The Colorado State University-Pueblo athletics department scheduled the ThunderPups dance clinic participants to perform during the men’s and women’s basketball game halftime.
The dance clinic was held from 4-6 p.m. on Tuesday Feb. 17 at the Massari Arena. The ThunderPups performance was the same evening during the halftime for the women’s game which started at 6 p.m. and during the halftime of the men’s game which started at 8 p.m.
The CSU-Pueblo Dance Team helped coordinate the dance for the halftime show and get the ThunderPups ready for their performance. 
“It was so cute how they were all trying to show off their personal skills when we were practicing for the performance,” said Nicole Beaudin, an 18-year-old freshman studying psychology at CSU-Pueblo and member of the dance team.
This is the fifth year the ThunderPups Club has performed and begun to help children in southern Colorado understand sportsmanship in the community Anthony Sandstrom said.
“I love to dance and I want to do it again next year,” said Desiree Villalobos, a 7-year-old member of the ThunderPups Club.
Villalobos is also a ballerina and comes from a family of dancers. She performed last year at the ThunderPups dance event and she also performs dance recitals at the Ballet of Art in Canon City.
“I am going to perform again next year because I had so much fun and met new friends that like to dance too,” said Jillian Kelly, a 6-year-old new ThunderPups Club member. “I also dance at recitals and like to dance as much as my mom and dad will let me.”
The ThunderPups Club, presented by Wendy’s, is open to all boys and girls in the eighth grade and below. It costs $10 and includes an official ThunderPups Club t-shirt and free admission to attend the remaining ThunderPups sports clinics.
“I had fun helping all the kids get ready for the performance and they were so excited,” Beaudin said. “I will definitely help out the ThunderPups Club next year as well.”
