All the way back at my home in Indiana, I heard about the majestic tailgates at the Grove. I knew tailgating was a very big deal at Ole Miss, but until last Saturday I never got to experience what I now consider as one of the greatest traditions in all of sports.
It was a sweltering 95 degree day as I left my Kincannon Hall dorm room to walk up the hill that led to the Walk of Champions. As the Grove made its way into my viewing distance, I stopped in awe. This was not the Grove I remembered.
Blue and red tents covered the green grass as far as the eye could see. TVs and satellite dishes scattered the Grove as the tailgaters watched the day’s early games, while eating their various salty snacks and other tasty goods.
If you only looked at the attire people wore, it would have been hard to tell whether or not this was a football game or a golf outing. Most of the men were in button-down shirts and khaki shorts, while a few of the more daring men somehow survived the intense heat wearing khaki pants. The women were dressed in sundresses and oversized sunglasses.
As the day wore on, the Grove went from an enchanting wonderland to an intimidating abyss. I did not know anybody. I was only on the outside looking in. I began to ask myself questions. Do I really belong here? Am I worthy of being a student at Ole Miss?
Luckily, I found the Associated Student Body’s Everybody’s Tent.
Since I was not necessarily welcome to any of the other tents in the Grove, I was grateful to find it.
“The Grove can be intimidating for people who have never been (tailgating there) before,” ASB Executive Assistant William Fowler explained. “You definitely have to have your own tent or a tent to go to if you want to have a good time. That’s what we wanted to do with ‘Everybody’s Tent.’ Everybody can come out (to the tent).“
Eventually, the heat started to get to me, so I went back to my dorm room for an hour. When I went back to the Grove, I saw some of my basketball teammates (I am the equipment manager for Ole Miss Men’s Basketball).
For some reason, when you are hanging out with star athletes, people are more inclined to invite you to their tents. Even though I was just a measly equipment manager, the folks still offered me the same things they offered the basketball players. Over the next hour, I scored more Mountain Dew than I have ever had in my entire lifespan.
My first Grove experience taught me many things. If you go solo and don’t know anybody, you are not going to have a very fun time; however, if you go with a few friends or know a few people with tents, you’ll truly believe the phrase often said by Ole Miss students, “We may not win every game, but we’ve never lost a party.”
