Tailgates and Cornhole

I love Georgia football. My husband loves Georgia football. And we are teaching – brainwashing – our children to love Georgia football as well. It brings us much joy.

One of our first big purchases as a newly married couple was a season ticket that allowed us each to roast in one hundred degree heat at all of the home games in Sanford Stadium. Even as we attempted to furnish our first apartment together, those tickets were given a higher priority. Forget that we needed a sofa, or chairs to actually go with our kitchen table; college game day in our newlywed home was as necessary as the toothbrush holder that would prevent our toothbrushes from touching one another, a spousal surprise the preacher forgot to bring up in our pre-marital counseling sessions. Ewww.

For fourteen years, with long time friends Jon and Tricia, we have attended most of the home games, even travelling across the state line to cheer on our Dogs when we resided in South Carolina. Good friends Chas and Sabrina have been with us nearly as long, providing many good memories that have cemented our fondness for college football in the Fall. While we have been tailgating for many years now, and have witnessed the transition of different coaches and the graduation of various players, there are some truths about game day that never change:

- For just a day, you can pretend that you are a twenty-one year old student, relishing in the campus life and befriending others near your tailgating area that are “your same age”. That is until they call you Ma’am, and ask if you have a daughter attending the university.




-The first hour of tailgating involves setting up tents, grills, chairs and food, only to use the last hour taking it all down again. And it makes perfect sense to you and is considered time well spent.

-You are surrounded by the tomfoolery of university students who don’t look a day over twelve years old. You vow that your own children will be home schooled when they reach college age, further promising that you will be their chaperone at all home football games.

-Campus fashion gives insight into the trendiest clothing for the fall, providing good ideas of items to add to your own closet. The difficulty, however, will be finding the same pieces with an additional four inches in length, and tube tops adorned with straps and sleeves.

-Tossing a bean bag into a hole for hours on end (Cornhole) is deemed a good time by all, particularly when a shot causes you to yell, "woohoooo!" and display victory fingers.




-You never wear an apron at home when cooking, but somehow, on game day, it is acceptable, especially if it color coordinates with game day attire and tents.



-You get overly excited about spotting a student that is a member of your same sorority. While you eagerly relay the commonality to said student, it immediately becomes clear that the enthusiasm is not reciprocated.

Go Dogs.