First Gameday Experience
The “fight on” spirit lives in every aspect of my life at USC, but I've never been prouder to be a Trojan than on gameday!
Not only was the ASU game my first gate call, but it was also my first gameday, and it couldn't have been more amazing. Few other people can say that they were high-fived by Adoree Jackson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tommy Trojan at their very first USC football game.
I always loved cheering on my high school athletic teams to victory, but even becoming football state champs during my senior year couldn’t have come close to preparing me for the amazing energy at USC football games. Even before the game, the spirit in the student section is so much fun to be around, especially with DJ Mal-Ski giving us a reason to have a little dance party. (Honestly, I’m pretty sure our pre-game dance parties are more lit than most other schools’ Friday night parties.)
I remember my heart swelling with Trojan pride when I turned around during the game and saw a sea of cardinal and gold, everyone on their feet with towels and pom poms up in the air. There’s something special about standing front row and feeling the energy practically buzzing in the air in the student section. Every touchdown was another reason to jump up and down and high five everyone around me. I almost lost my voice from all of the cheering, but #noragrets. Even the constant smiling and woo-ing for the camera was made worthwhile by the fact that I ended up on TV for a few seconds!
As a gameday newbie, though, one of the most important parts was learning all of the cheers. Shoutout to Kylie for being the best big EVER and patiently teaching me how to do all of them. It literally took me the entire game to get the hand movements for “1-2-3 first down Trojans!” right. I love that USC’s gameday culture incorporates so many of these traditions. They truly make you feel like you’re part of one big family, chanting and cheering along with your fellow Trojans. One of the most unique things about USC football, I think, is that we stand united and we keep up our spirit whether we’re winning or losing. But let’s be real—I’m pretty sure all we do is win (win win, no matter what)
All in all, USC football is one of the greatest aspects about our amazing school. And it doesn’t hurt that there’s free Chick-fil-A involved :)
