Beat Assignment 1 Courtney Gresham

AUXILIARY POINT OF VIEW- the feeling towards football games from the viewpoint of current college auxiliary member Lacey Smith and how it is different from the high school experience.
Gresham

The world of difference between the college experience and the high school experience
By Courtney Gresham
442 Words

FLORENCE- She can feel her heart beating as Lacey Smith takes the field at last week’s football game against Southern Arkansas.

The rush of adrenaline, the butterflies in the stomach, and the sounds of screaming fans is the feeling Lacey Smith get when she enters the field for half time performances at Braly Stadium in Florence, Alabama.
Lacey Smith is a member of the University of North Alabama color guard. She has been a member for two years, and was a member of Lexington High School’s color guard for five years. Needless to say she has a lot of experience with the emotions that come along with being on the auxiliary portion of a football game.
The auxiliary is the visual aspect of a football game’s half time show. They are the ones that keep the crowd visually entertained while the teams are in the locker rooms. They keep the crowd fired up, but how does the auxiliary feel as they take the field each game?
Lacey Smith describes the feeling as “a rush of excitement and a not knowing what will happen. There is always that chance that something will go wrong. A gush of wind or even just a tiny slip up can throw a person off”.
When asked how the college auxiliary experience is different than the high school experience Lacey responded, “the high school experience did not require as much practice, but it did not come with the same thrill and reward”. According to Mrs. Smith the college auxiliary life requires hours of determined dedication. Without this it would be impossible for them to come together and perform as well as they do.
Lacey Smith was captain of her color guard team in high school. When asked if it was difficult to transition from captain back to a new member she said, “no it wasn’t because I know that it is a different world in the college level, so I had to start fresh”.
Mrs. Smith says that it is so much fun being part of the auxiliary at the University of North Alabama, and that she has made so many new memories and friends. She said that she would suggest it to any that are or are thinking about joining the college auxiliary.
Her only advice to those thinking about making the transition from high school to college level is “to try and up your range of possibilities”. Lacey Smith said that she was not able to use rifle at her high school, so that made it harder for her when she came to UNA. However she quickly adjusted to the change, and has loved the experience ever since.
She cannot wait until the next time she gets to walk out on to that one hundred yard stage.
Courtney Gresham is a student of UNA.