On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. there will be a spotlight on two sophomores and their names are not Jacory Harris and Sean Spence.
A TV camera pans to the cheering crowd in the stands and then stops suddenly on two students aglow in orange and green. Who are these Glitter Girls, and how can they possibly wear all that art?
Sophomores Lauren Lococo and Alex Goldklang, suitemates who live in Pearson Residential College, spend approximately four hours glittering up their entire bodies for each home football game. And that means giving up tailgating beforehand because these super fans have to shoulder their way in line to get front-row seats in the end zone in the student section.
“We just want to make people excited and we want to support the team,” Goldlkang said.
The girls face many obstacles along the way. Lococo and Goldklang have to buy their materials, apply them, drive to the stadium and wait in line for first-come, first-serve seating.
Fortunately, Lococo and Goldklang have gained enough popularity that fellow students help by saving seats so they can be near the “Glitter Girls.” The pair also gets repeated requests for pictures, not only with students, but also with Miami natives and alumni too.
Matthew La Pan is a senior who has sat near the Glitter Girls. “Even though I get covered in glitter when I sit near them, at the end of the day these girls are the perfect women: they love football,” he said.
Lococo finds it easy to have so much school spirit because she was born and raised in Miami as a Hurricane fan. She even got a U tattoo before she was accepted into UM.
“Lauren educated me on the UM history and it was really easy to get into it,” said Goldklang, who is from New Jersey. She also knows something about football: her father was a linebacker at Duke University.
Both girls came up with the idea to begin the glittering and it has turned out to be a bonding experience. This is the second year the girls have been glittering, but they have received much more attention this season, perhaps because the Hurricanes have given fans a lot more to cheer about.
With new fads and fashions, there is always a risk of getting copied, but Lococo and Goldklang are not worried about that.
“I don’t think people will copy us because I don’t think they’d have what it takes to commit to this,” Goldklang said. “I even doubt myself sometimes.”
When all the fun and excitement is over, the girls still have to think about how to remove the multitude of glitter from their face, neck, arms and legs. It takes more than an hour to remove most of the glitter, but unfortunately for the girls, some of it never seems to disappear.
“Even after I wash myself, it’s still there,” said Lococo, “It’s in my car, my bed, everywhere!”
The Glitter Girls leave such a thick trail of glitter that they have been banned from the buses that take students to the game. The girls say they spend an average of $30 per game, which includes gas, parking, food and of course their secret recipe for putting on the glitter masterpiece.
Lococo and Goldklang say that they will continue to attend every game. And when they graduate, they plan to pass down the ritual to two prospective freshmen to take over the responsibilities of the Glitter Girls.
Emily Wingrove may be contacted at ewingrove@themiamihurricane.com.