As a freshman, this is the first time I have experienced a homecoming week at Belmont. In high school homecoming was a big deal because of our football team. We were a “Friday Night Lights” town that loved a good tailgate and nail-biting 4th quarter. Coming to a school without a football team, I didn’t know what to expect; Basketball was never as popular as football at home in Virginia. Was it just going to be a handful of students running around in school colors while a majority of the student body was indifferent to the affair?Image by Ben Sherrill
The answer is no. Belmont LOVES a good homecoming. While some schools do only a couple of days of homecoming festivities, Belmont crammed a week full of fun things for their students to do to get in the spirit. Being Belmont we started the week off with giving back through a canned food drive. If you brought in canned goods to the bookstore customers received a discount on Bruin swag to prepare for the game.
Tuesday, Belmont was still in a giving mood. During the day, students could swing by the newly-renovated Gabhart Center to pick up their free 2017 Homecoming t-shirt! After classes let out you could find students enjoying the warm weather on the lawn before filling the seats to cheer on the Men’s Basketball team as they took on Trevecca. They watched the Homecoming Court announcement and of course our Bruins took home the win, 96-45.Image by Kalina Rae
The day before the big homecoming game was energetic and fun. All day “Bruin Prize Patrol” was holding mini-competitions and handing out prizes to students across campus. In the evening the Beaman Student Life Center held a Pep Rally to help get people excited to cheer on our guys and gals the next day. There were giveaways, dancing, a photo booth, and free pizza! And Live On Friday’s didn’t stop for homecoming either. There was a killer dance party in Gabhart and student performers in the Curb Café too!
The day finally arrived when I got to see how Belmont did Homecoming. To my surprise, they did tailgate. Student gathered around the Bell Tower to hang out, play lawn games, and get hyped up for the game at 5. Maybe not exactly what I was used to back home, but it was a unique Belmont event that brought the same spirit to campus.Image by Belmont University
With two consecutive games in the afternoon, the Campus was busy. Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni, and fans all crowded the Curb to watch our amazing teams compete. The Women’s team came out on top beating Tennessee State with an 87-71 finish and an undefeated conference season. Girl power is strong here at Belmont! Our men also pulled out a win against Tennessee State, 68-63!
All in all, my first homecoming experience at Belmont was a positive one. Coming from a town where homecoming is an important event that brings out a crowd, it felt a lot like home. Even if you aren’t into sports I encourage you, whatever school you go to, to get involved during homecoming. It is more than just sports, but coming together with other students to support your teams and build a stronger and happier community on campus.
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