Here in the South, sports aren’t just a hobby; they are a way of life. This is especially true of football. In my hometown, high school football is an institution. Fridays are game days, end of discussion. It was only natural that I was excited to hear that we are experiencing the revival of football here at Mercer. For those of you that aren’t aware, the most important part of football is homecoming. There are always so many activities happening all within the span of a week. Homecoming in high school and college are both a time where everyone shows every ounce of school spirit they possess. Since this is my first college homecoming, I am so excited to really see the differences between high school and college homecoming, and this is what I’ve seen so far.
The most obvious difference is the amount of time we spend doing homecoming activities: after the school day is over in high school, everyone goes home. In college, we are on campus 24/7. This means many of our homecoming activities happen after dark. Quadworks has filled the week with activities and most start when people are done with classes for the day. Here is the link to the homecoming schedule; make sure to check it out! http://homecoming.mercer.edu/schedule/
Another difference between the homecomings is that in high school, homecoming is solely a celebration of the football team. Mercer has so much more to celebrate than that, however. We have a whole new culture to celebrate. Football has brought a new kind of beauty on our campus. We have a new staff and stadium to be grateful for and an entire new set of traditions. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team. They have given us a flawless home season. The football program has also sprung a new appreciation of all of the sports. I think that homecoming at Mercer this year is Thanksgiving come early. We have so much to be thankful for in regard to our football program, it’s hard not to be celebrating already!
Tailgating is also bigger in college football; it’s a way of life, and tailgating is an important tradition in college football. The supportive fans tailgate during regular games, so I can only imagine the extent of the tailgate for homecoming. A key difference between high school and college students tailgating is that college students that are of age can have alcohol at their tailgates. That changes things. Tailgating starts early and finishes right before the game, so the fans are that much more excited during the game. The more excited the fans are, the more excited the players are.
Some things you just can’t change about homecoming, like a parade, pep rally, and crowning of homecoming royalty. These traditions carry over from our secondary education to the university level. I think that is great. These were some of my favorite parts of homecoming in high school, and I’m sure they were some of yours too. Now we have these things for college football as well! I can feel the excitement in the air!
Homecoming is a time-honored tradition in high school and college, but the differences are the things that remind us that we are grown-ups… That love parades and free tailgating food!