In October 2006, Sandstorm was played for the first time, (on a trial basis and almost by accident), by The University of South Carolina Gamecocks Williams-Brice Stadium audio/video crew. The South Carolina Gamecocks are an American college football team and member of the Southeastern Conference. The song, on a whim, was being tried as a new ‘pump-it-up’ sound, and was met with approval by supporters, particularly the students in the North End-zone section of the stadium. USC students and fans, almost instantly, made Sandstorm an unofficial anthem.[7] The song is now played over the Williams-Brice Stadium speakers before kickoffs and it is timed to end when the kicker makes contact with the football. Gamecock fans jump to the beat of the music while waving white rally towels rapidly above their heads in unison. (The genesis of rally towels at South Carolina is traceable to Carolina students, in 2007, who began ripping their shirts off and swinging them over their heads when Sandstorm was played. This practice led to obvious issues which eventually forced officials to hand-out smaller rally towels for the fans to use.)[citation needed]