The rumble of the dancer’s footsteps shook throughout the gymnasium while the crowd was filled with scattered claps and cheers. Students shout in a fit of pride as they begin the first pep rally of the 2023-2024 school year. On Sept. 21, during eighth period, school spirit spread in the student body, as blurs of red, special guests and fun filled the gymnasium.

In order to attend the pep rally, it was mandatory to wear red, hence the ‘Red-Out’. The entry at this pep rally was unlike anything seen before. While students were used to buying the tickets at school at 6:50 a.m., this year, three to five Cavaliers from every class that were deemed the most spirited, dressed in red from head to toe, were chosen and given blue wristbands.

Once the anticipated announcement sounded throughout the school, the gymnasium doors opened and those dripped in red rushed inside. As the masses of students took their seats, eyes quickly followed to the cheerleader uniforms on the court, standing alongside the Gablettes.

To start the show, the Masters of Ceremonies, seniors Adriaan Guerrero and Lorenzo Londono, came out, camouflaged in the bleachers, running in and demanding cheers from the student body to get the energy up.

“I got my role as an MC when Lorenzo approached me and told me ‘I need a partner in crime, are you down to host the pep rally?’ At first, I thought that it was out of my comfort zone, but then I was like ‘You know what? Let’s do it.’ The main goal was to hype everyone up in the beginning and during the in-betweens. I thought I’d start to stutter, but luckily I didn’t and after the pep rally, people came up to me and told me I did a great job,” senior Adriaan Guerrero said. 

Once the student body’s blood was pumping, four members of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps recited the U.S. pledge of allegiance. Quickly after, the newly introduced CavMan, senior Ludvig Fellstrom, and his sidekick, CavBoy, sophomore Rafael Hanono, ran in, waving the Gables flag. Students were quick to stand up, cheering as they held a sword fight for a secret admirer. Both the crowd and their entertainers were surprised when senior Lia Alongi proposed to the CavMan for the upcoming homecoming dance.

“I had the experience of being CavBoy since I was CavBoy last year. When I was hiding from the crowd, I took a couple of deep breaths and just got into the role. I feel like when you are one of those students who partake in school activities, you have to be very excited and jumpy in a way because the way you express how you’re feeling will reflect on the audience too,” sophomore Rafael Hanono said.

Picking out eight spirited students that caught their eye, the MCs introduced the first activity, the beach towel race. In two, one person sat on a beach towel while the other pulled their sitting partner to the finish line, in a race against time. The speakers yelled out each grade level by order, having the respective students yell to the top of their lungs. The first round was freshman versus sophomores, which the latter won; the second round was juniors versus seniors, won by the older. The final race was won by the sophomores, who erupted in cheers after their victory.

“At the pep rally, I mostly just gave it my all especially since how I acted was what I thought I should do. However, some advice I’d give to a future CavMan is to always have a huge smile on your face during pep rallies. I suggest being as loud as possible and honestly not care what other people think because if you don’t then you would emphasize your role a lot better,” senior Ludvig Fellstrom said.

The Gablettes and cheerleaders then joined forces in an iconic collaboration. They decided to partner up, putting their talents together to create a showstopper. The dancers captivated the watchers, having mixed many dance genres and combining hip hop and cheer together. Both groups had everyone’s jaws dropping. While Cavaliers’ eyes stayed glued on the performance, gasps and claps were scattered among the student section.

During the in-betweens, Power956, Miami’s party radio station, enhanced the energy by sourcing the music that could be heard throughout the gymnasium and throwing out their free merchandise at the crowds; the radio station also donated $1000 to the school.

Keeping the vibe going, the speakers called the fall sports seniors -girls volleyball, bowling, cross country, and swimming- for shoutouts. Each senior athlete came up with a huge smile on their face, ready to take pictures to save as memories.

“Since DJ Zod and Swarovski are great friends, Gables was one of the schools chosen for the pep rally. They chose from excellent schools and Gables was lucky enough to be one of the chosen ones. With that money, they chose to donate to a pep rally event,” pep rally organizer Ms. Diaz said.

The next game was a fan-favorite, finish the lyrics. Out of the entire crowd, Guerrero and Londono picked out the three rowdiest students. The first competitor had finished the lyrics to the worldwide-known song, “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys, while the second lost to the song “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. The last player finished the lyrics for “The Monster” by Eminem and Rihanna and won after the first player’s loss to “Livin’ On A Prayer” by Bon Jovi. Sophomore Samantha Gonzalez was crowned winner after finishing the lyrics of “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” by Puff Daddy and Mase.

The pep rally ended with a competition between posters. The MCs narrowed down the best ones by hearing how loud everyone cheered for them, swayed by public opinion. Senior Lia Alongi concluded the pep rally by singing the alma mater, joined by both the students and administration.