General the Jaguar dances the robot in his solo performance to end the Claws Out Black Out Pep Rally in the Rec Center on Sept. 12, 2024. Photo by Saile Aranda
Texas A&M University-San Antonio students and faculty gathered in the CAB courtyard Sept. 12 to see the university’s competitive cheer team perform and watch General the Jaguar, the school’s mascot, do his little jig.
This was only the first of two school spirit festivities planned for the A&M-San Antonio community to celebrate National College Colors Day, which was Aug. 30, and to celebrate the start of the college soccer season.
Texas A&M University-San Antonio Spirit Program hosts a performance and rally in honor of National College Colors Day on Sept. 12, 2024 in CAB’s Courtyard. Photo by Johnathan Pena
The second was a pep rally at 6 p.m. the same day held at the school’s recreation center.
Courtney Bobb-Meilinger, assistant Director of Spirit Programs and adjunct faculty in the communications department, organized the university’s first ‘Claws Out, Black Out’ pep rally.
Sunlight washed through the center’s tall windows as the cheer team, the Jaguarettes,and General the Jaguar lined the entrance to greet the students and families attending the school spirit celebration.
The Jaguarettes are A&M-San Antonio’s dance team.
Social media posts promoting the ‘Claws Out, Black Out’ event encouraged students to wear their class color, wear something that helped them “light up in the dark” and cheer on their class members during organized indoor field games.
Freshmen wore yellow, sophomores wore orange, juniors wore pink, seniors wore green and graduates wore purple.
A&M-San Antonio’s competitive cheer was the first to perform, pumping energy throughout the stands and sparking a fan wave, and the Jaguaretters danced to a hip-hop beat.
Freshmen represent their class wearing yellow shirts at the Pep Rally in honor of National College Colors Day on Sept. 12, 2024. Photo by Saile Aranda
Together, the teams danced along to the university’s fight song: “Viva Viva Viva A&M-SA.” This song is what A&M-San Antonio sports fans are expected to sing and chant as they cheer on their teams at home games.
A&M-San Antonio’s men’s and women’s soccer programs kick off with home openers against Nelson University. The women’s soccer game is at 1 p.m. and the men’s soccer game is at 3:30 p.m. on Sept.13 at A&M-San Antonio soccer field next to the recreational center.
“We are trying to teach them early for tomorrow’s game, and when we have our first basketball game so our students can bring that jaguar spirit to the games,” Bobb-Meilinger said.
Bobb-Meilinger said the highlight of the university’s first pep rally was to inspire the student body in health, school spirit and athletics. She also said she wants active student bodies at the university’s sporting events.
“We are trying to get the students to understand school spirit and pride,” Bobb-Meilinger said. “You have the representation of coming to campus, and learning about the jaguar spirit and receiving your education.”
This fall, A&M-San Antonio recorded an enrollment of more than 8,000 students, a record-breaking count following the 2023 fall enrollment of 7,619. The growth in enrollment parallels the university’s growth as it just opened a new student residence hall and the recreation center hosting the pep rally.
Kinesiology sophomore Marilyn Gomez was excited when she heard about the ‘Claws Out, Black Out’ event and saw A&M-San Antonio’s spirit program post on their Instagram page.
“What I want to see at the ‘Black Out’ is freshman through seniors get along and be a family,” Gomez said. “I am hoping to see the neon lights, have a good time and for it to be huge for our first time having one.”
Criminology freshman Madonna Morales, who was standing right outside the recreation center, said she was not going to attend the ‘Claws Out, Black Out’ pep rally because she already had plans for the night.
“I thought of it as a great idea to bring students together, but it did seem pretty fast and some people made plans,” Morales said. “I like the theme, but it seemed kind of rushed.”
General the Jaguar kicks off the Claws Out Black Out Pep Rally with a grand entrance at the Recreational Center on Sept. 12, 2024. Photo by Saile Aranda
70 students attended ‘Claws Out, Black Out’ accompanied by family and friends.
“I feel like the freshmen are a little bit discouraged, because not all of us are very athletic so they might not attend [the pep rally],” Morales said. “But the biggest turnout might be sophomores or juniors.”
Sophomore cheerleader Stevie Metcalf said she was astounded by the work the cheer and dance teams achieved on the court for their first collegiate pep rally.
“It was fun to bring the community together and do certain things not a lot of people get to do,” Metcalf said. “Tonight was different. I liked it, but overall I think it was a real fun experience.”
Freshman Jaguarette Elise Green was also proud of the spirit teams for practicing and getting prepped for A&M-San Antonio’s first “Claws Out, Black Out.”
“We have worked so hard to get the pep rallies started this semester and getting this opportunity to perform is an amazing opportunity for us and the university,” Green said. “We are so proud of what the rec center has built and grateful for them to let us have this chance.”
A&M-San Antonio athletics is part of the Red River Athletic Conference in softball and men’s golf. Esports and men’s and women’s basketball are set to start later in the semester.
“With these pep rallies going forward, we want to expand it and have more people come to these events,” Green said. “Hopefully, in the future we can have multiple pep rallies instead of one introducing other sports.”
This story was updated at 12:43 p.m. to correct the headline from “Athletics department” to “Recreational Sports department.”
Johnathan “John” Pena is a sophomore majoring in communications and minoring in business administrations at Texas A&M University-San Antonio. John enjoys listening to an assorted genre of music, watching movies, playing video games and videoographing with his GoPro. After graduation, he hopes to pursue a career in advertising and media film.
