With a weekend full of exciting events, there’s no better one to kick off the festivities than the annual pep rally in the CUB Amphitheatre.
Dubbed “Raider Rumble”, the event is the culmination of all things Ship. The pep rally is the collaboration of multiple facets of campus, all meant to ring in this year’s “Through the Decades” themed celebrations.
The Master of Ceremonies , Jeff Ward, greeted students and alumni with jokes before introducing the individual groups, teams and organizations. It was Ward’s first time as MC for the pep rally, which in years past had been run by students.
When asked about what he enjoyed about taking on these responsibilities Ward said it was “the opportunity to highlight different athletic team and student group efforts this past year while helping show Ship student pride.”
The first group to kick things off was the Shippensburg University Marching Band (SUMB). Led by drum majors Grace Dykes, Ryann Libor and Michelle Partt, the SUMB played some signature tunes including “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and “The Hey Song,” also known as “Rock N’ Roll Part 2”. Songs no doubt familiar to regular attendees of the Raider football team who were also in attendance at the event. The SUMB concluded with a combination of “Rocky’s Groove” and “The Horse” before singing the Shippensburg University alma mater.
The women’s lLacrosse team, softball and the men’s basketball team were just some of the teams to speak before the sprawling crowd of students. They each spoke on their seasons so far, as well as throwing shirts and rally towels to the hungry masses. One member of the men’s basketball team, Ty Crespo, reminded those in attendance that their first home game is Nov. 15 against Wilmington.
In-Motion Dance Troupe, ELITE Modeling and Heritage Dance Company also gave electrifying performances for the crowd to move to. Some of the other big dancers included our very own Shippo the Hippo and Big Red. Shippo kept the audience entertained during some technical difficulties by shaking it to “Wobble” by V.I.C.
Vice President of Student Affairs, Laurie Davis said her favorite part of Homecoming this year was the Raider Rumble.
“We hope to have the event grow and grow in the following years now that it’s back,” said Davis.
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