The smell of funnel cakes and hot dogs lingers in the air. Coca-Colas and pretzels occupy the hands of fans, hungry for the extra calories and a Wolfpack victory.

A sea of red moves in congruence with screams from all around the stadium.

It’s football season.

The helmets glow under the bright lights as Chuck Amato’s men in tights prepare to kick off.

But as Aaron McClannon takes the field, all eyes are on him.

Carrying a flag to represent N.C. State’s marching color guard, McClannon, a senior in polymer and color chemistry, proudly marches onto the green.

During high school in Mocksville, N.C., McClannon said he was not allowed to be in color guard. His high school guard coach maintained an all-female group. Even though he had been in the band since middle school, he said he always wanted to be part of the color guard.

The color guard is part of the marching band and its performance, so the guard’s physical appearance is as important as the act of twirling the flags, McClannon said. He said the uniforms are comfortable, despite their flashy appearance.

“The current uniform … is just a very simple mock-turtleneck-style shirt made out of stretchy material,” he said. “But I’m not too crazy about the little sparkles on it.”

Cheryl Zapata, a junior in biomedical engineering and applied mathematics and cocaptain of the color guard, said the dynamic of the team is more balanced because of McClannon’s presence.

“Guys are really good at color guard because guys have more muscles,” Zapata said. “Each person in the guard has their place.”

McClannon said he has found his place as the eye-catcher.

“Being the only guy, I get more attention,” McClannon said.

McClannon said most half-time performances last about four to nine minutes, which accounts for about one to three songs. And in those brief moments, McClannon said he has suffered many jammed fingers and even tripped while on the field.

“Tripping, dropping the flag, hitting yourself with the flag … is the nature of the beast,” McClannon said. “It’s going to happen.”

“I’ve never tripped and completely fallen, but I have stumbled over my own feet before … When you’re spinning and tossing a six-foot pole above your head constantly, you don’t always catch it right on.”

But Zapata and McClannon both said it would be nice to have more males on the team.

“I honestly wish more guys would be interested in it,” McClannon said.

McClannon said he has many loyal fans who have supported him throughout each season.

“Online, on Facebook, there is an actual group devoted to me,” McClannon said.

But those sitting in the stadium don’t always show positive Wolfpack pride for McClannon’s efforts.

“Sometimes fans have made some inappropriate comments toward him, and that affects the whole guard,” Zapata said.

Though McClannon has enjoyed his experience on guard, he said he has encountered some fans who don’t approve of males being members.

“I hate to say it, but every single football game that has come and gone I’ve at least had to deal with five or six times hearing ‘flaggot’ yelled across the field,” McClannon said.

Even though some of the remarks affected him in the beginning of college, he said it is “water off a duck’s back at this point.”

McClannon said in the summer, during formal band camp, members of the guard are supposed to do three hours of cardio-workout and stretches to prepare them for the flag training.

“I personally prefer to do workouts at home to keep stretched and limber,” McClannon said.

For games that may last four to five hours, McClannon said being able to maintain enthusiasm in extreme weather is sometimes difficult.

According to McClannon, what keeps his endurance high for the game is “pure and sheer adrenaline the entire time.”

But the color guard’s responsibilities don’t end on the field, McClannon said. When members are in the stands, they must also help lead cheers and songs.

“When you’re at the game, there is so much energy around you,” McClannon said. “We try to get the students involved … we feed off the crowd and the crowd feeds off us.”

He said after the game he is usually tired and exhausted from so much jumping and screaming.

“It’s like an on/off switch,” he said. “If we win, everyone is still a little pumped. But if we lose … the stairs going up to the concourse to walk out to the buses is the longest set of stairs I’ve ever walked in my life,” he said.