THOMASVILLE — Margaret Singletary will participate in a different kind of rush in college.

Singletary, 18, a Brookwood School senior who graduates today, recently danced her way into the ranks of Georgia Tech’s Gold Rush. She was the only rising freshman to make the team.

“I started thinking about quitting dance when I went to college and didn’t think I would be able to do that,” she said Friday. “I wanted to get involved with something at Georgia Tech and figured I could do that through dance. It’s also an opportunity to meet people. I went to visit on an official school tour and my guide for the weekend, Katie Kenline, was on the team. She told me about it and encouraged me. I knew, if I decided to go there, I’d want to audition.”

Singletary, a member of South Georgia Performing Arts/South Georgia Ballet, has danced since she was a small child.

“My favorite part of dance is being able to perform,” she explained. “Having the opportunity to perform in front of people is really exciting.”

The tryout was a two-day process, Singletary said.

“The first night we learned a kick-line and a sideline routine,” she said. “Then, we got our scores and there was a first cut. Then, those of us left were taught a longer dance routine and came back the next night to perform it. That part of the audition was open to the public and a lot of students came to watch. I was a little nervous, but mostly I just tried to perform, do my best and smile.”

Waiting to hear her name during the announcement was a little nerve-racking.

“I felt like I’d done OK, even though I did mess up once,” she admitted. “It was at the very end and I missed the prep into a big jump, but I did the jump anyway and just kept smiling! My name wasn’t called until toward the end, so I was getting a little nervous. I didn’t know exactly how many were on the team. My parents and some other family members came to see me and cheer me on.”

Gold Rush consists of 14 girls who perform at a variety of functions, including home football and basketball games and special events.

“We also dance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Singletary said. “I’m looking forward to performing at the halftime shows and being on the field with the band.”

Singletary will have to re-audition each year, but she is not worried about being the only freshman on the team, either.

“I’ll get to listen to the advice of the other members and they’ve all been sweet to me,” she said. “I think everything will be OK.”