On Saturday gamedays there is a spotlight on two rising juniors, 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– the Glitter Girls.
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.
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 recent graduate 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 Hurricanes 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.
Both girls came up with the idea to begin the glittering and it has turned out to be a bonding experience. This was the second year the girls have been glittering, but they received much more attention this past season, perhaps because the Hurricanes gave 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.”
Despite all the work their full-body glittering entails, Lococo and Goldklang said 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