OPEN DORM OPENS OPPORTUNITIES FOR CREATIVITY
September 25, 2018
“Code Black” has not set the Bisons back. The Harding football program played its second season under Head Coach Paul Simmons, but a long-standing motto for the team has not changed.
During the 2018-19 football season, the team adopted Code Black to not only continue to be their team standard, but took advantage of an opportunity to share it with the campus and dubbed it as the years’ theme.
Around this theme, there was a desire to build campus morale for the football season in which the “Stampede” event was formed. The Campus Activities Board (CAB) and the Bisons Football team hosted this first time pep rally that took place in the Rhodes-Reaves Field House on Sept. 6, 2018.
“This event acted as a way for all of Harding to build excitement around the team and we in turn hope that same energy will be brought to the games throughout the football season,” Simmons said. “We want everyone to be a part of Code Black and strive to be what it stands for.”
Code Black is the standard the football team and coaches have strived to live by Simmons explained. The characteristics of Code Black are: passion, accountability, focus, a warrior mentality, to never panic and to finish. The team has created stamina and drive in recent years, so this event was a great opportunity to build on it by linking the football community with the student body.
Stampede had a large turnout and was filled with opportunities for the football team to fully engage with the crowd. This allowed students to learn new chats to use at the games and to also get to know some of the players on a more respective manner.
Logan Light, CAB director, enjoyed the opportunity to promote this new event, seeing as though this would be a great opportunity for students and athletes to encourage one another.
“We had never hosted an event like this before for our football team,” Light said. “It was a great night for all who came out, and we reached our goal in creating a really cool experience for those who attended.”
Students participated in cheers led by the Bison cheerleaders as they accompanied the football team into Rhodes.
Sophomore cheerleader Rachel Frost explained a noticeable difference to the season previous, as she said she did see a change in crowd participation post pep rally.
“As Bison cheerleaders, we have a great joy in connecting with the team and the crowd,” Frost said. “I believe this new pep rally brought us all together around this ‘code black’ mindset and has already influenced our excitement within the season.”
With the acknowledged success of Stampede, there are hopes that this event is continued annually to support and rally around the Bisons football team in each new season ahead.