Without student’s support and participation, Northern Kentucky University’s transition to Division I would be a lot harder and less fun.
Norse Force, NKU’s student spirit organization, has been working hard over the past year to increase interest and awareness and it is paying off.
The latest attempt by the organization was a Norse Force Membership Drive and Pep Rally Aug. 28 at NKU’s soccer stadium.
Students were encouraged to sign up or renew their memberships for $1o, and in return, they received T-shirts, Norse tags and free food from various local restaurants.
Norse tags can be swiped at all NKU Athletics home events and they provide students with rewards for attending games.
During the pep rally, Norse Force President Sara Daugherty led the crowd in learning and practicing Norse chants and fight songs.
Most of the crowd was very receptive and student athletes even joined in on hyping up the crowd.
Numerous coaches were also present, including the men’s and women’s basketball head coaches, Dave Bezold and Dawn Plitzuweit.
And, of course, Victor E. Viking made an appearance and made his presence known by dancing and stomping around the bleachers, encouraging students to scream louder.
The event came to an end after students were gathered onto the field to create a large N, K and U. After that, everyone exited the stadium and lines for memberships began to fill up.
Daugherty said that, as of right now, memberships have already doubled from what they were last year.