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KULTURE
THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2006
Pat Pinkarton, Overland Park, enjoys a leisurely afternoon of football-passing outside Memorial Stadium on Saturday before the Jayhawks home opener against Northwestern State University.
who
Students, families alumni, Lawrence residents and sports fans
what
when
The mornings and afternoons leading up to home football games
Tailgate at Memorial Stadium and the surrounding areas
DIE-HARD TAILGATERS CONTINUE TRADITION
why
To support the team, spend time with friends and get pumped up for the game
Fans gear up for home football games with friends, family and food
BY ZACH RAINEY
Early Saturday morning, car loads of adults and children began filling the parking lots and fields surrounding Memorial Stadium.
Football fans put up tents and flags in no time, and the scent of freshly lit charcoal filled the air.
The tradition of tailgating before KU football games was officially under way.
David Shannon, the winner of Columbia Bank's Tailgate of the Week, arrived at 8 a.m. Saturday.
"People need to get out here earlier," Shannon, Lawrence resident, said. "Getting here early and coming often is part of the fun. I'm a Texas Tech alum, and we start tailgating Thursday evening for Saturday's football game."
Shannon, a season ticket holder, brings family and friends to tailgate for every home game. He hasn't missed a home tailgate in the past four years.
Every game, Shannock's camp
includes a satellite TV to keep up with other games, a speaker system for setting a lively mood, a cooler of beer and, of course, a grill to cook burgers, brats and hot dogs.
But food and alcohol aren't the only necessities for a successful tailgate.
"It's not all about the food and drink — the people you're with are important too." Ken Hare, Overland Park, resident, said.
"Family and friends — that's the important thing at a tailgate," jack Dunbar Kansas City, Mo., resident, said.
Three generations of Jayhawks, as well as several future Jayhawks, were at Dunbar's tailgate.
"Bad weather, bird game, we come no matter what." Durnbar said.
Nothing can stop some tailgaters from supporting their Jayhawks at home games.
Donbar has been tailgating at home games for the past 15 years. But he doesn't stop at just home games.
Last season he and his family traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, for the Fort Worth Bowl as well as Boulder, Colo.
With the grill-produced cloud hovering over the areas surrounding Memorial Stadium, student-run
Throughout the day, more tailgaters pulled into the grassy hills surrounding Memorial Stadium.
"Tailgaxing on grass is so much better than on concrete. It's less stuffy down here and there's more room for the kids to run around and throw the football," Jim Pusmore, Lawrence resident, said. "It's not so cheese and wine on the grass as it is in the parking lots."
Talligating also provides families with an excuse to visit their relatives in college.
"It was nice tailgating with my whole family," Amy Johnson, Leawood freshman, said. "It's not every day my aurits, uncles, grandparents and cousins get together just to hang out. And they didn't mind getting to visit me either."
tailgates are plentiful.
Students, including several fraternities, host tailgating parties for a variety of reasons.
"Talgating is a great excuse to get drunk while the sun is still up"
Telbel, Tebel, Overland Park senior, sald. Telbel is a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
Alcohol was a common theme at all tailgates, both student and parent-run.
For freshmen, though, alcohol wasn't an option. Freshmen Rob Conard and Andrew Patterson, both of Overland Park, taliated for one reason: "The chicks, man, the chicks," they both said.
Whether students or adults, these fares share a common idea: that tailgating is the ultimate pastime.
Kensan correspondent Josh Rainey can be contacted at editor@kensan.com.
Edited by Jacky Carter
Ryan McGeeney/RAMSAM
Students play a game of bean bag toss before Saturday's football game against Northwestern State.
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