(Photo provided by Sunny Jones).
As we continue our "Female Faces of Cortaca's Past: Her View from the Sidelines" series, we interviewed Sunny Jones about her time at SUNY Cortland and her experience working at Cortaca.
If you’re just tuning into this series, its purpose is to have the spotlight on those girls who usually do their part of the biggest little game in the nation on the sidelines rather than being on the field. While we usually see the game from the football players’ point of view, we get to see how the game is viewed from the perspective of the cheerleading, kickline, and danceworks team members, along with other female perspectives.
Sunny Jones is from Syracuse, NY, and had attended SUNY Cortland for a total of 5 years from 2003 to 2008. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical education, while health education was her selected field for her master's degree.
“I enrolled in this college not just because of their excellent Education Department, but it was pretty close to home, too!” said Sunny.
While attending SUNY Cortland, she took part in the Multicultural club and worked as an Event Staff Member at Cortaca. She attended Cortaca as an attendee before she began working at the stadium. While that changed the way she viewed the game, it was exciting for her to be there.
One of her favorite memories from Cortaca was when students made custom t-shirts for the game. “It was always exciting to see everyone’s different designs, and what they had on their t-shirts.” commented Sunny, “Some people were determined to get a specific shirt someone made.”
Being out of college over a decade ago, Sunny looks back on her time at SUNY Cortland and tells us what she’s been up to post graduation. While attending Cortland, she made lifelong friends that she is still close with today. Since she graduated, Jones has started a family and currently works for the Department of Health in Onondaga County as a Health Educator.
(Photo provided by Sunny Jones).
Jones has some helpful tips for attendees to make the most out of their experience. “Be sure to check the forecast before you head out and prepare for the worst!” she said, “The weather can be very unpredictable.” Sunny also mentioned to be ready to have a good time, and to celebrate our tiny school making it big in this memorable event. They don't call it the "Biggest Little Game in the Nation" for nothing, and Sunny made it clear that she will be there!
