Gator Growl may be six months away, but preparation for the largest student-run pep rally in the world has already begun.
The early start stems from current producer Matt Sloan's desire to create a show that caters to both students and alumni.
"I want the 35-year-old Gator alum that has two kids to be as comfortable as the college freshman that sees this as their Friday night activity," Sloan said.
In the past, he said, the event's production team received opinions about the show after it was over, but this year they want to get opinions beforehand.
For the next two weeks, students have the opportunity to submit suggestions about the show and the acts they want to see performed by e-mailing talent@gatorgrowl.org.
The production team will analyze the suggestions and use them in the creation of a student survey that will help determine which acts the production team books. The survey will be ready in about a month.
"The student responses are weighted very highly because, when push comes to shove, this is Gator football pep rally," Sloan said.
Sloan said the acts should be chosen by the middle of the summer A term and will include recognizable household names intended to excite Gator Growl attendees to a whole new level.
"We are under the assumption… that this is the biggest year that Gator Growl has ever seen," Sloan said, attributing the show's importance to the fact that it celebrates UF's national championship-winning athletes.
The pep rally's role in energizing fans for the Homecoming game is more important than the talent acts chosen, he said.
"Our show, it's really a pulse on the campus, a pulse on the football team," Sloan said.
Gator Growl tickets will begin being sold during the student football ticket lottery, which begins today.
Student tickets are priced at $15, with general tickets going for $25. Sloan said ticket prices could increase depending on the acts chosen.
