Kansas State University - The Royal Purple Yearbook

“During a pregame tailgate, Gina Remus, sophomore in bakery science and management, chats with Lee Legleiter. sophomore in marketing. Remus and Legleiter relaxed in the stadium lot before gomg into the football game against Florida International, Sept. 3. The party had beer and drinking games in which Legleiter took part before he entered the stadium. Joslyn Brown by AlexYocum The scent of alcohol and barbecue filled the air while vehicles of all shapes, sizes and colors filled the parking lots and fields. Hours before the gates of Wagner Field opened for Saturday football games the sounds of music, laughter and conversation shifted from party to party. Tailgating, a long-standing football tradition, brought fans from competing schools together for a common purpose - a good time. Kathy Johnston, K-State alumna, said tailgating was for everyone. Even fans from rival teams opted to join Wildcat fans for the festivities. " We had six Nebraska students join us, " Johnston said. " It is what you do when you tailgate. Everyone is there for the game and you always have enough food so why not share it, and the moments, with whoever wants them? " Besides the company of family, friends and passersby, food was an important element in the art of tailgating. Fans brought a variety of food and beverages. Some tailgaters like Jenny Pereira, senior in marketing, had themes for their food. " We have something different for every team, " Pereira said. " For KU we cooked chicken hawk. My dad even made it red, one of the Jayhawks ' colors. " Beer was often the beverage of choice for tailgaters; students incorporated beer in games like beer pong, poor-man ' s golf and washers. Family Tailgating unites fans young and old, Wildcats and rivals, who arrive at the stadium before the gates open with one simple thought - college football tailgating consisted more of casual conversation and throwing footballs. " It ' s a different tone between family tailgating and college students and their tailgates, " Johnston said. " I did both, and they both have their similarities, but with families it is more talking about the game and solid food, while students play their games and have liquid meals. " Both family and student tailgaters arrived at the game early. Pereira said her family arrived early in the morning to get their spot. Miles Duncan, junior in sociology, said he and his friends got there two to three hours before the game. Because they arrived so early, tailgaters found innovative ways to entertain themselves. " I wore my banana costume to tailgate once, " Duncan said. " It was kind of scary, but really you just need to have fun while you are out there. Everyone should try to be a banana. (Tailgating) is all about being spontaneous and having a good time. " When the game began, most families and students went into Bill Snyder Family Stadium but a few continued tailgating outside, listening to the game on the radio. " Most people associate tailgating with beer drinking, " Duncan said. " Really though, it ' s about a bunch of diehard K-State fans having a really good time. " 12student life ”