As with the last Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bearcats, the N.C. State Alumni Association is sponsoring a pep rally the night before the Florida State game on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Harris Field.
The pep rally is being sponsored through the traditions committee of the Alumni Association, according to Jeremy Blackford, the director of student programs for the N.C. State Alumni Association.
Sam Dennis, a senior in biological sciences and a student ambassador with the N.C. State Alumni Association, is the director of the traditions committee. Dennis said the committee chose the Thursday night games because these games are always the biggest games.
“We knew the Thursday night games were going to be big games,” Dennis said. We also knew ESPN was going to be there, which always makes it a big game.”
According to Dennis, the fact that the game is on a Thursday night allows the committee to have the pep rally closer to the actual game, creating much more of a buzz for the actual game.
“It allowed us to put it closer to the game, the night before,” Dennis said. “It gets the excitement level higher closer to the game. We want to make sure all students are excited.”
Blackford said at the first pep rally ha between 700 and 1,000 people attend, and he is hoping that some free prizes to the first attendees will only maker that number even higher.
“At the first pep rally we gave out free cozies,” Blackford said. “This time, we’re giving out red glowstick necklaces to the first 500 people who get there.”
Dennis said the pep rally is going to be a lot of fun and will give the students a first hand chance to interact with the players and coaches and show their support for them outside the confinds of Carter-Finley Stadium.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun, it’s going to be high excitement,” Dennis said. “We want to make sure we support the team because they really feel the excitement from the students. We want as much student support as possible.”
During the pep rally, the committee is planning to use the glowsticks to set the mood, lighting all of them right before coach Tom O’Brien address the crowd.
“We’re planning to do a kind of break the glowstick and put it around your neck before Tom O’Brien comes out to talk,” Blackford said.
Coach Tom O’Brien and the football captains, senior wide receiver Jarvis Williams, senior middle linebacker Nate Irving, and redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson, will be the last speakers at the pep rally. But there will also be many different student groups performing at he rally.
“The dance team, the band and cheerleaders will all be performing at the pep rally,” Blackford said.
Also, there will be a rap group performing at the pep rally, as the jump rope team is planning on performing.
According to Blackford, ESPN usually comes to the pep rallies and films them, giving students a chance to show up and support their team, while having the opportunity to be seen on a nationally televised game.
“They get footage for the game for the next night,” Blackford said. “They usually play the footage during the commercial breaks.”
