By Jenna Ladd:
The anticipation for the weekend in Jacksonville was tantalizing. Everyone was itching to see the Florida Gators back in action after the LSU game that felt like it happened ages ago. As a first-timer to the famous matchup, Saturday could not come soon enough.
What added to the already high levels of excitement for the weekend was that my roommates and I decided to make a Gator Halloween costume to parade around the tailgates. This was no ordinary gator costume by any means; we decided to create a Chinese New Year dragon inspired mascot, complete with a Bulldog puppy getting chomped in its mouth.
Sadly, the costume was not allowed in the stadium and we had to say our goodbyes in friendly RV city in hopes that the area would live up to its reputation and we would return to our pride and joy unharmed.
***
The trip to Jacksonville ended up being later than anticipated on Friday night, mostly because we procrastinated making our costume until the day of. We were fortunate enough to stay with a generous family friend of my roommate – a score for a college student’s budget.
The drive there was smooth as could be, seeing as we left after 10 p.m. and the traffic was practically nonexistent due to normal people actually leaving on schedule. However, the strictly enforced 35 miles per hour speed limit in Starke County managed to slow us down a bit.
Friday night I could barely sleep — my friend and I were both first timers to the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party and stayed up all night talking about what the next day would hold. It turned out to be something we both regretted the next morning when were awoken at 8:30 a.m. to go to the tailgate. We had both been accustomed to the night games in Gainesville this season and were not ready for the party that was about to take place.
The rivalry atmosphere in downtown Jacksonville was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Never before had I seen instant hatred to that degree just for wearing a different color. As we walked to the stadium, cars on the street would either stick their heads out to chomp at Georgia fans or to bark at Florida fans.
When we finally arrived at the stadium, it was the biggest zoo I have ever seen. We ended up having to park what felt like miles away, where we couldn’t even see the stadium from our parking spot.
Upon arrival, it was ridiculous to see just how divided the tailgates were. Florida had their lots and Georgia had theirs. I can’t tell you much about how Georgia fans tailgate, but all I can say is that Georgia fans were trickling into the Florida area – so you can draw your own conclusions about that.
At the tailgates, it was hard to maneuver around – and not just because of our costume, although that probably hurt us more than helped us get around. We finally found a place to stop and remove the tarp from our heads and I was astounded at what I saw.
Pick-up trucks full of people on their tailgates bouncing up and down from people dancing on them, beers being thrown from one person to another and trash already littering the lot before noon. This was the epitome of a college football tailgate in the SEC.
My group wandered around, bumping into people and coming across friends and taking the occasional picture with fans that appreciated our costume. Even some Georgia fans couldn’t resist telling us that they enjoyed it. However, our costume was not the only getup that garnered attention. Here are two that I got a good laugh from:
After a mere hour of walking around, one thought came to mind and refused to leave. Food. Skimping out on breakfast was a rookie move, and I was about to pass out. (I’ve also been known to be a little dramatic.) We were fortunate to know of some alumni that were gracious enough to welcome us to their tailgate – complete with sandwiches, chips, cookies and more.
I got to talk with one alumnus who attended Florida in the ‘70s. We found out that he had lived one floor above me in Beaty Towers and we exchanged stories of our trips to the Broward pool and how what he remembered as the Florida Gym was now home to my sport management classrooms. I had never gotten the chance to connect with alumni like this before, so I was excited to both eat and hear about what our school used to be like.
Hours of tailgating went by, and it finally came time to go to the game. Unfortunately, only two people I was with had tickets and my roommate and I were about to head to the landing to watch the game. That is until this wonderful, gem of a human being came straight up to us and offered us her $70 tickets for a mere $20 dollars each. Making for yet another score for a college student’s budget.
After saying farewell to our homemade gator in RV city in hopes that he would still be there post-game, we were off through the sea of people to the game. Everyone was moving slowly in ridiculously large crowds all toward the same place and on Halloween, thus leaving me thinking, “So this is what a zombie apocalypse would be like.”
***
It’s finally game time. After wandering through the masses and taking six escalators, we finally reached our seats in Timbuktu. It felt like it was 105 degrees outside, but I my excitement for the game to start overshadowed any negativity.
As I looked around I finally got to see the divide of Florida and Georgia fans split right down the middle just as everyone described. That is, aside from the lone, decked-out Georgia fan sitting in front of me. Thinking back, he probably wishes he had a different seat seeing how the game went.
What shocked me was that I heard more smack talk coming from the Gator fan behind me than from the Georgia fan. Less than 10 minutes into the game I hear “I hate Treon, he’s absolutely horrible” and “Maye sucks” among a litter of other negative remarks. It made me so sad to hear Gator fans putting down our own team. Being the lady that I am, my friend and I kept our mouths shut in hopes that the team would take care of him for us.
The odds were in our favor, as the Gators picked up momentum and shut him up real quick. After Marcus Maye caught an interception, my friend and I snapped our heads around to find him obviously annoyed, yet still clapping — I’ll take it.
The fans were roaring the entire game, making me lose my voice before the first quarter even ended. With every touchdown, Florida acted as if it was the first of the game. My entire row would be jumping up and down embracing each other, while craning their necks to see the instant replay. However, my favorite touchdown tradition of the day was the man from five rows down running up and down the rows ensuring that he gave every person a high-five and a “Go Gators.”
As the scoreboard kept leaning in Florida’s favor, the Georgia crowd grew thinner and thinner.
Ultimately, the game ended with Florida holding Georgia to one field goal, making for some elated Gator fans. If it wasn’t for my phone dying at the end of the game I would have been able to capture the chants of “It’s great to be a Florida Gator,” echoing throughout the stadium as the fans made their way out.
To my knowledge, the rivalry was kept pretty clean this year and did not result in too many fights or ejections. Both sides kept it fairly classy, as people aim to do in the south. I say this because after the game we were able to find our Gator costume unharmed in the same place we left it in RV city.
Jenna and Friends With Gator Costume
Overall, the Florida Georgia experience was unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. It definitely lived up to my expectations and its reputation as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party without a doubt. It left Gator fans on a high as hopes for winning out the SEC East spread like wildfire.
The campus is already buzzing about this weekend’s homecoming game against Vanderbilt. Students were frantically posting on Facebook walls looking for tickets immediately after the Georgia game ended. All anyone can talk about is what Jim McElwain did with the Gators and how far they think Florida is going to go. I guess only time will tell what is in store for the Florida Gators.