Loudermilk says she bonded with\u00a0a small group of moms early on, but\u00a0she credits Roberson for growing the\u00a0UCF Mom Squad into the dozens of\u00a0members it is today.<\/p>\n
The Robersons are from Virginia\u00a0but followed Anthony to Orlando\u00a0when he joined the team in 2016.\u00a0Roberson is affectionately known\u00a0as a \u201cselfie queen\u201d and used photos\u00a0as ice breakers as she continued to\u00a0meet more parents at tailgates, during\u00a0games or while greeting the team\u00a0outside the locker room after their\u00a0victories.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur selfies started getting bigger\u00a0and bigger. There was one game we\u00a0were at, maybe the SMU game last\u00a0year, and more and more moms\u00a0jumped into the photo,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took this picture, and one of the\u00a0staff photographers for UCF said,\u00a0\u2018Wow look at this \u2014 this is like the\u00a0Mom Squad.\u2019 I thought, \u2018Wow, that\u00a0is a cool name for us.\u2019 And we\u00a0just rolled with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The squad\u2019s exposure\u00a0got a bump early this\u00a0season when they\u00a0were interviewed\u00a0on the Today show\u00a0by news anchor Craig\u00a0Melvin. A small group of\u00a0them planned a trip to New\u00a0York City before they traveled to\u00a0Connecticut for UCF\u2019s first game of\u00a0the 2018 season.<\/p>\n
While they\u2019ve enjoyed cheering\u00a0on their sons, meeting fellow fans and\u00a0forming friendships, the Mom Squad\u00a0is about more than that.\u00a0When redshirt sophomore\u00a0defensive back Aaron Robinson was\u00a0concussed during the opening kickoff\u00a0against UConn and needed to be taken\u00a0by stretcher off the field, his mother\u00a0was watching her nightmare unfold\u00a0on the television screen. Although\u00a0he would eventually return to the\u00a0field later in the season, he required\u00a0a two-day stay in the hospital until\u00a0being cleared medically to\u00a0return to Orlando.<\/p>\n
Robinson\u2019s mother couldn\u2019t make\u00a0the trip to Connecticut, so the UCF\u00a0Mom Squad delivered. \u201cI feel like the whole team is my\u00a0son. If something is wrong\u00a0with them, something is\u00a0wrong with me,\u201d says\u00a0freshman quarterback\u00a0Darriel Mack Jr.\u2019s\u00a0mother, Hope Mack,\u00a0who was in the stands\u00a0when Robinson took the\u00a0hit. \u201cI told my husband,\u00a0\u2018We have got to go see about\u00a0this baby. I\u2019m not leaving until we go.\u00a0I don\u2019t care what it takes. We need to\u00a0stay another day if we have to so I can\u00a0lay my eyes on him and I know he\u2019s\u00a0OK.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
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\n[blockquote source=”Hope Mack, mother of freshman quarterback\u00a0Darriel Mack Jr.” cite=”” color=”#8e721f” css_class=””]\u201cI feel like the whole team is my\u00a0son.”[\/blockquote]
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The Macks had never met Robinson\u00a0or his mother before that moment.\u00a0They took a hamburger to the hospital\u00a0with them, and Mack insisted the\u00a0player eat it while she spoke to his\u00a0mom to reassure her, the way only\u00a0a parent could.\u201cI knew if it was me, I would want\u00a0someone to contact me and tell me\u00a0how my son is really doing,\u201d Mack\u00a0says. \u201c[His mother]\u00a0was a wreck. She was\u00a0panicked. I said, \u2018I\u2019m\u00a0here with your son.\u00a0Don\u2019t worry, he\u2019s\u00a0doing well. It\u2019s\u00a0not what it looked like. He is eating; he\u2019s talking;\u00a0he\u2019s laughing.\u2019\u201d\u00a0The families have bonded ever\u00a0since. Robinson says the Macks\u00a0communicate with him regularly\u00a0and have welcomed his mother into\u00a0the squad.<\/p>\n
[photo id=”15654″ title=”MS SELFIE” alt=”Group of ladies wearing UCF jerseys pose for selfie” position=”center” width=”100%”][\/photo]<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I gained some more\u00a0support outside of my family,\u201d he says.\u00a0The squad has also banded\u00a0together for community-service\u00a0initiatives such as pooling resources\u00a0to send to Puerto Rico after\u00a0Hurricane Maria. Or spearheading\u00a0a drive to donate hygiene products\u00a0to the Knights Pantry<\/a> on campus.<\/p>\n
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