Attending a women's soccer game at Stone Stadium brings with it a unique combination of sights and sounds 鈥� the thud of the ball launching off a player鈥檚 foot, Cocky meandering through the stands to interact with fans and the familiar playing of Sandstorm after every goal.
The most distinct game day noise comes from the opposite end of the stadium, which the drum-playing supporters' group, Graveyard Shift, calls home.
Inspired by supporters鈥� groups of professional soccer clubs across the country, Alex Dingman, a Columbia native and passionate soccer fan, said he wanted to bring a similar organization to the University of South Carolina. A landmark NCAA rule change in 2016, lifting a ban on noisemakers in college stadiums, provided him with that opportunity.
鈥淲e had that idea, then the rules got changed,鈥� Dingman said. 鈥淪o, we were like, 'Okay, we can actually 鈥� we can do this now.'鈥�
The group鈥檚 name was inspired by the graveyard a short distance away from the stadium, but the moniker Graveyard Shift was not the original idea Dingman had in mind, he said.
鈥淥riginally, our name was the Grave Diggers, and that was shot down by the university really quickly,鈥� Dingman said. 鈥淭he backup name was like, Graveyard Shift. We said that, and they were like, 鈥極h, we love Graveyard Shift.鈥欌��
Justin Lewis, another Graveyard Shift member and lifelong Gamecock fan, said Graveyard Shift prides itself on its ability to provide the South Carolina women鈥檚 soccer team with a distinct home-field advantage against its opponents.
鈥淲e want to create an atmosphere where, when people come to play, it鈥檚 like, 鈥楿gh, crap, we鈥檝e got to go to South Carolina this week. It鈥檚 going to be loud. I don鈥檛 want to deal with this,'鈥� Lewis said.
Dingman further specified these efforts to 鈥減lay with the game.鈥� He said the intensity of the group's drumming depends on in-game situations.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e attacking or when we're pressing hard, we try to play faster,鈥� Dingman said. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e on defense, we try to get slower, but still loud.鈥�
All Graveyard Shift members can agree, though, that the most important part of what they do is forming a strong bond with players, the university itself and the local community. Additionally, they support the growth of women鈥檚 sports, opening up more opportunities that had not existed previously.
鈥淲ith some sports, like baseball, you have minor leagues, and college baseball is still present,鈥� Graveyard Shift drummer Stephen Summerlin said. 鈥淏ut there's a few sports where, to get to the national level, and the international level 鈥� there are not a lot of stepping-stones for women鈥檚 athletics, in general.鈥�
Dingman said pursuing this vision has been a personally fulfilling journey, especially in regard to the relationships he has created with players on the team.
鈥淚t means the world to me,鈥� Dingman said. 鈥淲hen we started this, we didn鈥檛 expect to really have true support from the team the way that we do.鈥�
While promoting these core values, Graveyard Shift has celebrated all of the South Carolina women鈥檚 soccer team鈥檚 recent successes, including an important piece of hardware it earned after the 2019 麻豆小蝌蚪传媒.
鈥淪eeing the girls actually just get that (SEC) Championship, and just the way they've played even deep into the NCAA Tournament, it's been a joy,鈥� Summerlin said.
Overall, Graveyard Shift sees a level of excitement that comes with every game and supporting one of the best-run women鈥檚 soccer programs in the country.
鈥淭he team itself is just, they're exciting to watch. They鈥檙e always high energy, the games are always really well done," Summerlin said. 鈥淐oach Shelley (Smith), she's just done such a great job here; she really has.鈥�
Regardless of the result of each match, Graveyard Shift will continue attending South Carolina's home games and will support the women鈥檚 soccer team in any way it can. In the process, it will provide students and families with a match day experience unlike any other.