SEC, BAND AND CHEERLEADERS Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference, now into its 80th storied year of athletic achievements and academic excellence, has built perhaps the greatest tradition of intercollegiate competition of any league in the country since its inception in 1933. Since its formation, the SEC achieved both stature and stability by designating governing/voting power to the presidents of the member institutions. They have determined the policies of the conference and, through the years, this involvement has been the principal source of strength in the evolution of the SEC. Throughout its 79-year history, the SEC has provided leadership on the vital issues facing intercollegiate competition. In 1993, the member institutions adopted The Principles of Gender Equity. Committed to increasing the quantity and quality of women’s athletic opportunities, each school will provide at least two more women’s intercollegiate programs than the number of men’s. On July 1, 2012, the conference expanded to 14 teams, welcoming Missouri and Texas A&M. It was the first expansion in the SEC since 1992 when Arkansas and South Carolina came into the SEC. The four schools join charter members Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt to form the current SEC alignment. The addition of Arkansas and South Carolina allowed for the SEC to split into divisional play and have the nation’s first-ever Division I football conference championship game in 1992. SEC schools began athletic competition with one another almost 100 years ago as members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Seven institutions (Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Sewanee and Vanderbilt) attended the SIAA organizational meeting of faculty representatives, called by Dr. William L. Dudley of Vanderbilt, in Atlanta Dec. 22, 1894. The first football game in the Southeast was played April 9, 1880, on the ground now called Old Stoll Field at the University of Kentucky. Kentucky A & M (now UK) organized a team and in November 1881, played Transylvania College in a three-game series. By 1895, 11 current SEC members were playing football. In the 1979-80 academic year SEC championships for women were recognized in basketball, tennis and volleyball. The following year golf, gymnastics, swimming and track and field were added. Softball became a recognized women’s sport in the SEC in 1997 and the league began sponsoring its newest championship, equestrian, in 2012-13. The administration of women’s athletics officially came under the auspices of the conference office on Sept. 1, 1984. The SEC currently regulates nine men’s sports and 12 women’s sports: Men - baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming, tennis and track (indoor and outdoor); Women - basketball, cross country, equestrian, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Since 1990, the SEC has won 151 national team championships for an average of more than six per year. In 2011-12, nine SEC schools placed in the top 40 of the NACDA Director’s Cup rankings. Florida led the league with a second-place finish. LSU placed 13th while Georgia was 18th; Arkansas finished 20th, Alabama 23rd, Auburn 28th, Kentucky 29th, Tennessee 33rd and South Carolina 36th to round out the league’s top-40 finishes.
Redcoat Band
The University of Georgia Redcoat Band is considered by many to be the "heart" of the Bulldog Spirit. The 430-member component of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music was the first SEC band to receive the prestigious Sudler Trophy for long-term musical and visual excellence in 2000. Dr. Michael C. Robinson is the Director of Athletic Bands and the Director of the 108th edition of the Redcoat Band. Other directors include Director of Bands Dr. John Lynch, Associate Director of Bands Jaclyn Hartenberger, and Assistant Directors of Bands Scott Jones and Brett Bawcum. An extensive staff is vital to the operation of the Redcoat Band. UGA alumnus Tom Wallace prepares the band's musical arrangements while alumnus John Cypert oversees the scoring and instruction for the UGA Drumline. The auxiliary units of the band (Georgettes, Majorettes, Flagline, and Feature Twirler) are under the leadership of Coordinators Ashley Clark and Cassie Moates, both alumnae of UGA. Rebecca Yarbrough, Redcoat Band Administrative Assistant, oversees all office matters. The Properties Crew Chief, Chloe Kvicala, is responsible for the band's logistical concerns. Kappa Kappa Psi, a band service fraternity, undertakes many projects serving the entire band program. Graduate teaching assistants and other staff include John Lopez, Rickey Badua, Curran Prendergast, Evan Harger, Blake Unger, Kyle Bickwit, and Tashua Sands. The talented students of the Redcoat Band are the key to the organization's success. Being a Redcoat requires an academic background of significant accomplishment and a great deal of talent and preparation in one's area of performance specialty. Redcoats commit themselves to 6 to 8 hours of rehearsal per academic week while maintaining some of the highest gradepoint averages at UGA. Though some 25% of its members are music majors, most are pursuing degrees from many of the other academic disciplines at the university. The uniquely diverse student population that makes up the Redcoat Band contributes to an organization of which Georgia supporters can be justifiably proud. Its colorful presence, limitless school spirit, and exciting music and motion are a part of what makes college football so special to Bulldog fans. Keep your seats, everyone, the Redcoats are coming!
UGA CHEERLEADING SQUAD APPEARS ON NBC TODAY SHOW The UGA cheerleading squad appeared on the NBC TODAY Show, May 13, 2013, in New York City. The Bulldogs sent 12 cheerleaders and one mascot to do a one-minute routine on the Plaza, along with several bumpers in and out of commercial breaks, to kick off the TODAY Show's "Varsity Week."
2013-2014 UGA Cheerleading Bottom Row (L to R): Alex Stephens, Cassidy Drysdale, Alexa Carr, Ashlyn Bell, Austin Edquist, Makenzie Blalock, Hannah Lech, Kailyn Thomas, Meredith Rhodes, Whitney Pfohl. Second Row (L to R): Alyssa Ford, Brittney Cain, McKenzie Cantrell, Kaile DeLoney, Chelsea McNeal, Maddie Batch, Abbey Coppenger, Becca Cessna, Darien Ruggles. Third Row (L to R): Nicole Negri, Chloe Dietrich, Emily Jenkins, Amanda Gilbert, Maggie McGovern, Kara Patrick, Lauren Krzeminski, Andrea Bell, Taylor Warwick, Taylor Turnipseed. Top Row (L to R): Drew Hixson, Mitchell Smith, Tyler Stanford, Brandon Jenkins, John Reese Fortson, Cole Chadwick, Christian Conover, Adam Foskey, Shane Doster. Not Pictured: Allie Cheek, Alia Church, Alex Felsing, Michael Kalinin, Jasmine King, Michelle Luce, Colby Sycoff. Spirit Coordinator: Ben O’Brien.
Photo Credit: Sonny Kennedy
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