By Jac St. Jean
@jacsaintj
Despite the gloomy skies on Tuesday, Sept. 28, spirits were high and there were smiles all around the Naismith Green as the Student Homecoming Kickoff took place. The sweet smell of kettle corn lingered in the air, as did the members of the Springfield College Gymnastics team when they performed a few flips and tricks to hype up and advertise for their Gymnastics Exhibition Show coming up this Homecoming Weekend.
The Homecoming Kickoff was brought to the community by the Student Alumni Association (SAA), and supported by Alumni Relations, Athletics, Student Activities, and Residence Life.
Senior and Co-President of SAA Brianna D’Haiti organized and oversaw the event, and was thrilled to see the Springfield College community alive and well in the heart of the campus.
“It is looking great,” D’Haiti said, “usually we don’t have gymnastics out giving people a taste of Homecoming. We have Team IMPACT here… it’s looking really great.”
Along with the SAA and the Homeshow participants, members of the Team IMPACT committee, the Art Club and the Athletics Office were around to take part in the kickoff.
SAA also plans to work during the weekend and recruit members of the student body to work and help out during this exciting and busy time on campus. Alumni of Springfield College always return Homecoming Weekend to see some familiar faces and attend the exciting annual Homeshow performed by Springfield College’s own gymnasts.
“We want alumni to always come back to Homecoming,” D’Haiti stated, “there’s also special brunches for alumni… and we’re also unveiling our Alumni of Color hallway that was just opened this year.”
Although the kickoff only lasted two hours, the energy was brought and expended by a handful of participants of the 111th Gymnastics Exhibition Show. First-year student-athlete Carter Cochardo ‘25 was floored by the turnout of students checking out the event and enjoying some gymnastics skills on display.
“The turnout of students was great,” Cochardo explained, “having the advantage of being between Cheney Hall and the Union really allowed for lots of students to stay and watch for a little bit.”
The highly anticipated Homeshow, happening on Oct. 1 and 2 at 7:00 p.m., will be the first time since March 21, 2021 that a gymnastics team performed in Blake Arena.
“This weekend I think Homeshow is going to go great,” Cochardo exclaimed.
“After not competing or doing gymnastics in front of a live crowd in over a year, the atmosphere within Blake Arena should be amazing.”
To purchase tickets for the 111th Gymnastics Exhibition Show, head to https://springfieldcollegepride.com/information/Hometown_Ticketing. For more information on all the events happening this week, check out https://springfield.edu/alumni-relations/homecoming-2021.