Gator Growl begins setting up $1.1 million show
By CAROLYN TILLO, Alligator Writer
It takes more than 11 months of preparation, three days of setup and hundreds of students to convert Ben Hill Griffin Stadium's field into a stage for Gator Growl, the largest student-run pep rally in the nation.
O'Connell Center employees have been at the stadium since Saturday, when they began detaching bleachers in the north end zone to accommodate the stage.
Although plans for the show started last November, last-minute preparations continue this week for the approximately $1.1 million production.
Jeff Chenery, the director of production for the O'Connell Center, said the stage is put together over three days and comes down in about eight hours.
Chenery said student crews use lighting, staging, audio and video equipment from contractors to set the stage up in time for their Wednesday night tech rehearsal.
As soon as fans start filing out of the stadium Friday night, a crew of about 350 people will start to take the stage down.
"We do it the Egyptian way - more people than sense," Chenery said.
By 6 a.m. Saturday, the football field returns to normal, Chenery said.
But Producer Matt Sloan said Gator Growl can't really be called a normal pep rally.
Sloan said the show requires a staff of about 465 students. It is financially independent from the university and depends on money from ticket sales and corporate sponsorships.
This year, Sloan said the production has spent more money on talent and saved money in other areas.
Dana Carvey and O.A.R. will be paid about $90,000 each, while the Jabbawockeez will be paid $20,000, according to Alligator archives.
Sloan said Gator Growl did not use a talent agent to find its acts this year, saving about $15,000.
Sloan said he is still dealing with the negative student response to the performances at last year's Gator Growl.
He expects a higher turnout this year as students come to honor the seniors on UF's football team, as was done at past Gator Growls.
"Back in the day, it was a senior pep rally," Sloan said. "It was a celebration of the senior class."
