If you missed UT’s women’s volleyball game during Homecoming, then you missed some good entertainment. Sun-kissed and perfectly toned bodies of the men’s swim team stole the entire show. From the swimmers first stripping away a piece of clothing every time the volleyball team scored a point to running down the bleachers onto the court after the first match in celebration of UT’s first and only win of the night, it was an exhilarating scene. Oh, and they were only wearing itty bitty Speedos.
No, it wasn’t a reenactment from “Magic Mike.” Apparently, it’s a UT tradition. “We stripped to support the volleyball team,” said sophomore Kyle Freudiger, a member of UT’s swim team. “As to when this tradition started, I am not sure, but it’s a fun thing to do, and it shows the volleyball team that other sports stand behind them as well.”
This year, the men’s swim team attended the game wearing three T-shirts, a jacket, a parka, caps, goggles and four layers of pants. Between the hot and humid Florida weather and the walk over to the court, “[it] makes every pointed scored by the girls much more appreciated,” said Freudiger. “Stripping down to a Speedo doesn’t really affect us as much, as we have to do it on a daily basis. Plus, a few of us just like the excuse to run around in Speedos.”
“Honestly it’s a lot of fun,” said Freudiger. “It’s exciting watching the girls play, and the fact that other teams are there to watch the girls as well, makes us feel like more of an athletic program than just a group of teams.” Year after year, the volleyball team shows they have what it takes to be one of the best in the country and they should be supported as such, says Freudiger.
I couldn’t agree more. UT’s sports teams definitely do not get enough credit, as they should, since students are disappointed that there isn’t a football team. So UT doesn’t have guys running around the field in tight pants and tackling each other. However, we have the equivalent of Calvin Klein models in Speedos and a women’s volleyball team that can give their opponents concussions by slamming a ball into their face. That’s pretty intense right there. I don’t see how or why the presence of a football team on campus would interest more students. Then again, I’m no sports fanatic.
I occasionally attend games. I like going and trying to release my inner cheerleader, but I’m not a fan of staying the entire time. I have nothing against sports, but I can’t sit still for a long period of time if I’m not personally doing something. I like being productive and when I’m watching a game for two or three hours, I don’t get anything done, so I lose my concentration on the game and start worrying about the work I have to do. It’s rather pathetic, but if the game can get my mind off of what I have to do for the entire two or three hours, then the game is completely worth it to me. Maybe if the swim team or other sports teams gave more of a show, with or without clothes, at games, my attention span might last a little longer.
I also like going to games where I am surrounded by people who yell when the ball is totally in bounds, but the referee says it’s out, or the people who stomp on the metal bleachers and sing along with the band. I am one of those people, but it’s not the same if you’re the only one.
People stare at me as if I’m crazy because I go nuts, but really I’m just competitive and I like to enjoy myself. After all, sports games are supposed to be fun! Even so, if there were other people around me being just as loud and obnoxious as I was, I would feel more comfortable and connected in a way. You get that sense of belonging, that sense of school spirit and the swim team definitely gave off that essence at homecoming.
One guy even danced around with pom-poms that a cheerleader gave him because she felt he would get more use out of them than she would. And she was right. When she handed them over, his face lit up as if he was opening presents on Christmas morning, and boy, did he use them. It was priceless.
If I had known about the men’s swim team and their strip tease routine two years ago when I was a freshman, I probably would have attended Homecoming more. It just so happened that this year I, at first, went to the game to join friends because I had nothing better to do and didn’t want to do homework, but once I got there, I didn’t want to leave, which was a first. Here were these semi-naked men cheering on the UT women’s volleyball team, and they had no shame, for which I don’t blame them. If I had their bodies, I would flaunt it all the time. However, it wasn’t their attractive physiques and little clothing that kept me at the game (though it was an added bonus), it was the fact that they were like balls of fire, never burning out throughout the entire game, even though UT lost.
Stef Crocco can be reached at stefcrocs@yahoo.com