Duke Pride? There's An App for That

Listen up, Duke diehards. There's now a way to stay connected with Whitefish Bay sports no matter where you are with a new Duke Pride mobile app.

Lora Brewster, the social media and public relations chair for Duke Pride athletic boosters, has noticed many of her real estate customers conduct their transactions through apps and text messages. She hopes the Duke Pride app will similarly bring Duke Pride spirit to more students and alumni, resulting in more fundraising dollars and stronger community spirit. 

"With everything going mobile and businesses going mobile, it only makes sense to bring Duke Pride fundraising and Duke Pride spirit into the mobile world," she said. "It has all of the athletic news in one place, at your fingertips."

The free app is available for iPhone, iPad, iTouch and Android, and can be downloaded on iTunes and Google Play.

The idea of bringing Duke Pride to a mobile app came from Whitefish Bay alum David Kluge, who owns Top Spot Local Marketing.

“I thought with their very active group and the active community they would be a perfect first group to approach,” he said. “They’ve got a very active Twitter and Facebook community, which ties in beautifully with the mobile app. They all kind of feed off of each other.”

Duke Pride's social media growth has grown tremendously since it started using Facebook and Twitter last year. With more than 500 Twitter followers and 400 Facebook likes, the sports boosters organization has gained momentum by tweeting from games, encouraging students to tweet from games and getting individuals sports teams to to create their own Twitter accounts for game updates.

"It has grown into a movement," Brewster said. "It really opened our eyes to social media and smartphone communications. When we see 50 kids liking a Facebook post or 25 kids retweeting something, it reminds us of the school spirit these kids have."

The new mobile app will allow Whitefish Bay students, alumni and community members to engage even further with local sports in the following ways:

• Find the time and date of upcoming sports games in the event calendar
• Upload and view photos of Duke sports events
• Purchase Duke Pride spiritwear
• Read Activities Director John Gustavson's weekly newsletter recapping the latest sports and activities news.
• Learn more about Duke Pride's sponsors
• Access an interactive map with locations of sponsors and events.
• Catch up on Duke Pride sports news in the social media section, which includes links to Whitefish Bay Patch and Duke Pride's Twitter and Facebook accounts.

In the future, Brewster said Duke Pride hopes to start a YouTube channel that will feature Whitefish Bay sports videos.

Brewster also hopes to start a contest called Duke Pride Fans Worldwide, which will encourage followers to upload photos of them wearing Duke Pride spiritwear in different areas of the country or the world. The winner will be decided through Twitter votes, and will receive a free mini iPad.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor on the Duke Pride app, contact LoraBrewster35@gmail.com.