Aug. 26, 2010

The UMass Lowell Athletic Department will host the inaugural Athletics 101 Pep Rally in conjunction with the Blue Fan Group at the Campus Recreation Center. The event, run by student fans, will take place on Sunday, August 29 at 3:00 p.m. and will feature appearances by UMass Lowell student-athletes and coaches.

The Pep Rally is designed to educate the Class of 2014 about the traditions and spirit of the Blue Fan Group in support of the River Hawk athletic programs.

"The students have their freshmen orientation over the summer and we hope this event will serve as their orientation to the Blue Fan Group," said Scott Donnelly, Coordinator of Athletic Marketing and Sales. "We see this event becoming an annual tradition that helps boost spirit and interest in all of our teams, beginning with the fall programs."

A large crowd of freshmen is expected to attend this event and the first 200 students will receive complimentary Thunderstix as well as free burritos, courtesy of Moe's Southwest Grill.

In addition to Blue Fan Group members who will run the event, several UMass Lowell teams will make cameo appearances to spread the word about upcoming events, game traditions and chants. Captains of the women's soccer team, men's basketball coach Greg Herenda and ice hockey coach Blaise MacDonald are also expected to host a variety of contests for the students.

The pep rally will be followed by a presentation with Ethan Zohn on "Character: The Ultimate Survivor Tool". Zohn won $1,000,000 on Survivor: Africa, the third installment of the reality series, and has used his winnings to found Grassroot Soccer. The foundation leverages soccer to raise money and awareness to fight HIV/AIDS.