SEC, BAND AND CHEERLEADERS Southeastern Conference
A pioneer in the integration of higher education and athletic competition, the Southeastern Conference stands ready to advance intercollegiate athletics into the 21st century after celebrating its 79th anniversary in the 2011-12 year. Since its formation in 1933, 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. In the fall of 2011, the conference expanded to 14 teams, welcoming Texas A&M and Missouri. It was the first expansion in the SEC since 1990 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 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. 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 11 women’s sports: Men - baseball, basketball, cross country, (indoor and outdoor), football, golf, swimming, tennis and track . Women - basketball, cross country (indoor and outdoor), golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball.
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, 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 alumna of UGA. Huy Harwell, Redcoat Band Office Administrator, oversees all office and finance matters. The Properties Crew Chief, Allie Chambers, 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, 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 grade-point 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 2012-2013 First Row (L to R): Alex Smith, Cassidy Drysdale, Tyler Stanford, Brittney Cain, Mitchell Smith, Alia Church, John Reese Fortson, Katie McCreary, Joel May, Mackenzie Stokes, Ryan Shannon, Stephanie Ross, Michael Gargiulo, Allie Cheek, Chase Castellanos, Chelsea McNeal, Christian Conover, Makenzie Blalock, Shane Doster, Paula Gonzalez, Adam Foskey, Whitney Pfohl. Second Row): Jasmine King, Maggie McGovern, Stephanie Carlquist, Andrea Bell, Taylor Turnipseed, Becca Cessna, Alyssa Ford, Jamie Kleinman. Third Row: Mallory Gilliam, Maddie Batch, Shelley Anderson, Jessica Bakalar, Anna Watson, Lindsay Brush, Lauren Krzeminski, Michelle Luce, Sommer Smith, Kailyn Thomas. Not Pictured: Mackenzie Dempsey, Kaile DeLoney, Cole Chadwick, Madeline Lefferts, Hannah Lech, Alexa Carr, Brandon Jenkins. Spirit Coordinator: Ben O’Brien. Assistant Spirit Coordinator: Holly Humphries
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