Students who have been around campus in the last week have probably heard about something called College Colors Day, maybe by a professor, friend or stranger.
College Colors Day is a chance for students to show school spirit and support the Skyhawks by wearing orange and blue all day Friday, Aug. 31.
Joe Lofaro, Sports Information Director of UTM, described being a Skyhawk as joining a “great big family.” This isn’t a typical family with a mom, dad, or brothers and sisters. This is a family of Skyhawks; a family that sticks together and shows support for one another around campus.
The Skyhawk athletes do their best to represent UTM in a positive manner. The football team will be traveling to play their season-opener on Saturday, Sept. 1 against the University of Memphis. The volleyball team will be hosting a tournament this weekend in the Skyhawk Fieldhouse and will be playing DePaul University, Wright State University and Troy University Friday, Aug. 31 and Saturday, Sept. 1.
Wearing orange and blue would be a great way not only to participate in College Colors Day but also to show theSkyhawk athletes that they have students’ support. By supporting part of the Skyhawk “family,” students’ can find a heightened sense of pride for the school and the reward of helping athletes succeed. When the athletes see packed stands or their colors being worn like a beacon of support, it gives them an even larger drive to succeed, creating more wins for the Skyhawks.
College Colors Day is not only something that happens on the UTM campus; it is an event sponsored by ESPN and since its start in 2005 has gained the support of thousands of universities and colleges around the country.
According to www.collegecolorsday.com, College Colors Day was created as “an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the traditions and spirit that make the collegiate experience great by encouraging people across America to wear apparel of their favorite college or university throughout the day.”
College Colors Day is not only an event on thousands of campuses; it is an online competition as well. The competition is to see which participating school will have the greatest support, or which school gets the largest number of pledges.
To officially participate in the College Colors Day, registration takes place through www.espn.com and then students pledge to wear school colors on Aug. 31. However, this year the ability to pledge ended earlier than planned due to some unforeseen circumstances with official registration.
However, even if UTM isn’t officially taking place in the competition of College Colors Day, there is still an opportunity present for students to display pride for UTM on campus. Showing student pride doesn’t have to just be something students do to win a contest, it can be something that UTM students still participate in to show the quality of our students and our school, helping our Skyhawk sports teams and making our campus look more unified.
Students are also encouraged to visit www.utmsports.com for any sports-related information.
