Meet Amelia Falcon. She a junior Biomedical Engineering major with a minor in Biology from Houston. She is a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority and works with the Peace at Home Women and Children’s Shelter here in Fayetteville. A fun fact about Amelia is that she is deathly afraid of Ferris Wheels.
Razorback football is one of the many pride and joys of the University of Arkansas. Football season is something to look forward to as every new school year begins. Gearing up and getting ready for each home game takes time. Between finding the right outfit and heading over to the Victory Village or The Gardens for some great tailgating food it can be a little overwhelming for you or your student’s first Razorback game. Here are 7 key steps for game day that will never fail in having the best Razorback football experience.
The first step to enjoying any Arkansas football game is to make sure to have an access pass. Your student can purchase one of these as soon as they have registered for classes. Having an access pass allows your student to have admission into all home games and also have the ability to purchase tickets first for the Little Rock game and the Dallas game that has traditionally been against Texas A&M University the past couple of years. The access pass also permits access into all men’s home basketball games when football season is over. The pass can be purchased at http://athleticspass.uark.edu. The access pass is linked to your student’s campus ID card, so there is no extra card to carry around on game day.
After purchasing an access pass, the next key step in preparing for a Razorback game is to find the perfect outfit of cardinal red. While some students choose to wear cocktail dresses or nice dress slacks, a much more casual approach is also very acceptable on game day. A simple razorback t-shirt and shorts is a very viable option for game day wear. Chances are, there will be a lot of walking on game day. It probably is not the best day to try and break in some new shoes. For some ideas, feel free to visit Parent & Family Program’s Pinterest account, http://pinterest.com/RazorbackParent! Regardless of what you or your student wears, the most important part of game day is to enjoy some SEC football and to call the hogs.
Once dressed for game day, the next step to fully enjoying a Razorback football game is to partake in all of the game day festivities. Hours before the game begins, Arkansas fans set up camp in The Gardens or Victory Village for a great tailgating experience. The extraneous amounts of different types of food to try along with mingling with everyone and getting excited for the game makes tailgating a must. Definitely make sure to hydrate while tasting all the delicious food. The stadium can get rather warm, especially in the sun during an afternoon game and water is key to beating the heat. Other game day festivities include our beloved live Razorback mascot Tusk arriving at the stadium, which many fans enjoy watching as he comes down Stadium Drive. Of course, the occasional Hog Call on the way to the stadium is a great way to get game day spirit up as well.
After tailgating, the next step in enjoying a football game is to make sure you or your student gets to the stadium in plenty of time. The line to enter the stadium can get really long and no one wants to miss any of the pre-game rituals before kickoff. Getting to the stadium early also ensures getting good placement in the student section and beating the crowd of people trying to squeeze in all at once. There is also a Fan Guide located at http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/page/fan-guides for information on where to park and how to get into campus with all of the traffic. The guide also has some traditions of the University on game day as well as a map of the stadium. It is a great tool to use on game day, especially if it is you or your student’s first game.
Once inside the stadium, the next step for your student is to get to the bottom of the trough, otherwise known as the student section. The student section runs all the way from the field up to the upper level of the stadium. The key to getting good placement in the student section is to get to the game extra early. However, if your student is running late, no worries, there is always space for another Hog fan to squeeze in. Plus, if your student is in the upper level of the stadium, they have a broader view of everything that is going on during the game which is not bad either. Whether at the very front of the trough or at the tip top, your student will still have a football experience unlike any other.
While waiting for the game to start, the pre-game ritual gets the entire stadium pumped and ready to watch some Razorback football. Watching the band enter onto the field and having the Arkansas players run through the ‘A’ is one of the biggest traditions here at the University of Arkansas and truly symbolizes the game is about to begin. Then, after the National Anthem and the Alma Mater, the game can finally begin.
Of course, after spending the day preparing, the last step is to enjoy the game. There is nothing like a Razorback football game, especially one shared with family and friends. Calling the hogs with the entire stadium, participating in band cadences, and watching some good SEC football are memories one will never forget.
All in all attending a Razorback football game is an experience unlike any other. The love and pride every Razorback fan feels for their team is indescribable. Between Tusk, calling the hogs and running through the A, no other school shares the traditions we do and after all, it is hard to be humble when you are a Razorback fan, especially on game day.