How to survive a UConn tailgate

When you hear the word tailgating, you probably think of a bunch of dudes sitting outside their SUV in the middle of the winter, covered in layers while huddled around a fire waiting for the game to start. Well I can tell you right now, tailgating in college is very very different.

The one thing to remember is: Tailgating is a marathon, not a sprint. You will (most likely) be drinking for more than a few hours very early in the morning. Please remember to drink responsibly and plan ahead. Tailgating isn’t something you can or should wing the second your first alarm goes off that morning.

If you want to make sure you don’t die before kickoff starts, and maybe even make it to the game, I’m here to help.

Set multiple alarms

On average, tailgating starts about four hours before the game. This means that you are probably going to have to wake up pretty early to catch the bus or to make sure you get a good spot in the lot. Set multiple alarms to make sure you have enough to eat and get ready. You can’t take basic Instagram pics if you don’t have enough time to get ready beforehand.

Eat a full breakfast

If you are like most college students, you probably don’t have a grill just hanging around that you can bring to the tailgate to cook on. This means you need to eat a full meal before getting on the bus and downing that bottle of André. Full cup of coffee and at least a bagel or breakfast sandwich. Your body will thank you later when you can actually make it safely back to your dorm in one piece.

Bonus tip: If you get hungry during the tailgate, frat guys are usually firing up some dogs and burgers. So go befriend some guys and get some free food out of it. Or do what we did and just steal some off of the table. (Sorry, not sorry?)

Dress appropriately

If you are planning on wearing anything other than school apparel, then don’t plan on going to the tailgate at all. The whole idea is to be around people who love your school as much as you do, so you don’t have any excuse to not go full-out in your outfit. Also make sure to look at the weather app at least once before the tailgate starts (You’ll thank me when you aren’t freezing to death or dying of heat stroke).

Bonus tip: Don’t be a try hard. Ditch the heels, nice dress, and tight clothing for denim shorts, t shirt, and sneakers. Throw on a flannel around your waist in case the game falls in that weird time where it’s freezing in the morning, but hotter than Satan’s nut sack come 12pm.

Get a good group of people with you

This one kind of goes without saying, but who else would you want to be drinking and celebrating your school with? If you’re a freshman, you’re probably dying for a chance to get out of the library and actually do something fun with all the new friends you’ve made. If you’re a senior, you’re trying to soak up the last few moments of fun before having to join the real world. So grab everyone you know, even that kid you drunkenly made out with that one weekend who you make awkward eye contact during your Thursday lecture.

But also go socialize with other people around you

You’re in a parking lot full of people who are there for the same reason as you, so why not go hang with some new people? I can bet you half the value of my students loans (which is a lot) that they are just as drunk as you are, and are as pumped for the game as you are. So when you’re tailgating and you hear someone yell about needing one more person for their flip cup team, join in. Trust me, just do it.

Drink lots of water

I said it once and I’ll say it again: Tailgating is a marathon, not a sprint. I know that you want to down a bottle of wine every hour you are there, but maybe down a bottle of water in between those bottles? Your hungover self will thank you. Maybe even trade in one of those bottles of wine for a bottle of water. Just a thought.

Pack an ’emergency’ kit

So this might be easier for people who are driving to the tailgate, but you can absolutely still take this step even if you are taking the bus. Pack a tiny emergency kit in your car or purse just in case. This might just be my “Jewish motherliness” showing, but why not be as prepared as possible?

• Advil
• Tampons
• Band Aids
• Extra shirt and/or shorts (Someone drunk is probably going to spill something on you.)
• Hand Sanitizer (Everyone is using the portable toilets, and I mean everyone.)
• Napkins (Or toiler paper)
• Gum

Make a kickass playlist

Sure, a few fraternities usually have DJ booths on the back of their pick up trucks, but you and I both know that you can have your own party with nothing more than your phone, Spotify, and a speaker in your trunk. If you can’t seem to get the right playlist, just steal the one my friends and I made. Guaranteed to make your tailgate lit.

Invest in an external battery pack

How are you supposed to take Snapchats and Instagrams if your phone dies an hour into the tailgate? That’s right, you can’t. Even if you don’t get a chance to make an emergency pack for the tailgate, at least make sure to remember to bring an extra battery pack. Nothing ruins the day more than a dead phone.

Bonus Tip: Actually go the game

If you follow my advice, and actually make it through the entire four hours of tailgate without major damage, my biggest piece of advice would be: actually go into the game. Even if you don’t know anything about football, just sit in the stands and yell your head off.

So go out, buy all the UConn gear you can get your hands on, and go tailgate your heart out.