Appearance Requests

Updated on July 1, 2023

The University of Tennessee Spirit Teams represent Big Orange Country at hundreds of community events each year around Knoxville and East Tennessee. Fees are required for each appearance and benefit the Tennessee Spirit Team but may be waived for a very limited number of non-profit and campus organization events depending upon availability and the nature of the event. To request an appearance, read each section below and complete the official appearance request form below by clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

Appearance Policy and Procedure

Time Restrictions
All appearances are limited to thirty minutes, and fifteen on game days.  You can request additional time at an additional cost.  Please note that outdoor events may require that Costume Smokey take a ten-minute break every thirty minutes. The maximum appearance time for any of our groups is one hour.

Changing Room
Costume Smokey will need a secure location to change.  This location needs to be away from guests, a secure area where their belongings can be stored.

Parking
If applicable, all parking fees must be covered for the event or free parking spots provided.

Appearance Set Up
To avoid with existing University contracts and commitments, you must agree to take all necessary steps to ensure that the Tennessee Spirit Team nor the University appear to directly support, endorse, or sponsor the event organizer or any of its direct sponsors, unless prior approval have been granted by the UT Athletic Department.

If alcohol is being served while our team is at your event, team members must be stationed away from the area where it is being served. Also, please note that if guests become rowdy or inappropriate, these students are instructed to leave immediately, and no refund will be provided. This includes tailgate and game-day appearances.

Appearance Type
Spirit members will be prepared for your event based upon the details provided on the online request form. Typical requests are for pictures, meet and greet, or a pep rally with music. Please be very clear about your expectations of the spirit member’s role at your event.

Appearance Request Process

Please complete and submit the request form online a minimum of 3 weeks, but no more than 3 months in advance. Requests that are submitted outside of this window will not be granted.
All events must be requested via the online request form. No requests will be accepted by phone, email, personal request or otherwise – no exceptions.
Once the appearance request form has been submitted, the request will be reviewed by the Tennessee Spirit Office. You will be sent via email confirmation that your request has been received and we may request additional information about your event at this time.
You will be notified approximately 1 – 2 weeks prior to your event if your event has been approved or cannot be accommodated. The availability of athletic events and student schedules could cause a delay in confirmation.
If your request is approved, you will receive a confirmation email verifying appearance details and charges. Campus organizations will be invoiced internally. Outside organizations will receive an invoice via email with instructions on the payment process.

Scheduling

Due to time restraints and availability, not all requests can be fulfilled. Preference is given first and foremost to athletic events and availability will be strictly limited during those times. Please keep this in mind when requesting an appearance.
Events requested during weekdays while our student athletes are in class are likely to not be granted due to limited availability and their priority as a student first. Our student athletes will not be asked to skip class for an appearance.
Events requested during home athletic events must be on campus.
Events requested during final exams or holiday breaks will not be offered – no exceptions.
Events requested during Summer recess will be reviewed on a case by case basis as we do not mandate Spirit Members to remain on campus for appearances.

Fees
Appearance fees support the Tennessee Spirit Team and are consistent with peer institutions in the SEC and around the country. All appearance fees must be paid prior to your event. Appearances are NOT considered confirmed until the payment is received.

Corporate/Business/Personal

$350/ 30 minutes (15 minutes on game days) Select 1	$450/ 30 minutes (15 minutes on game days) Select 2
Costume Smokey	Costume Smokey
Davy Crockett	Davy Crockett
4-6 Cheer/Dance	4-6 Cheer/Dance

UT Department/Organization/Non-Profit

$150/ 30 minutes (15 minutes on game days) Select 1	$200/ 30 minutes (15 minutes on game days) Select 2
Costume Smokey	Costume Smokey
Davy Crockett	Davy Crockett
4-6 Cheer/Dance	4-6 Cheer/Dance

*If the appearance is approved and is more than 20 miles from campus (using 1551 Lake Loudoun Blvd. as the departure point) the Tennessee State Mileage Rate will be added to the appearance fee.

Cancelations
There is no refund for cancelations with less than 48 hours’ notice. On the rare instance that we cannot fulfill a confirmed request, your appearance fee will be fully refunded.

If you agree to the terms above, please click the link to fill out the request form.

Tennessee Spirit Online Request Form

If you have any issues accessing the Request Form, please contact utspirit@utk.edu.

University of Tennessee | Official Athletics Site

Updated on July 1, 2023

Appearance Policy and Procedure

Tennessee Spirit Online Request Form