With the basketball season swiftly approaching, the Florida A&M Rattlers decided to host a pep rally to showcase their school spirit and support for its basketball teams.
Tuesday Oct. 31, the Jake Gaither gymnasium was brought to life as students piled in from every direction. There was music provided by both the Florida A&M Marching 100 and Dj Loosekid that helped to fuel the energy in the atmosphere.
“It's just good to see the student body get together and you know, celebrate the upcoming season and everybody supporting the basketball team's ,” said sophomore, Jade Fryer. “I’m ready to go, you know, support the girls basketball team, the boys basketball team.”
When it comes to school spirit by the numbers the rattlers are truly unmatched. Whether it is an athletic game of some sort, a pep rally, or even a pageant, you can always count on the students at FAMU to be revved up and excited about the occasion.
“I thought it was a good turnout. You know, there was a lot of performances, a lot of energy, a lot of people came out,” said senior, Shirlisa Shuford.
It is not often that there are Halloween pep rallies so this particular event caught students by surprise. The creepy edition pep rally proved itself to be one for the books.
There was a special entrance by a Hugh Hefner dressed Venom being escorted playboy bunny diamond dancers along with spooky performances from frankenstein cheerleaders and zombie torque dancers.
Students were able to unleash their best dance moves in an impromptu dance session. Gaither’s gym floor was filled from end to end as students demonstrated different moves to various songs.
Strength was put to the test as each class faced off in an intense game of tug of war. Students went into a frenzy once the freshmen defeated the juniors in the epic crusade to be crowned the “strongest class.”
The players even had their own time to shine by having members from both the men’s and women’s basketball teams showcase their skills in front of their peers during a friendly Battle of the Sexes competition.
Student Government Association members worked to ensure that the pep rally was a success.
According to SGA member, junior, Amber Hannah, it was.
“It was a great feeling. I loved seeing the student body coming out, having fun, and celebrating our sports teams,” said Hannah. “I hope everybody is excited for the basketball team, their first game is November 6, so I hope everyone comes out.”
The purpose of the event was to get students excited for the upcoming season. It seems to be that that task has been completed.
“I am excited for the game. It’s on Monday, so I’m hoping that the crowd is participating and everything and it’s a good turnout,” said Shuford.
The Rattlers will kick off their season at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov.6 where the men's basketball team will go on to host the Johnson University Suns at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center.