The Girls Behind Pike Halftime

By: Kaitlyn McCormack

Photo Courtesy Of Shutter Gainesville.

On Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts auditorium filled with swarms of excited Greek gators. Bundled up in sweatpants and hoodies, the cold Gainesville night didn’t stop this electric audience from coming to support UF’s panhellenic community in the annual Pike Halftime sorority dance competition.

Pike Halftime, organized by UF’s Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity (Pike), is one of the most notable philanthropic events of the year. Each sorority at UF participates by forming a dance team to compete against each other for one night only. The ticket proceeds of the event all go to Pike’s philanthropy, CHOMP Cancer.

CHOMP Cancer was created by a former UF Pike brother, Riqui Villegas. During his time at UF, Villegas was diagnosed with lymphoma. After months of chemotherapy, he was in remission for six years, and just recently declared cancer-free in 2023. His experience with childhood cancer led him to create the CHOMP Foundation, which stands for the five ways to beat cancer: Care, Hope, Optimism, Medicine, and Prayer. 

Through events like Pike Halftime, CHOMP Cancer donates money to organizations that provide Palliative Care, or comfort care, for adolescent patients suffering from the illness. CHOMP also provides financial support to patients and their families who cannot provide for themselves.

Pike Halftime works in conjunction with Pike’s Dream Girl competition, another event that the fraternity organizes. For the Dream Girl award, each sorority nominates one woman to represent them and raise money for CHOMP Cancer. After each dance number at Pike Halftime, the chosen representative gives a speech about why she thinks CHOMP Cancer is a good cause and why she deserves to be Pike Dream Girl.

Photo Courtesy Of Shutter Gainesville.

After a heartfelt speech from Riqui Villegas, the first group was on the stage. The ladies of Pi Beta Phi kicked off the event. A unique combination of songs and matching costumes brought a new experience to the stage with each number. Song mixes included classic oldies such as “Promiscuous” by Nelly Furtado and “4 Minutes” by Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, as well as popular new songs such as “Good Graces” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Sticky” by Tyler The Creator.

The audience made their presence known by supporting their favorite teams. When each sorority was announced the crowd went wild. Senior accounting major Katie Kempter has been coming to Pike Halftime since she was a freshman. She was the most excited to come out to support her sorority sisters in Delta Gamma. For Kempter, Pike Halftime is one of the most entertaining Greek events of the year.

One representative went above and beyond in her participation in the event. Sigma Kappa’s Cerys Jack, happens to be her sorority's dance chair. Jack, a senior public relations major, took on many different responsibilities to ensure her team was prepared. “I choreographed [our number], I danced in it and I was also our Pike Dream Girl,” Jack said. She described this experience in the event as a “good culmination” of all her years. 

“I’ve been doing Pike Halftime since my freshman year so it kind of just felt like the right time to be our representative,” she said. 

By 10 p.m., all teams had performed, and the judges tallied scores for awards. The overall dance award went to Delta Gamma, with an almost perfect score. Delta Gamma’s number featured an upbeat mix of songs with tricks and a total of three costume changes mid-number. 

Photo Courtesy Of Shutter Gainesville.

Other awards included highest earning Dream Girl, which went to Emma Kushner of Alpha Phi. Kushner raised over $2,000 for CHOMP Cancer. Along with being the sorority’s representative, Kushner danced in Alpha Phi’s number. With a background in competitive dance and cheer, Kusher said the performance brought back so many old memories and reminded her how much she loves to dance. 

“We had so much fun at practices, I got to know so many more girls in my chapter, and I just overall had the best time,” she said. 

Kushner said that she was inspired to raise money for CHOMP Cancer because she saw Pike Halftime last year. 

However, the overall Dream Girl award, which was voted on by the brothers of the fraternity, was given to Elizabeth Landon of Kappa Delta. Instead of dancing in her sorority number, she cameoed by walking onto the stage in her red gown and throwing rose petals while the girls danced around her. 

Photo Courtesy Of Shutter Gainesville.

“My roommate is a dancer so I thought it would be fun to try it,” she said, “I found out I couldn’t dance but I ran for Pike Dream girl instead.” 

She complimented all the girls for their performance, “everyone did amazing,” she said, but of course, her favorite part of the night was her win.

Another Pike Halftime is in the books for fall 2024. These women put in their hard work and dedication to raise money for a beneficial cause, and it paid off. Overall, with ticket sales, donations and money raised by the dream girls, the event raised over $60,000 this year for CHOMP Cancer.  

“You guys go all out every year — the dream girls, the sororities — you put so much effort into this,” said Riqui Villegas, “To still be here, giving it your all, thank you so much. Because you guys make such a big difference.”