Events around region beckon Golden Eagle fans

Cheerleaders, Golden Girls kicking season into high gear

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — With Tennessee Tech students arriving on campus and football season set to begin next week, fans will have plenty of opportunities this week to kick their Golden Eagle spirit into high gear.

Head coach Watson Brown’s team hosted the Gathering of the Eagles on Saturday and open their season Sept. 3 at Iowa. In the meantime, however, fans can stay connected with the help of events throughout the Upper Cumberland, many of which will feature appearances by the Tech cheerleaders, the Golden Girls dance team and Awesome Eagle.

On Tuesday, the Purple Pride Caravan, sponsored by Magic 98.5, will make a stop in Gainesboro at Dairy Queen on South Grundy Quarles Highway at 5 p.m.

Fans who stop by will be treated to hot dogs and Pepsi soft drinks, pick up schedule cards and posters, and register to win prizes including season tickets to watch the Golden Eagles in 2011.

On Wednesday, the cheerleaders and Golden Girls will be part of a Pepsi event at Food Lion on Spring Street in Cookeville from 3-7 p.m.

Then on Thursday, both squads will be on hand for Great Move-in Day as Tech students return to campus ahead of the fall academic term.

Fans can stop by the second Purple Pride Caravan stop of the week at Compugeek on Bockman Way in Sparta on Thursday before wrapping up a busy day with a Week of Welcome event from 10 p.m.-midnight at the Cookeville Wal-Mart.

On Friday, spirit squads will be involved in another Pepsi event from 3-7 p.m. at Wal-Mart in Algood. They will then end their week at Dancin’ on Dixie, a university event Friday evening.

“It’s crazy, it’s absolutely nonstop,” Golden Girls member Haley Sickles said of Welcome Week. “We’re waking up at 5 o’clock in the morning, conditioning with the cheerleaders, getting in shape for the upcoming season. We’re just working hard and learning.”

In addition to helping fans get ready for the upcoming football season, the cheerleaders and Golden Girls are also making their presence known among the area’s youth. They hosted a pep rally for third-through-fifth-graders at Capshaw Elementary School in Cookeville on Monday.

“We just kind of showed them a little bit of what we’ve been doing and what we’ve been working on,” said freshman cheerleader Morgan Butler. “It’s awesome. I’m not from here, so it’s great to go out and meet the kind of people who are from Cookeville.”

“We’re all just kind of getting to know each other and everything,” she said. “We’re getting out in the community and getting excited about football and cheering on our Golden Eagles.”