"I started twirling when I was 7 years old after my mom took me to a local dance studio that offered baton and dance. At the time, my family had no clue what it was. From the moment I put a baton in my hands, it never came out. Ever since then, I’ve been twirling competitively.
It’s such a surreal experience to twirl for the Gamecocks. I remember my first time stepping onto the field during pregame in Williams-Brice. The band was playing Gridiron in my ears behind me, and I remember looking around me and seeing all the screaming fans. I do believe we have the best fans in the entire world. There’s truly no feeling like it, I can’t really describe it. When we get to twirl fire for the student section during halftime, it’s so exciting. I love seeing everyone coming together for Gamecock football."
— Ally Grooms, junior finance and supply chain, operations management major