The most exclusive dance club in central Ohio is at full volume 20 minutes before tipoff of a Denison women’s basketball game.
Point guard Abby Cooch ‘27, who controls the on-court rhythm of the offense, performs a similar duty in the Big Red locker room.
With cellphone in hand, the sophomore runs her teammates through portions of five songs that blast from the speakers to get them hyped for their Feb. 12, 2025, game at Livingston Gym.
What makes the scene memorable is not just the players’ dance moves and the joy they experience in the moment. It’s the euphoric environment accented by one of the most unique props found in any college locker room.
As teammates groove in a circle and belt out lyrics to Katy Perry’s “Roar,” they are bathed in shards of red and white reflective light from a disco ball suspended from the ceiling. Purchased a decade ago at the request of players, it has become a glittery sphere of influence for a program that recognizes its bonding powers.
Teammates say Abby Cooch (3) knows “which songs people like and which songs get the energy up.”
Unlike Big Red football players, who touch the Woody Hayes rock before games, it’s a Denison tradition not visible to fans. Even the coaches exit the locker room before the house lights dim, the mirrored orb spins, and the sounds of Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” echo down the hall.
“I was kind of amazed when I learned about it,” says coach Maureen Hirt, in her third year at Denison. “I’ve never heard of a disco ball in a locker room, but I thought it was a cool ritual. We point it out to every recruit and parent.”
The tradition started under associate athletic director Sara Lee, who coached Big Red basketball for 33 years. After the locker room was renovated and expanded in the 2010s, players lobbied the coach for a disco ball. Lee recalls buying one for about $50. Workers from Facilities Services mounted it.
“The disco ball just added to the locker room vibe, and it made people smile,” Lee says.
The pre-game dances, which also occur at road games sans disco ball, foster an atmosphere of unity and acceptance. Nobody expects teammates to move like Beyonce or Charli D’Amelio when they step to the middle of the circle. It’s a judgment-free zone.
“I’m very awkward when it comes to dancing,” guard Sydney Wood ’25 says. “But I’ve come to embrace the disco ball. Everyone cheers for each other and we take advantage of those moments together to get hyped before the game.”
Some players are less inhibited than others. Abigail Westmeyer ’25 and Anelly Mad-toingue ’28 probably could match Taylor Swift step for step.
The Big Red doesn’t have a designated team deejay, but Cooch, who’s often the first player in the locker room on game nights and likes to connect her phone to the sound system, seldom disappoints with her bumping beats.
Cooch says there’s no set playlist, and requests are welcome. The one song that rarely falls out of the rotation is “Calabria 2008” by Enur.
“Abby is very good,” Fisher says. “She knows which songs people like and which songs get the energy up. You’ll see her smirk right before she hits play on the next song, and then everyone starts cheering.”
Few students on campus know about the tradition, but tales of game-night dance parties are spreading around the North Coast Athletic Conference.
“I have a friend at Depauw University,” Wood says. “When I was committing to Denison, she said, ‘I’ve heard you got a disco ball there.’”
