Miami Hurricanes Diehard Fan Series: Lauren Lococo
In the second installment of the Diehard Fan Series we have Lauren Lococo who is also known as the ‘Miami Glitter Girl‘. It is assumed that if you’ve watched a Canes game on television or attended a Canes game, you have seen the ‘Miami Glitter Girl’. I wanted to look past the glitter and allow myself, along with fellow Cane fans, to get to know Lauren a little bit better and share the Q&A interview that I had with her.
First off, tell us a little bit about yourself and how/when did you become a Canes fan?
I was born and raised in Miami. Both my parents along with my father’s parents have been UM fans forever. My grandparents have been to every single championship game UM has played in and my parents were in the end zone where Doug Flutie threw his famous Hail Mary pass. So I was pretty much born a Cane. I spent my childhood going to football games, baseball games, and basketball games. I was there when Jason Michaels hit that grand slam in the bottom of the ninth during a regional (or super regional I cant remember), I was there when Kevin Brown hit like two home-runs and a grand slam the same game.
My first football memory was the 1998 game where we upset UCLA and the Orange Bowl went crazy. Growing up cheering for this team has been such an important part of my life and is something I would never give up. The only reason I went to UM was solely due to the fact that I couldn’t bare to miss a game.
So, how was glitter girl born/thought of?
Ok, so I used to paint myself with my friend Kaitlyn in high school. The first game of freshman year I decided to paint myself. This was August 28th. The freshman move into the dorms a week before school starts and school started on the 27th. I asked Alex Goldklang, whom I had known for only a week, if she wanted to paint herself with me and she immediately said yes…no hesitation. After that game, I was thinking about more creative things since paint is so overrated and old. I remembered when I used to cheer when I was younger we would put chap stick on our eyes and glitter would stick to us so easily. It was like a light bulb in my head. I was at home that night and texted her if she would be down to do it and her response was “ hell yeah”. She was down for anything like the best glitter partner ever.
The first game we went to in glitter people just stared at us in confusion. I remember walking down into the student section which was full already (we were late to that game…glitter problems) and the ENTIRE student section turned around and just stared at us. After that, we became known as the Miami Glitter Girls. People loved us. They would show us on the jumbotron with “ Miami Glitter Girls” on the screen.
What is the most memorable Canes game that you’ve attended?
There are so many. For home games there were the FSU games, especially the one where Gore scored in overtime to win and the UF game when Brock Berlin led the team to one of the best comebacks in history. With home games you never forget the energy and excitement in the environment in the stadium when you’re the home crowd.
For away games, it is different because you are the minority and nothing feels as good as walking into an opposing team’s stadium obnoxiously covered in glitter and beating them. There was the FSU game in 2007 where Wright got hurt in the 4th as we were driving to score and Kirby Freeman came in to throw a TD pass. Then after that drive when FSU had the ball, Colin McCarthy recovered a fumble to score. I wasn’t in glitter that game but it was really exciting!
In 2009, when my friend and I were covered in glitter at Doak Campbell again, we were sitting by my brother and his friends when FSU was driving to score with the final seconds of the game. When Ponder threw that incompletion in the end zone and they were reviewing it, my friend Ryan had the radio on his phone and shouted “ Incomplete!” and we all started celebrating before the officials came back on the field.
Another one was Clemson where I went with a bunch of friends and we won but rubbing glitter all over Howard’s Rock was the best, haha. Then the Georgia Tech game in 2012. That crowd was vicious and I was being so obnoxious when we went up by like 19 I think it was, I don’t remember. Then they went up and started giving me crap. We tied the game and Mike James scored in O.T for the victory. In the words of Degeneration X “ Suck It”.
What is your typical game day/tailgate routine?
When I was a student, my friends Alex Goldklang (the green) and Robbie Deutch ( []__[] Man) would arrive at the student gates like four hours before game time because it was first come first serve.
Now, as a non-student, game days are way more fun. I tailgate with CanesFam and take lord knows how many pictures with people when I am glittered up. I have mastered the art of glittering now so it usually takes 45 minutes to get myself all shiny but to get it off is a never-ending process. The glitter just sticks and gets everywhere.
Do you have any gameday superstitions?
Haha, oh my, yes I do! Whoever reads this will laugh but hey sometimes they work.
AWAY GAMES: I absolutely will NOT wear anything UM…not even orange and green. If they are not doing well I will keep changing my clothes or where I am sitting. If I am sitting in a certain position I will not move like at all because I will never return to the same exact spot I was sitting at and I mean in terms of centimeters. If someone was watching a game with me before and we had lost, I will not watch it with them again.
This is the best one: If we are trailing within a reasonable amount that we can come back from at the 5 minute mark of the 4th quarter, I will hold my big toe when we are on offense. I started that one against West Virginia, I think in 2003 or 2004. It was the game where Jon Pettie kicked like 5 field goals or something and I held my big toe that drive when it was 4th and 11. Berlin threw a pass to Winslow for a first down and Pettie kicked the winning FG.
HOME GAMES: I try to wear the same thing, even under garments. Yes I wash them. If we are losing during halftime I will go into the bathroom and put my hair in a bun. I did that when we played Florida and came back so I always do it. When I was in highschool, I used to sit with my friend Kaitlyn Flynn (another huge canes fan) and we would shout “ fight canes fight” with people around us in the third quarter. It was done simply to be silly but I still do it. If I bring someone to a game and we lose, they are no longer welcome to attend games with me. I will make my friends change seats with me or keep the way they are sitting the same. If they move I usually shout at them to sit how they were and they’ll ask why but I don’t tell them. Let’s say if I am biting my tongue or have two fingers touching after a good play, I will continue doing that.
But now I think about it, since I have shared my superstitions they wont work anymore. Knock on wood.
Who is your favorite Canes player of all time? Why?
I caught a lot of heat when I answered this question before. People said I didn’t know my history and stuff like that but I stand by my answer…BROCK STERLING BERLIN! Why? When he played I was 13-15 years old and I thought and still think he was/ is the most beautiful man. Just gorgeous. He led us to a BCS bowl game and win, the last time we had been in one. Yes he had his bad games like every QB but he never lost to FSU or Florida. I also believe he broke a passing record against Georgia Tech…the same game Eric Winston got injured.
Obviously people like Reed, Mcgahee, Rolle, Irvin, etc. all rocked but he was my first teenage love and you can’t blame a girl for that. As for those who say I “don’t know my history”, I have every single (no exaggeration) College Football Extra front page from the Miami Herald since 2000. My two favorites being a picture of Roscoe Parrish after running the beginning kickoff back for a TD against Virginia saying “ Vintage Formula”. The other was when we kicked Virginia Tech’s butt up in Blacksburg in 2005 and it said “ Vick-timized” which I thought was incredibly creative since Marcus Vick was their QB.
I also have memorabilia signed by Vilma, Rolle, and Taylor (to name a few) that other people got for me because they saw them and knew I adored them.
Not to mention Brock was honored this past season at the Florida game so yeah saying he is my favorite player isn’t that bad. I don’t mean to sound rude or obnoxious, I am the complete opposite of that, I just felt hurt by people questioning how big of a fan I really am because I said Brock.
Would you like to give any predictions for the upcoming season?
It is hard to predict sports, especially football, because every week is unpredictable. You don’t know who is going to get injured or suspended on our team or an opponent. If Ryan Williams hadn’t gotten injured this spring, I would have said we would have easily won the Coastal and given the winner of the Atlantic side a run for their money. The same thing goes for if we hadn’t lost Duke Johnson last season.
As of now, I think it is going to be a bumpy season. I hope not, considering other teams in the ACC have lost their best players, too. It is just not feasible to say we are going to win the coastal when we have a true freshman. In regards to Kaaya, the fact that we have experienced running backs and receivers will definitely help out and contribute to his learning experience.
But I will say this: FSU WINNING THE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST YEAR WAS COMPLETE B.S! How can you let a team with such a cupcake schedule even go to the championship game!? Yes they beat Clemson. But, every year Clemson is really good and always has that one abysmal game. Yes, Miami was ranked 7th, but as much I would love to believe we were really ranked that high, it just was a bit fraudulent. A lot of good teams lost the week prior. So looking at that, I am giving a huge middle finger to the BCS system and thanking the NCAA for finally allowing a playoff. As much as I dislike Bama, the fact that they didn’t get to play in the BCS title game because they lost to a top ranked opponent in the SEC, the toughest conference in CFB, is just like WTF! And once again their strength of schedule ranked 47th proves their lack of challenge while Miami’s was 14th.
What would you say to the younger generation to convince them to be a Canes fan? They’ve seen UF and FSU win championships but not The U. Why should they be Hurricane fans?
All they have to do is watch The []__[] documentary, listen to Ballin’ Boys, and 7thFloor Crew. If they don’t want to be fans of a badass team like that, then I don’t want them to be a fan. I shouldn’t have to convince them to begin with. Florida is full of a bunch of crybaby fans and players (cough Tebow cough) who are SO obnoxious just seeing someone wearing their apparel makes me want to punch them.
And FSEWW? Urban Dictionary defines a Seminole as such “A sexually transmitted disease (STD) contracted only by students attending Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.”
HERE’s the link
And lastly, what are you up to these days? Are you still standing front row, covered in orange glitter?
Well, this year has been a tough one. I have faced quite a bit of adversity and am trying to better myself everyday. The way I look at what I have been through is that other people have it way worse. I am trying to get a job with WWE or ESPN…if anyone has a hook up please help me out!
Due to lack of finances I don’t know if I will be in the front row…if anyone wants to contribute to the cause feel free to.
Even if I am not front row, I will still be at the games fully covered in glitter like always.
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I’d like to thank Lauren for the opportunity to interview her and for sharing her insightful stories. One thing is for sure, Lauren’s passion for the Miami Hurricanes can never be questioned and she makes that very apparent in this interview. You can interact with Lauren on twitter @Miamiglittergrl or just simply say ‘hello’ to the girl covered in orange glitter at the next Canes game you attend.