The next time you’re at a Binghamton University’s men’s or women’s home basketball game and you have no idea who the dance troupe taking center court at halftime is, don’t feel bad because you’re most likely not alone. But I’ll let you in on the secret beforehand: they’re Kickline, one of the five groups that make up Binghamton’s Spirit Squad.

Again, don’t feel bad if you still have no idea who or what a kickline is. The fact is these women dressed in black and green have come to expect it and secretly love the fact that what they do on the court is such a mystery to new spectators and students.

‘A lot of people say they’ve never heard of Kickline before, have no idea what it is,’ said Becky Robles, the club’s vice president. ‘Then when they see it they’re like, ‘Wow, that was awesome.’

What exactly people are seeing from Kickline that is so ‘awesome’ is a jaw-dropping, high-energy blend of hip-hop and jazz dancing with a superbly choreographed style of kick formations somewhat similar to Broadway’s famous Rockettes. It’s a lot to take in ‘ it’s fast paced, it’s exciting and it’s an awesome display.

If you think performing kickline isn’t challenging work, guess again.

‘All the girls on Kickline can kick themselves in the face!’ Robles said.

Just try doing that. I did and the icepack has been pressed against my spine for two days now and I didn’t even clear my belly button. The girls on Kickline make knee-to -collarbone contact with less effort than it takes most people to get out of their chair.

Part of that is because the members of Kickline work very hard to ensure that each performance is top-notch, putting themselves through four hours of grueling practice a week. Wednesday practice starts at 6 a.m. sharp.

‘People think we’re nuts because we practice at 6 a.m.,’ Robles said. ‘It’s not the best thing ever, but you get used to it.’

Intense practice is not the only thing that these women contribute to their great success over the past few years.

‘Our team unity is an important thing,’ said Kickline president Kim DeLorme.

Robles agrees with DeLorme.

‘These girls became more than just people I dance with ‘ they became like my best friends,’ she added.

Both women also agree that one of the main reasons the team has been able to build such unity and bonds is because of the fact that they are a club sport and not a varsity sport like fellow Spirit Squad teams, the Dance Team and the Cheer Team. In club sports everyone makes the team, whereas in varsity sports there is unfortunately a limit on roster sizes. The fact that there are no cuts has been crucial for the development of Kickline over the years, as it has not only given them strong depth, but has also allowed for them to take talented girls and make them even better performers over time.

‘Being a club sport allows us to teach girls new skills instead of just cutting them and expecting them to try out again next year,’ DeLorme said.

The leaders divide the team into a ‘performance squad’ and a ‘practice squad’ after two days worth of evaluations. The ‘performance squad,’ which consists of about 20 of the girls, performs at halftime while the whole Kickline team performs in a pre-game routine.

One of the other reasons the group is divided in such a way is due to the rapidly increasing number of talented girls each year who are kicking down the door (pun fully intended) to become a part of Kickline. Since DeLorme joined the team four years ago as a freshman, the size of the group has nearly doubled which she acknowledges as being ‘obviously a very good thing.’

It may soon be impossible for Bearcat fans not to know who these girls are or what they do until they see a game. This talented dance squad is seemingly all over the place as of late, whether it be performing outdoors at a men’s soccer game for the first time during alumni weekend or running camps for young cheerleading and dance groups in the local area. Both DeLorme and Robles notice a lot of appreciation for what their group does.

‘We get a lot of fan support from the students, it’s really cool,’ DeLorme said.

The talented performers really showcased their ability to win over a crowd at last season’s America East tournament at Boston University.

‘When we went on, the whole entire arena was booing us because we’re from Binghamton and they have no idea what Kickline is,’ Robles recalls. ‘After we’re done performing the whole arena went crazy cheering. We made another school who we’re playing against in the tournament appreciate what we did. It was probably my best experience as a part of Kickline.’

The exciting dance group will be front and center, delighting the crowd before the game and at halftime as always this November when both the men’s and women’s basketball teams open their seasons. So as you’re supporting your Bearcat b-ball teams, don’t forget to also cheer on Kickline and the rest of the Spirit Squad.

The Kickline, and the rest of Binghamton’s Spirit Squad, will be in action at tonight’s Late Nite Madness, starting at 9 p.m. in the Events Center.