Usually, the last spaces of the Blue Zone parking lot are mentioned only in complaints of having to park far away from campus. On the afternoon of a home football game, however, it is definitely the place to be.
An interesting place, that is--where sweet Southern tradition meets enthusiastic, fun-loving attitudes, where the smell of barbecues and fried chicken fill the air and the beverages flow relatively freely. Rain or shine, the parking lots are filled with students, alumni and fans ready to tailgate up to six hours before a game.
Most people are not actually out in the Blue Zone six hours before the game, but the baseball team likes to get an early start on the fun. For many fans, their reasons aren't all that complicated. "It's a good social scene," Justin Dilucchio, a junior and member of the team, said.
While the tailgating scene does include some unusual things, such as sliding on tarps and oddly-dressed lacrosse players, Dilucchio and others know it is much crazier at other schools. "Everyone's giving a big fuss about our [tailgates]. At a big school, it would be out of control," he said.
Jeremy Morgan, president of the Interfraternity Council, also describes the tailgates as a fun, controlled atmosphere.
"It is unfortunate that irresponsible behavior on the part of a few people has caused everyone to be reprimanded," he wrote in an e-mail. "Duke students have always been rowdy when it comes to athletics,... hence the infamous Cameron Crazies." Morgan said an episode last week with confining kegs at the tailgate would not "put a stop to the enthusiasm that students have for our teams."
The enthusiasm before football games is definitely a highlight of tailgates, although students rarely get crazier than a funny hat or face paint. Andrew Davidson, a senior lacrosse player, said his teammates wear costumes simply for the fun of it. "It's totally random," he said, adding that their tradition started only about three years ago.
In contrast to the lacrosse team, many of the male students at tailgates are dressed in shirts and ties--an old Southern tradition that has spread throughout the country. Will Brown, former president of the now-defunct Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, says he and his brothers have always dressed up for football games.
He also said that, although tailgating is popular at Duke, the tradition is much bigger at other schools. "Small facilities limit the tailgates," Brown said. He added that students run most of the tailgating, whereas other schools have a larger alumni turnout.
There are usually many alumni wandering around before Duke games, although not all of them always make it to the student tailgates in the Blue Zone. Luke Reinke, Pratt '01, currently teaches middle school math and science at Kestrel Heights Middle School in Durham. The proximity of his job enables him to get to most of the games just as he did when he was a student.
Reinke said he has always loved the relaxed experience of tailgating, which for him consists of "four of us guys, usually a grill, and a cooler full of beer... sitting around having a good time before the game."
Unlike many students, Reinke always makes it to the game, usually for the whole time. "I find the fact that some people tailgate and not go appalling," he said. "[The students who don't go] are missing a great experience. It doesn't matter if the team is winning or losing."
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