wasn’t until high school where there wasn’t a dance team, so cheer was my opportunity to express myself and be involved. Through cheer in high school and my dance background, that’s where my love for all things Spirit essentially evolved.”
How did you begin coaching Spirit?
“I went to Florida State University and I was on the dance team for four years and captain my last year. I knew that I wanted to dance professionally, but when I graduated it was the recession so there were no opportunities. I went back home, which is originally South Florida, born and raised.
“While I was coaching cheer as well as coaching dance team, my whole philosophy and whole mission was to have young dancers and young cheerleaders be able to reach for their dreams. I’m telling them to reach for their dreams, but I am realizing that I’m not reaching for my own dreams. I figured the opportunity to dance professionally was still there and something that I wanted to do, so I went after it.
“I was lucky enough to dance for the Florida Panthers hockey team and that was an amazing experience for me. I knew though I didn’t want to just stay in Florida and I wanted to branch out. The Dallas Cowboys was the team that I grew up with. I took the leap of faith, came out to Dallas in 2013 and was blessed to make the Dallas Cowboys Rhythm and Blue, which is the first and only hip-hop, co-ed team in the NFL.
“As I was going into my second year [on the Rhythm and Blue team], the opportunity to coach collegiately came up and I could not pass it up. The opportunity came up at my alma mater, so I went off and that’s when I started my college coaching career at Florida State.
“I coached there until 2017, then I still felt that Dallas was where I was supposed to be. I moved back in 2017, got the opportunity to coach the dance team at the University of North Texas and was there for seven years.
“Through all that time, I realized I wanted to do more than just coach the dance side. The opportunity came up at TCU and I took a leap of faith again and I just had to do it. I truly believe this is where God wanted me to be.”
What are you looking forward to in this role?
“Ultimately, it starts with the student experience first and making sure that we are leading with a servant mind. We are here to serve our student performers and really give themselves the best opportunity to immerse themselves at TCU.
“It’s great to put on a uniform. It’s great to travel, but making sure we are really, truly taking care of our students and the resources that we offer. Just to name a few, there’s sports psychology, nutrition, and academic advising. Those are things I really want to work on to truly implement to be a part of the experience. It’s not just what you see on face value, but what’s happening internally.
“I also want to continue to elevate and expand our brand and our reach. The TCU brand in general is really, really, really, really, really impactful in our college athletic atmosphere. To have our Showgirls, SuperFrog, cheer and Rangers brand be on the forefront and at the top of our conference to start with is really important. I want people to look at TCU Spirit and know what we’re all about.”
