Wednesday

It’s Wednesday afternoon on Oct. 13 and students gather around as they watch their fellow teammates chalk the South Oval. Homecoming week brings students together in a friendly competition between several groups. These teams mainly consist of the greek life but also from other groups such as the engineering club and international students.

Chalk dust clouds the air. Vividly colored artwork lines the sidewalk relating to this year’s Homecoming theme, “Sooner Magic.” Teammates are laughing and complimenting each other’s chalk art. But some students walking down the South Oval take no interest in the action taking place around them.

Aislinn McLeod, environmental science junior, admits that she didn’t even realize it was Homecoming week.

“It’s not a very memorable thing for me,” McLeod says.

She said she thinks it’s difficult getting involved with Homecoming because she is not in a sorority.

While many students may agree that being a part of Homecoming is challenging if they are not associated with a sorority or fraternity, many students involved in the greek life love this annual event.

Michael Brown, pre-med junior and Alpha Tau Omega member, believes Homecoming week is a “good bonding experience with his ‘brothers’.”

This is Brown’s first year participating in Homecoming and so far it has been an enjoyable experience for him.

Brown is participating in the Homecoming pep rally dance competition along with members from Alpha Tau Omega, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Chi Omega.

“The dance is good social experience,” Brown says.

Friday

It’s Friday night on Oct. 15. Anticipation and excitement lingers in the air as students patiently wait for the Homecoming pep rally to begin. As the doors open, students cheer and race to their seats in the stands.

The stands are packed with students, alumni, parents and faculty members. Upbeat music is playing and students are jumping up and down in the little space they have.

The cheerleaders begin their routine. A blur of crimson and white dances across the court as the cheerleaders flip and twirl.

“Boomer!” the cheerleaders chant.

“Sooner!” replies the energetic audience.

The pep rally dance competition begins.

Each dance has a unique twist. Black streaks painted on the dancers faces and football jersey costumes help add to this year’s theme.

After the pep rally is over, students race to finish their float for the parade the next day. Exhausted from dancing in the stands and screaming at the pep-rally.

Tonight is when the final details are made and the floats are assembled together. But float building doesn’t just happen over night. It starts weeks in advance.

“We try to get involved but then we have to pick it over our studies,” says Molly Howell, speech pathology sophomore.

Many hours put into Homecoming are required. Some students had to dedicate ten hours or more a week to build their floats and memorize dance routines.

Saturday

It’s Saturday afternoon on Oct. 16. Students gather around their floats, taking prideful pictures of their tissue-paper creations and admiring all of the work that went into them.

The audience watching the parade is a sea of crimson. Children stand on the side of the road in awe of all the floats. They hold up trash bags and Halloween buckets in hopes of filling it up with candy being passed out by anyone walking in the parade.

The week culminated in the crowing of Morgan Wolber, human relations senior and Michael Nash entrepreneurship and venture management senior as queen and king.

For an entire week, the atmosphere at OU is filled with Sooner spirit. To many students, homecoming is the perfect way to bond with friends and show their true love for the university. For others, it is an event that is written off as a forgettable tradition.