At Christmas, Taylor Yarbro was visiting her boyfriend’s home when she spied a 1980 Coca-Cola bottle honoring the University of Georgia national championship team.
Her boyfriend’s dad had attended UGA and has a lot of memorabilia. He noticed her admiring it.
“He handed it to me,” said Yarbro, a Georgia junior who is part of the Georgettes, the official dance team of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band.
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Her first reaction was “Oh, wow,” when he said it was hers.
With the Bulldogs winning the national championship game Jan. 10, that gesture almost seems prophetic now as Yarbro looks back.
The Greenbrier High School graduate has been part of the Georgettes since her freshman year. She started dancing not long after learning to walk.
Yarbro said she was about 2 years old when she started dance. While she took lessons and competed with many companies including Kane and Co. Dance Productions in Evans, she said she always danced with the same group of friends.
Her love of dance as well as being friends with other members of the dance team prompted her to audition for the Georgettes.
Yarbro is studying to become a speech pathologist. While she knew dance wasn’t part of her career plans, she wasn’t quite ready to give it up completely. The squad has allowed her to continue with her first love and to embark on a journey with a newfound love – Georgia football.
Growing up she wasn’t what you’d call a die-hard Georgia fan; however, her blood runs red and black now.
Prior to making the Georgettes, which requires an annual audition, Yarbro had never been to Sanford Stadium on game day, but now, the hallowed traditions that make game day special are things she’ll never forget.
Yarbro said there’s nothing like being on the field with 93,000 screaming Bulldog fans in the stands. They provide an energy she can only describe as electric. Despite the fact that there’s a sea of people in the stands, some will catch her eye. There’s a connection when she and the crowd yells “Go Dawgs.”
“It’s just incredible,” she said.
She takes the field with the band, but she also participates in some pre-game pep rally type events. Sometimes, she makes public appearances such as attending Columbia County’s fair in her Georgette capacity.
One of the most memorable games, besides the national championship win over the University of Alabama, was a night game against Notre Dame in 2019 when the red LED lights came on for the first time.
Seeing the lights flood the stadium in red was indescribable, she said.
During most games, the band and Georgettes are located close to the field where they can rally the fans and cheer on the team.
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She feels it’s part of her job to keep the fans energized and to provide support to the team, and it’s not something she takes for granted.
“Getting to wear the ‘G’ on my chest and representing the school is so incredible to me,” she said. “I get to represent the University of Georgia, and I get to do it in a way that I love.”
For the national championship game, the band and Georgettes were not as close to the field, sitting back farther in the stands. Members were spread out a little more than usual. But that was OK she said. They were among friends. Georgia fans thanked her and members of the band for being there and contributing to the spirit of the game.
There was a lot of red in the stands that night with Yarbro estimating that most fans wore red and black not crimson.
When the Dawgs scored their final touchdown on the night, Yarbro said the tears began to fall.
“I was overwhelmed with joy,” she said.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Managing Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
