The senior tailgate before football games and a student section during both football and basketball games are long-standing traditions that the Starr’s Mill seniors have kept alive throughout the years.
Tailgate was started by a group of students at the beginning of Starr’s Mill’s legacy, when the school was made up of only freshman and sophomores. Originally, tailgate was mostly female-led due to the recruitment of the male student body for the football team. This worked vice-versa, as during the spring season, the guys on the team would then take over and cheer on the girls soccer team.
“We designed the tailgate shirts on napkins at the Waffle House, and we pre-sold 50 shirts,” Class of 2004 tailgate captain Ben McCullough said. “We ended up ordering 150 more shirts, and we sold them for $25 each. We ended up having to rush order an additional 200 shirts.”
This year, the captains are working together to bring the old spirit of tailgate back by including all grades and selling T-shirts to help fund cookouts and events for the school. The tailgate captain’s goal for tailgate is to increase student involvement.
“Our vision for tailgate is for everyone, including underclassmen to be involved,” senior tailgate captain Chapman Andrew said. “It’s an everyone thing.”
This fully student-led organization is passed down annually from senior class to senior class. This year’s tailgate leaders are seniors Sunny McQuade, Bo Walker, Brooke Godown, Andrew, and Brooke Herdman.
“I think it’s just a way [that] everyone at Starr’s Mill, like [the] senior class [and the] junior class, can always just come together and have fun our final year,” Herdman said.
Tailgate leaders are expected to organize the food, t-shirts, come up with themes, and work with the administration to keep the sportsmanship in the student section. While the administration does not play a huge role in the tailgate process, they do have to meet with the tailgate leaders about the expectations of the student section.
At Starr’s Mill, football is already a popular sport that is backed up with student and peer support. Tailgating helps deepen that support by unifying the student body. Giving the students something to look forward to by setting themes to dress up in and food and games to play with their friends sets the whole environment in a positive light.
“It’s really a way of unifying the student body at our school,” athletic director Shane Ratliff said. “Getting them together so that they have a common goal when they go to our events.”
The effect tailgating has on the students also spreads to the sports team. With the high energy in the crowd, the team has more incentive to not only do better in the eyes of their peers and friends, but can help keep hope and energy up within the team.
“Having a crowd just makes you want to do better with all your friends and peers watching you,” Herdman said. “It’s just a better environment.”
Tailgate takes place before games every Friday. This Friday’s tailgate will take place at Meade Field two hours before Starr’s Mill hosts Northgate. The theme for the game will be Red Out in support of students with Muscular Dystrophy.
To find more out about the tailgate and themes contact this year’s captains.