TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — It’s that time of the year again! It’s Homecoming at the University of Arizona. The cheering gets louder and the university gets even more packed with football fans.
On Saturday they’re playing the University of Southern California. On Friday they were preparing with Bear Down Friday, which brought together students, alumni, and friends of the university.
“Bear down…..beat USC,” you could hear all around the university.
Bear Down Fridays has been a tradition before the game for 16 years.
This Bear Down Friday featured the university’s marching band, cheer and mascots team, and of course the football team.
The cheer and mascots team was at the pep rally to get the crowd amped up and has been preparing for the big game for about two weeks.
“All week, just grinding, just going at it, just perfecting our skills, our stunts,” junior student on the cheer team Alex Cortes said.
Some students like Angelina Minice and Christian Spiess are looking forward to the yearly traditions put on by the school and its students.
“We share a lot of rhymes with each other, lots of different kinds of just social events for bonding,” Minice said.
Meanwhile, graduate student Melanie Grudinschi is on the cheerleading team and is looking forward to team traditions.
“All the alumni cheerleaders get to come back and they get to do the Wildcat Walk with us,” she said.
Alumni like Randy Mitzven, class of 2006, and his wife Amanda came all the way from Los Angeles to attend the homecoming festivities.
“We haven’t been to Tucson in forever. I’ve been begging her to come for 10 years,” Randy said about his wife.
Amanda had never been to Tucson and was very impressed by the atmosphere at the university.
“I’m very excited for the game. It’s Homecoming and Halloween weekend. It just seems the energy is so great here,” she said.
Other alumni like Matthew Byerly just graduated a few months ago and are already back to celebrate the big game.
“The homecoming game, everyone’s back in town, seeing the older classmates you went to school with,” Byerly said about his favorite part about Homecoming.
However, it’s not just students and alumni that came out to Bear Down Friday. Some Tucsons like Austin Saindon don’t have any association with the school, but wanted to support the Wildcats.
“I’m just trying to support a little bit, you know what I’m saying? Come around, you see the views,” Saindon said.
The last Bear Down Friday will be on November 18.
Bear Down!
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