By the time the sun rises over Baton Rouge, LSU sophomore Ashlyn Palmer is already wide awake, curling her hair and packing her sequined uniform. For most students, gameday begins when they arrive at Tiger Stadium. For Ashlyn, it begins hours earlier and lasts until long after the final whistle of the game.

With kickoff typically set for 6:30 p.m., Ashlyn’s day begins around 8 a.m.

“I pack everything I’ll need for the day, like my uniform, shoes, cape, makeup, hair items, and all touch-ups,” Ashlyn said. After curling her hair and fixing herself breakfast, she puts on her practice clothes and heads to the Indoor Football Facility.

That’s where the real work begins. The Golden Girls spend about two hours practicing with the full band, going over every part of the performance. The goal is to make sure everything runs seamlessly once the crowd fills Tiger Stadium later that night.

“We have about a two-hour practice with the full band where we walk through gameday and practice pregame and halftime,” Palmer said.

After rehearsal, the team heads back to the band hall. Between the hair, makeup, and final uniform checks, the hour and a half flies by.

“We usually have about an hour and a half to get fully gameday ready and eat lunch, which is not much time,” Ashlyn said.

Once ready, they make their way to the Greek Theatre to see family and friends and take pictures. Not long after, it’s time for one of the most famous LSU traditions: the march down Victory Hill.

“The march down Victory Hill is my personal favorite part of gameday,” Ashlyn said. “When we get to the bottom of the hill, we perform pregame and then run to the end of the street. From there, we march into the PMAC, and the entire band does a performance before going into the stadium.”

Once inside the stadium, the energy shifts. Everything they’ve practiced for finally comes together under the lights, and the excitement feels different when you’re standing on the field instead of watching from the stands.

“Pregame is the most iconic thing we do,” Ashlyn said. “After pregame, we dance in the stands and watch the game. We perform at halftime, do stand routines for the rest of the game, and then march back to the band hall.”

By the time the day wraps up, Ashlyn has been on her feet for more than 12 hours.

Ashlyn says the hardest part is staying energized through the long day, since the team has to keep their spirit high and support the game no matter what’s happening on the field. Even with the exhaustion, the spirit of the day keeps her going.

“The Golden Girls are extremely close with each other,” Ashlyn said. “Gameday is our favorite day because we all get to be together and watch football.”

Each halftime routine takes hours of daily practice leading up to the performance. Between learning new choreography, matching it with the band’s music, and running field formations, the days leading up to a game can feel nonstop.

“One-week shows require the most time because we are trying to coordinate the band and our dancing together,” she said. “We have to learn minutes’ worth of choreography and then tie it in with the band playing and learn drill all at the same time.”

For Ashlyn, the hard work pays off when she is performing and the stadium is full of energy. Her most memorable moment came during last year’s LSU versus Ole Miss game.

“We went into overtime and had on our light-up bands,” Ashlyn said. “LSU won, and everyone stormed the field.”

Before every performance, the team has a few rituals that keep them grounded and connected.

“Our team dances to Callin’ Baton Rouge, and then we say a prayer and do our team chants that we come up with at the beginning of the season. They include phrases and funny moments—all before pregame,” Ashlyn said.

Performing isn’t the only thing that matters to the Golden Girls—the small moments matter too, like the young fans who come up to say hello. “At Ole Miss this year, little girls from the opposing team came up to us and told us they were fans,” Ashlyn said. “It’s so sweet to see that from girls who aren’t even LSU fans.”

When the day finally ends, Ashlyn feels proud to have played her part in an LSU tradition that means so much to so many people.