Where I Come From: Tailgating Traditions

You have got to be kidding, right? A frickin’ halftime show “featuring video game themes”? If I hear one more “tribute to the music of Iron Man 2” or the like I am going to puke. Good marching bands play MARCHING music. It isn’t the Oregon Symphonic Band halftime show.

But yes, I do stay in my seats at halftime.

And yes, I will still give you a beer or two at our tailgate.

And the ankle I violently sprained jumping to give a high five is almost done hurting…. almost.

get there 3 hours beforehand

set up family tailgate

leave family tailgate for ATQ tailgate

if no ATQ tailgate, cry.

Deschutes Brewery is releasing a “Super Jubel” this year. I contend that this should be made the Official Tailgate Brew of 2010. It’s never to early to start supporting Juju, folks!

Super Jubel

Following drinking a fifth of Jager to the dome at my apartment with my roommate, I proceed to walk over to a tailgate hosted by parents of one of the guys in my frat, complete with copious amounts of beer and food. This makes me happy. Time comes to wait in line and venture into the student section, so we get up and go get in line at the south gate. Then, I manage to black-out, mid-standing in line. Security singles me out, despite all the friendly people around me trying to dissuade them.

I am then taken to a concrete room and put in handcuffs. Some time later the security guard uncuffs me and tells me to leave. At this point I turn directly toward the stairs and try and walk my way into the stadium. Again, security stops me (can’t imagine I was exactly Ethan Hunt-stealthy…), this time with EPD in tow. I get a cuffed again, given a $386 trespassing ticket and told I am to watch the game at home. Like Hell I am!

So I wait at the tailgate for the first half and through halftime, eating and drinking more the whole time. After my friends go back inside, I decide to get creative and try to enter through the North entrance. Ticket girl asks for my ticket or stamp. At this point, both hammered and panicky, I gate-rush the place and sprint into Autzen and hide in a bathroom for a few minutes. Then, and I don’t remember how, I end up in the student section despite not having my arm stamped and get settled just in time to see LeGarrette Blount run in his 3rd Quarter TD that kept us in the game. The rest is history.

Even though I missed 5/8 of the game, it was still the best game I’ve been to :)

Arrive at Autzen 2-5 hours early. Wait in line. Mad stampede to bottom of student section

Did anybody else roadtrip to a lot of Oregon home and road games in 2008?
Notice a trend?
That season I attended the Cal, ASU, USC games, and the Holiday Bowl.
For every single one of those regular season games, the band at halftime did a tribute to Journey. EVERY SINGLE GAME! Interchange the bands and schools, it was the exact same crappy corporate rock cheese Journey music being played in marching band form! Oh and lest we forget that for the one game at Autzen in 2007 I was able to attend (Fresno State) the halftime show was…A TRIBUTE TO JOURNEY!!!

The lone exception to this came at the 2008 Holiday Bowl, which was just plain bizarre…I’m not sure what it looked like to anybody else’s perspective, but to us it looked like a giant KKK rally.

I have yet to tailgate at Autzen…ahem

My old tradition:
3-4 carloads of us would hit Autzen at 10:00am after picking up a pony keg at The Cooler. Eat lots of burgers, dogs and chips. We’d also by a case of beer in cans, and stuff them everywhere in our clothes so we could take them into the game (this really used to be possible). Since we were’t exactly the team we are today, it was no problem to hit the student section about 15 minutes before gametime (no waiting in line!) and get good seats.

My current tradition:
Drive south from Portland with my Duck car flags flying – I love this drive because the freeway is packed with Ducks flying south. Arrive 3 hrs before gametime. Park on Centennial Loop across the street from Autzen. Head into the Mo to catch the team arriving – high five all the players. Head out to tailgate-hop through numerous friends tailgaters. Head back into the Mo to catch the scores of the other games and have a beer and Huli Huli Chicken (yum) if we’re not already stuffed from the tailgaters. Then head in to good old section 15 about 20 minutes before gametime!

I LOVE gameday at Autzen!

The Spring Game was my first trip to Autzen, it got me all fired up to see the real thing. I don’t know which game yet but I want to see my first Autzen Tailgate this year, I’m already excited for it. Screw this heatwave and the sun and all the happy people in shorts outside, I’m ready for the gray of fall and the leaves falling off the trees and mocking Phil Steel every week when he picks WSU over the ducks because his magic 8-ball told him to.

vegan hot dogs over at the hippie environmental Souther tailgate

Found something that needed corrected.

Whaaa—aat!!! You’ve never had a Duck Fart? Better head over to the BoyScout parking area!!