Reunion Weekend and
The Fringe Sneak Peek
It was a momentous experience in Austin at the 2025 TCPA Reunion. We filled the Centennial Room Friday night with alumni from across the decades, including the 50th anniversary of the 1975 squad with all five female members present including Loyce Bates Dettman who is on our Board of Directors.
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The big surprise of the night was getting a sneak peek at the brand new Amy Morgan Porter Spirit Complex we call The Fringe. Head Coach Blair Taylor said construction workers were still on the job minutes before our party began. A few members of the current squad on hand to host the event were pinching themselves to make sure it was not a dream to be standing in their own classroom/study space/gymnasium. Special guest was UT’s first female Head Cheerleader Mary Brindley, who came up with the idea of putting fringe on our uniforms in 1961.
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Super special guest Athletics Director Chris Del Conte made an appearance at the party to heap praise on Kinesiology Department Chair Jan Todd and TCPA President and Founder Amy Porter for making The Fringe a reality. “Who knew that when a powerlifter and a cheerleader get together, what could happen?” Del Conte joked. “It’s an awesome day today. When I look at game day and what it means, Cheer and Pom are always there, everywhere. No one carries traditions more at The University of Texas than you all.”
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At the end of the evening winners for the raffle drawing were announced, and totals for the silent auction reached more than $10,000 for the program. Kudos to MC Deskins and Jess McCoy.
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The Saturday tailgate party drew hundreds of members and family, many of whom attended the pre-game parade on Bevo Boulevard with the Longhorn Band where we wound up on the field in DKR to take pictures with Bevo himself. You can tell from all the smiles no one was bothered by the heat.
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The highlight of the day was getting 110 alumni on the field for a pre-kickoff stadium yell that seemed to last forever. The intensity level went to a thousand for many members who have not forgotten the power of cheer. Even former Cheer Coach Betty Cunningham got caught up in the spirit. All involved enjoyed the experience. TCPA raised another $11,000 for the scholarships with that effort, and set the stage for a sorely needed 55-0 blowout victory for the Longhorns. It was an awesome weekend indeed. Special thanks to Executive Director Abby Drake for organizing a great Reunion.
