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Erskine had an African American Goalie from Wando who graduated from Wando in 2001, Tika Britt:

EC Women's Soccer Signs Large Incoming Class

May 3, 2001

Due West, SC--Erskine College women's soccer head coach Brad McCarty announced on Thursday, May 3, that fourteen freshmen have signed with the Flying Fleet. "This is a tremendous incoming freshman class," Coach McCarty said. "They will undoubtedly make an impact on the team in the fall."

This year's recruiting class is following a strong recruiting class of eight freshmen that McCarty brought in last year, including the three top offensive players for 2000--Freshmen Shelly Roberts (17 Goals), Rachel Freeman (10 Goals), and Allison Johnstone (8 Assists). Erskine has 12 players returning, including two CVAC All-Conference athletes--Erin English (Jr) and Shelly Roberts (Fr)--and they are looking forward to the 2001 season.

The committed players are as follows:

Shantika Britt
Position: Goalkeeper
Hometown: Awendaw, SC
High School: Wando High School
Club Team: Mt. Pleasant Fury Soccer Club
Bio:
Shantika was an integral member of the Wando High School Girls Soccer Team, leading them to the 1999 Region Championship and Lower State Finals. In 2000, she helped lead Wando to another Region Championship and a Lower State Championship qualifying them to play in the State Finals.
Britt has also been a member of the Mt. Pleasant Fury Soccer Club for the past two years competing in South Carolinas Premier Division. The Fury finished the year 2000 as Turkey Day Shootout Champions, Raleigh Shootout Division Finalists, and Orange Classic Shootout Quarterfinalists. Shantika is interested in Business/Accounting.
"We are very excited to have Shantika be a part of our soccer program," said head coach Brad McCarty. "Shantika will provide us the athleticism and intelligence necessary to be successful as a goalkeeper at this level. With the graduation of our starting goalkeeper, I believe she has the ability to be an impact player for our program."

What is the "racial success rate" at other Charleston high schools?

A drunk looks for his keys under a lampost several blocks from where he actually dropped them because the light is better.

Some folks on this message board attempt to evaluate high schools for inclusion of minority and under-served players instead of the clubs that feed the high schools.

Seems kind of the same to me...

while we are on the topic of the wando dance, i couldn't understand what they were saying due to the ji girls also getting rowdy..can anyone explain the meaning of the dance?

So Chico, Charleston area clubs are not producing quality minority soccer players-predominantly in the Mt. Pleasant area? Am I closer to finding your "keys" now?

does it make any difference that even the micro soccer programs have very little minority representation? maybe there is little interest in soccer?

CU23 --

Sorry to be slow in responding. I was away with family on Spring Break.

Wando High School, in my opinion, is one of the premiere girls' soccer programs in the state and has been for many years. Under the current coaching staff (and Coach Ferguson previously) they have consistantly fielded a team of talented and highly qualified players who have proven themselves in Region 7, the Lower State and at the State level. I feel sure the coaches have chosen the players they thought could best advance thier program over the years.

I don't pass any value judgement on the racial make up of the team. But having watched high school girls' soccer all over this state for the past five years, I continue to note that Wando is the whitest team I've seen. I feel sure that Chico's "drunk looking for the keys under the lamp post analysis" holds the key to this. I have never suggested "some conspiracy against african americans or anyone else" as you put it. What exactly do you mean by "the race card"? Is it inappropriate or politically incorrect to point out that there haven't been any black or minority players on the Wando team the last 5 seasons?

Finally, your original question was what this has to do with the "relevancy to anything posted on this board". The answer here is straightforward and to be found in the ninth post of this topic. I was annoyed that Wando didn't back up any in the 4A poll after losing to James Island and beating WA in pk's. I put forth "Wando as Black Hole" as my metaphorical explanation. But black hole somehow didn't seem appropriate for a team that hadn't had any black or minority players since Claire Wigfall's 2001 class. So I suggested "white hole" instead. That the side issue should have gotten so much attention suggests it may be the more interesting of the two.

W Aiken --

I don't know what the racial success rate is for the other Charleston HS's, but have followed WA and JI soccer closely over the last 5 years and both teams has had minority players on the field every game of the last 5 seasons. West Ashley's state championships in three of the last four years could simply not have happened without the contribution of their African-American players. Names quickly coming to mind are Missy Ferguson, Meech Gibbs, Alexis and Alechia Brothers, Danielle and Candace Jordan, and Julie Bolt.

futbolesvida --

I'm told that no one on the team any longer has any idea what the words to the Portuguese Circle Dance mean, or for that matter which sounds exactly make up which words. But they know what the sounds are.

Hey,
I've mostly been a lurker on the boards to try to keep up with what's going on since I graduated, but I played for Wando after I transferred for my junior year and I graduated with Lou Hudson, Kelly McGinty, and co. and I also played select with and against them and the girls from James Island and West Ashley.

I figure I can help add a little information at any rate, so I actually registered.

If I remember correctly, the chant was installed my junior year by Coach Steve, a North Carolina college coach (men's, I believe) who was brought down for a weekend camp we held after try-outs. I don't actually remember him really telling us what the words meant aside from something about it being inspiring and teamwork and something along those lines. It was very goofy sounding though and hard to remember; I think I was one of only two of us who truly remembered the exacts "words" of the chant my senior year.

I was told they had some other goofy sounding thing before the chant, but I'm not sure whether the circle jumping came with the current one or they did it before. I always felt funny at first with the jumping around in the circle, but it was a good way to get you relaxed and pumped for the game, hopping around like silly with your arms all around each other and singing nonsense. It was a kind of bonding. That and it always left other teams, new ones usually, confused and going...what on earth are they doing?!

As for the minority thing, I can't explain why or why not it happened, but the two years I was with the team, I can't even remember any minority even trying out for the team or coming to pre-season work-outs. I'm not even sure if any came for the JV either.

It is connected to the Mount Pleasant Soccer Club though, because I played select through them (first as Hungryneck and then as Mount Pleasant) and I can only remember playing with one minority on the team and the age groups above and below us I only remember having minority players if they drove in from out of town. I believe the MPSC Ice (Lou and Kelly's team), for a short period, had a pair of African-American twins who drove in from Columbia to play.

I passed on several college recruiting options to focus on school, but I'm back with the club as a youth coach (U9 at the moment) for a developmental league that feeds the select program and even now I don't see many, if any, minority players. My team and every team I can remember us playing, even in the Piggly Wiggly tournament which brought in a number of teams from across and even out of the state, lacked minorities.

I do know that CGSA, now CUSC, fed mostly into West Ashley and James Island. The Fusion in particular fed half of the team to each school with only 3 of us going to Wando. They practiced in West Ashley and up towards Ashley River Road, so it brought girls in from those closer areas, and Mt. Pleasant pretty much solely feeds Wando, with a few going to Ashley Hall or other private schools.

The talented minorities I did know in high school either opted not to play because of issues regarding the coach or they participated in Track and Field instead.

Other than that, the only other reason I can think of putting forth is the cost. I remember my dad complaining about how they'd spend 1500-3000 dollars a year on my playing select and varsity soccer, depending especially on the trips we chose to take that would include gas, hotel, tournament fees, food, etc. My most expensive year was probably the summer we travelled to Oslo, Norway for the Youth Soccer Cup, and that was without the Euro so the exchange rate to kroner(I think) was still pretty good. I think Mt. Pleasant sent another team there a year or so later as well.

I do know, at least when I played, Mt. Pleasant didn't really advertise the soccer program. I had played in California before we moved out here and my parents just looked for the nearest club, first Mt. Pleasant Rec and then Hungryneck once we found out about it. The extent of 'promotion' was in rec bulletins, "Registration for Fall Youth Soccer is (insert date)."

Anyway, just some food for thought.