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.
