TCU Alumni Association is hosting a Poinsettia Bowl pep rally to bring Horned Frog fans together in San Diego the day before the game.

Appetizers and beverages will be served in the ballroom of the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego hotel, where many TCU students and fans will be staying.

Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations Kristi Hoban said she hopes to see several hundred students and Horned Frog fans in attendance.

Alumni programs director Jenny Cox said even though the pep rally will not have the same environment as the Rose Bowl last year, she believes the event will still be well attended, especially by TCU students who live in California. She said the main factor that would hinder attendance would be difficulty of travel to California, especially during the busy holiday season.

Cox said the Rose Bowl pep rally gathered over 5,000 attendees, the most in TCU’s history, and even garnered attention from football fans who were not necessarily in support of either TCU or Wisconsin.

“A lot of the time, BCS bowls attract more people just because it’s the BCS,” she said. “The Rose Bowl just blew everything out of the water.”

Hoban said the Rose Bowl pep rally was more expensive than the Poinsettia Bowl pep rally, factoring in the use of the Staples Center and the amount of television cameras and screens broadcasting the event.

Although the Poinsettia Bowl pep rally will be more low-key than previous pep rallies, Horned Frog fans will still have plenty to be excited about, including an appearance by Gary Patterson to fire up the crowd  for the game. The event will also feature performances by the Horned Frog Marching Band, TCU Showgirls and cheerleaders, Hoban said.

Alumni Services will send six staff members to San Diego on Monday, Dec. 19 to manage the various programs going on during the game and the days before, including Director of Special Events Laura Chudy.

Chudy said she will help oversee the pep rally, as well as other programs sponsored by Alumni Services, including the team luncheon with the football players on Dec. 20 and meet-and-greets for fellow Frog fans in various restaurants around the city.

Chudy said she is excited to see the turnout for the pep rally, and she and Hoban are ready to pump up the Horned Frog spirit in California.

“We hope to see many people there,” Hoban said. “After the pep rally, we encourage all students and fans to explore San Diego to see all that it has to offer.”

TCU Pep Rally
What: TCU Poinsettia Bowl pep rally
Where: Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel
            1 Market Place
            San Diego, CA 92101
When: 6 p.m.
Free of charge for all attendees.
Food and beverages provided.