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Light crowd attends tailgate for first game of the season

By on September 3, 2010 6:00 am in Student Life / 21 comments

 
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With only 67 minutes left on the countdown clock before the start of the the season’s first football game, Danny Trolz’s first tailgating experience was coming to an end.

“I’ve heard that tailgating gets pretty crazy, but I heard last year they had to make it more strict,” the Jackson freshman said. “It’s still fun, I’m still having a good time.”

Trolz spent his time tailgating in lot 63 outside of Kelly/Shorts Stadium, talking with friends and playing ladder golf.

His friend Daniel Hughes, also a Jackson freshman, said tailgating was more enjoyable in the past. However, he said students shouldn’t quit supporting the football team because of the policies that were implemented last year.

“I think people will loosen up and give it a chance,” Hughes said. “I think the weather stopped it this time — that and it’s the beginning of the year and people are still getting situated. It’s a bit rainy, but I think we have some good ones ahead of us.”

Such policies include increased security and a six-beer or one pint of liquor limit per person, with no glass bottles. Students must also purchase a $6 parking pass prior to stationing their vehicle in lot 63.

Last year, attendance at CMU’s student tailgate went from thousands to around 300 for the first game, according to CMU police.

Police Chief Bill Yeagley said he was uncomfortable providing an estimate of the number of tailgate attendants Thursday because he was unable to get a good view of the crowd. The population in lot 63 was “light to medium at best,” he said.

Owosso alumnus Gary Ridley attended the tailgate with some friends.

“It’s disappointing that in a year when the CMU football team loses so many great players, the school continues to have policies that keeps fans from coming to the game,” he said. “Central should do whatever they can to promote a top 25 football team.”

Despite the current tailgate policies, Ridley said students should still support their team.

He said he felt bad for students who hadn’t experienced tailgates from years past and he wasn’t sure if the low attendance was due to weather, classes or the new policies.

“It’s hard to judge what freshman feel about the program because they weren’t here last year,” he said. “We had a great team last year, so it’s kind of sad that momentum didn’t carry over.”

Grand Ledge junior Kyle Grost said tailgating is not about drinking for him — it’s about catching up with friends and having fun.

“I wish turnout was higher,” he said. “You should always give it a chance. I might have different motivations for coming, but it’d be nice to see more students out here.”

Sgt. Mike Morrow of the CMU Police Department said he has never known weather or class schedules to significantly impact tailgate attendance in the past.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “We were hoping for a better turnout than what we have seen.”

Still, Morrow fully supports the current tailgate policies, saying it’s a personal choice “if people choose not to come because of the rules.”

 

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  • Sucks

    “I think people will loosen up and give it a chance,”

    Oh yeah? They said that last year….

    Another thing that didn’t help, the police being heavy handed with EVERYTHING since the students came back. If it’s you and your roommate standing on your porch, with a beer, and music on they’ll threaten to shut you down for having a nusiance party.
    Sooooo…..why go somewhere, where you know there’ll be a police presence?

  • CMich Alumnus

    The university is stupid not to change their approach to tailgating. Focus on education and let the students have their fun.

  • Michmediaperson

    The legal drinking age is 21. CMU needs to enforce the law. Anyone under 21 shouldn't be drinking alcohol anywhere in the state of Michigan, including the CMU parking lots.

  • Campus

    Attendance is down for a number of reasons. All the new policies take a lot of fun out of the entire experience. Yet as anyone that is on campus already knows this year is the police are being completely ridiculous. Fact is that a majority of students are under the legal drinking age, kids are terrified of getting in trouble. Its not what it once was. Even a few years ago you could get away with a lot more. Times are changing I guess and this is just on more reflection of that.

  • chipskeptic

    I am a two time alum of CMU. Athletic Director David Heeke has RUINED tailgating……

  • P/Od Alum

    One of the most talked about, wild, and overall legitimate tailgate parties in MI turned into one of the lamest…I had to spend my senior year under the rule of this fascist implementation of guidelines, and I truly feel bad for the newcomers who didn’t get to share one of the best parts of CMU culture. Bring back the old tailgates for the sake of the college experience, and let me re-live some of my “good ole days” when I come to visit during homecoming or Central/Western…or the school/police can take those events away as well (sarcasm!)

  • senior

    I had a great time tailgating on University St. before he game. Times/traditions change, and that is okay. Now, the party that used to be in lot 63 is now on North Campus. It's a longer walk to the stadium, but oh well.

  • Disappointed Alumnus

    Marijuana is a controlled substance and illegal to possess or use in the State of Michigan other than for medicinal purposes. Look at Ann Arbor, they treat it as a $25 dollar infraction for a first offense. I understand that CMU is a “public” university, but they can certainly turn a blind eye, or do something that is not as intrusive.

    If you are caught drinking in the dorms, you receive a monetary fine from the school–no police or no criminal record. It really is a shame what CMU has done to the tailgating rules, sure they serve a purpose, but they could have really included more students during their “committee” last year. All the freshman this year and last year that continue to go the games, Guess what? Good job succumbing to the administration and ruining tailgate forever! You can pat yourself on the back for that.

    Like last year, they only made tailgate more relaxed for homecoming. I am assuming the same will follow suit this year. What a sad and lost tradition. This alumni has only pledged to endow $35.00 dollars to the school, and that is it for this atrocity. For those that are curious aka Michmediaperson, it is NOT 100% because of the rules changing, but 70% on how the administration went about. The committee consisted of police officers, administrators, professors, RA's, and students that probably never went or drank at tailgate–all 3 of them. Definitely not representative.

  • Michmediaperson

    If people don't want to go watch these great student-athletes play football……the student cheerleaders who work hard…..and watch our great marching band perform……then they should stay at home. The alcoholics are a sad bunch of people. Stick to the rules how much you can drink….be over 21….and be in your seat ready to greet the marching band, the cheerleaders and team. We have the games for them, not a bunch of whining drunks!!!! If you want to drink crazily then go to the bar…..we don't need you.

    I guess our fans don't stack up with the Michigan, Notre Dame, MSU fans who are in their seats ready to watch football.

    Besides how does the police know exactly how much booze you bring. A limit of one pint? So, are they going to check underneath all the seats and the trunks, etc?

    But, if you want to sit there all day and drink, then go elsewhere.

  • Florenceschneider

    Under the rules, which are NOT firmly enforced, you may bring six beers into the parking lot. No glass, however. What's wrong with that?

    Are CMU students too unsophisticated to understand college football?

    Go to the GAME or be LAME!

    If you'd rather be a drunk slop than go to a football game, good luck finding work after college!

  • Michmediaperson

    The CMU Administration should pass a rule that any students nabbed for drinking lose their financial aid. If they got all this $$$ to buy booze, then they don't need financial aid. Let's give the money to the students who are playing by the rules!

  • Fire Up Chips

    I think judging this tailgate to what the rest of them might be like is a bit premature. The game was on a Thursday so many students had classes. It was also the start to the long holiday weekend and many more students decided to travel home or on vacation. The game was against Hampton, a non-conference, non-big name school where obviously we want to win but some may not be too excited for the game. The rest of the home games are on Saturdays and CMU/WMU is on a Friday. After the first Saturday tailgate lets look again at the number of people who were actually there.

    Also, the picture of tailgate from the Hampton game was a shot of the empty row between the other two rows where cars were actually parked. It made it look much worse than it actually was and those that were there had a great time!

  • Fire Up Chips

    I believe it is too premature to start judging the tailgating crowds for the 2010 CMU Football Season. There are a couple factors people are ignoring in regards to the game versus Hampton. It was a Thursday so some people had classes and were not able to make it to tailgate or the game. It was also the start to the long holiday weekend and students were going home or on vacation with friends and family. The weather was not the best and to top it all off we were playing Hampton; a non-conference, non-big name school where we hoped to win but were not too excited about the game.

    The rest of the home games are on Saturdays besides the Friday game against Western. The remaining games are all more valuable than last weeks games and I believe many more students, almuni, parents, and community members will be in attendance at tailgating and the football game.

    The picture that was taken of the tailgate lot also was quite misrepresentative of the crowd actually there. On either side of the empty row shown there were cars and people in the other rows and I'm sure that those that were there had a great time!

  • New Tailgate Rules = Fail

    The new rules for tailgating completely ruined the fun. Everyone knows this, CMU will be losing money because less people tailgating means less people going to the game. Myself and almost everyone I know all decided to completely quit going as soon as those rules were implied. We still haven't gone a single time since, and we don't plan to either.

  • Guest

    1. No one even gets financial aid until the middle of the semester so therefore no one has that money yet. 2. You are one of those idiots that ruined it for everyone else! Booooooo…

  • guest

    I agree completely, the new student will never get to experience how much fun our tailgating at CMU used to be. It is really sad, they sure did miss out on some great times!

  • GUEST

    Yep, and I guarantee you are either an old hag who is jealous because you can't have fun like we do… OR you are a complete dork and have no friends and are also jealous. So, either way, you're a jealous, selfish idiot who wants to ruin everyone else's fun because your life is BORING!!

  • guest

    yup. who would want to go to cmu and get a criminal record, thats all youre gonna get here with these crazy police and rules.

  • Zocco1cj

    Hey, so i saw the picture of the van with all of the CMU decals on it, (on the front page of the paper on friday). I thought it was really cool, and i think that you should do a story on it. If someone here will deck out their car like that for a football team i think that you guys should do something about it.

  • Kazman2007

    For sure, I actually know the guy who owns that van. He's one of the biggest chippewa fans that I know, and he definitely deserves an interview for having the most impressive vehicle on campus!

  • Smarter

    It's not that simple. It's the new enforcement attitude and ban on stereos that ruined it, among other things.. not just the alcohol.