Editor's note

By Sasha Roe

Thursday, November 13, 2008

I often wonder what people from a different country would think of our tailgating ritual. As if we are making a sacred pilgrimage, we all don similar blue shirts and temporary Jayhawk tattoos, and march in droves toward Memorial Stadium. Some of us chant, some of us dance and almost all stop by a house or parking lot along the way for the traditional feast: the tailgate.

Not every tailgate is the same, though. There are those who set up large, majestic tents on the hill, sit in comfy fold-up chairs, stir their Bloody Marys with a celery stick and pop sautéed Portobello-prosciutto treats into their mouths. They even have those scrumptious Jayhawk sugar cookies with red and blue sprinkles. This group of the Jayhawk faithful is, of course, the alums.

But to find a more rustic, traditional college tailgate, one must venture into the student ghetto. It is there that the camaraderie soars and the red plastic cups of beer runneth over. Complete strangers will embrace and partake in Jell-O shots in the name of Jayhawk football. It is here, in the student ghetto, that a foreigner could walk past house after house and find the same scene: a mass of blue-shirted people eating, drinking and being merry. I’m sure they would think it was some religious holiday by the way we carry on.

In reality, KU football is none of our religions, although at times it seems like it is. But similar to a religion, it brings a very diverse group of people together to celebrate something we all share: being Jayhawks.

Saturday will be my last home game tailgate as a student. My time spent mingling through the student ghetto on gameday is coming to an end. I admit it makes me sentimental to think about it, and I wonder how the last four years flew by so quickly.

If you’re a freshman, I encourage you to take part in this crazy tradition we call tailgating at least a few times in your time here. The Jayhawk pride at these tailgates is amazing. Brianne’s story on page 6 will tell you how to do a tailgate right. For seniors like myself, I remind you to savor these last few tailgates. Yes, Jayhawk football will always be around, but some traditions don’t last forever.

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