Virginia Tech football. What Hokie doesn’t look forward to the most wonderful time of the year? You’ve graduated from the disgustingly unreliable lottery system (hopefully) and now have license to brag to your not so fortunate south end zone friend about how you landed prime seats in the north. You’ve gathered all of the random ‘Hokies Respect’ tattoos you got for free freshman year and stocked up on some of the overpriced maroon and orange jewelry from the bookstore. Now that you’ve already done some preparation, it’s time to finalize your checklist for the best football season of your entire college career. Here are five things you should aim to do to take gameday from ‘awesome’ to ‘OH YEAH.’ For best results, do all five at every game. Feeling ambitious yet?
1. Tailgate at the crack of dawn
It’s called kegs and eggs for a reason. There’s nothing better than waking up at 8 a.m. and immediately heading over to your friend’s house on South Main for a morning spent stuffing your face with pigs in a blanket and bean dip. Too early for tailgating fare, you say? By the time you show up and see everyone decked out in their Hokie gear and rocking out to some random fratmusic.com playlist, you’ll know that you made the right decision. Before the season opener, I saw alumni tailgating on the way to my 9:30 a.m. class. Considering kickoff was at 8 p.m., that is some serious dedication. Why not take a page from their book and start you’re your game day celebration as early as possible? You know what they say- “the older you are, the wiser you get…”
Calling shenanigans that you’ll be able to get out of bed that early on a Saturday morning? Make your alarm “Enter Sandman.” It may change your mind. Speaking of Enter Sandman..
2. Give Enter Sandman Your All
Does it seem like you’re going to trip and fall on your face every time your feet leave the bleachers? Probably. But Enter Sandman is not something you can just passively do. You should be giving this awesome entrance everything you’ve got at all times, but treat yourself for one game and just absolutely lose it. Scream, yelp jump up and down with all your might. Enlist your seatmates to join in so you don’t look like you’re going postal. We’re talking YouTube-stardom-worthy Enter Sandman freak-out. Do it, and your lungs will forgive you later.
3. Buy a Turkey Leg
I love to counter the age-old ‘insult’ from other teams of “you guys eat your own mascot?” with “yes, because it’s freaking delicious.” Take solace in the fact that 1. You are not actually cutting up the beloved Hokie Bird and eating it and 2. You are showing some prime Hokie spirit by taking a bite of this delectable football game staple. These things are so amazing that you can instantly make friends with the people behind you who are dying to have a bite. Do yourself a favor and make a point to buy one during at least one game this season.
4. Get Thrown Up In The Air For a Touchdown
The only thing more exhilarating than seeing the scoreboard go up 7 points is being thrown up in the air for all seven of those points. If you don’t have seats with any of your guy friends, you’re going to want to get buddy-buddy with your male seat members. This is one touchdown celebration you’ve got to try at least once. Added bonus: a kick-@$$ Facebook profile picture for the rest of the season.
5. Deck Yourself Out
The beauty of going to a school like Tech is you’re
not limited to wearing a sundress and pearls- you can go all out with your Hokie gear. So, why not take that a step further and drench yourself in orange and maroon? Be bold and paint your face. Head to the dollar store and buy all of the maroon and orange beads you can find. Throw caution to the wind and go ahead and buy those custom maroon and orange Converses you’ve secretly always wanted.
Bonus Pointer: What Not to Do EVER
Suddenly remember the season ticket deadline is an hour away, and then realize it’s actually already passed because you’re on the West Coast. Which I’ve totally never done, by the way.
Photo Source: http://sportige.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Hokies-Fan.jpg