Stranger in a Strange Land: A Big East Girl Attends an SEC Homecoming Game
 

Wow, talk about different worlds!!! Mr. KillarneyRose and I went down to Vanderbilt University this weekend to watch them play Navy and it happened to be homecoming. It was so different than anything I was used to!

We had to walk past the greek housing to get to the stadium and, although the sorority houses were silent, there were parties going on the lawns of all the fraternity houses. When I say parties, I don't mean the "tap a keg at the fraternity house" parties we had at Pitt. We're talking a full bar with bartender in a shirt and bowtie, brothers in either nice polo shirts or shirts and ties, young women in Lilys, and they were all drinking our of GLASS GLASSES! All through college I can't recall ever having been to a fraternity party and drinking out of a glass glass :eek:

Bless my GDI husband; we were walking past, I think, the PKA house and several older gentlemen and their wives were at the party partaking of the liquid refreshment. So he looked at them, turned to me and asked, "So if you're an old greek, you can come back and drink for free?" I patiently tried to explain to him the concept of a fraternity being a lifelong commitment and those men had come back to visit with their brothers, but his attention was suddenly diverted by a group of jaw-droppingly gorgeous young ladies walking past us toward the stadium. I found out when I read the football program that they were..

"Gold Stars". According to the program, these women are "...enthusiastic supporters of the athletic program...that serves as a liaison between visiting prospects and their families and the coaching staff. Another role is to introduce prospective student-athletes and their families to the tremendous resources the university has to offer." I actually thought that was a pretty interesting concept and I wondered if a lot of schools have a program like that?

Ok, so once we got to the stadium my one and only thought was, "I am SO underdressed in my jeans and blouse!" Most of the female alumnae were decked out in skirts and blazers and practically every female undergraduate had on a dress or skirt and top and all were wearing high heels. They all looked beautiful; they really did. In fact, at one point leaned over to me and said, "do you think they hide the (less attractive women) during homecoming weekend?" :rolleyes:

I enjoyed seeing something that was so different than my own college experience; and I have to admit that putting on a dress and heels to go to a football game then stopping by a fraternity for a drink in a glass glass seems pretty cool to me :)

Tracy, I have a feeling I'll be experiencing the same this this Saturday.

Hawaiian girl in her first Big 12 game -- Nebraska vs. Texas A&M. I know I'll be sticking out like a sore thumb. I can't wait!

Oh wait, how cold is it again? :eek:

Right now it's 49 degrees with a pretty steady rain...should be pretty nice on saturday though, but only into the 60's. Feel sorry for those poor pledges who are guarding out lawn displays tonight.

"Only in the 60's..."

Haha...we bundle up at 65 degrees here. :)

I'm kind of glad that we don't wear high heels to games, considering that the student section stands the whole game. Not to mention that as cute as dressing up sounds, we'd freeze in skirts for most of the season up here. :D It sounds like a lot of fun, though.

As for the Gold Stars thing, I think many of the big schools in the South have a program like this -- many have separate groups for different sports, and it is usually a huge honor. I think one or two of the groups have come under fire for insinuating that the ladies should do "anything" (you know what they mean) to try and get potential football or basketball players to sign, though, which is disturbing. Fortunately I don't think that is a widespread phenomenon, and many schools' "hostess" organizations help out with a variety of sports, both male and female. I think that is one of the reasons that more schools outside of the South don't have similar programs, though -- what is widely revered tradition in South would probably come under fire as school-sanctioned low-level pimping in many schools outside of it. :p

Are you insinuating that we delicate Southern ladies don't stand up for the whole game?? ;) Actually, it's quite a challenge to find cute shoes that don't kill your feet by the end of the game. In the winter months we usually wear dressy pants instead of skirts, or wear tights/hose with our dresses. Also, tall boots are popular when it's cold, and of course we wear coats, scarves, gloves, etc. Ahh, how we suffer to look so good! :D

Not only that, but the pain to the spine would be OUCH! OUCH! OUCH!

Thank goodness that I've never suffered any lasting ill effects of wearing heels to a ballgame! ;) I love dressing up for the games... it makes the day that much more fun!

Bama_Alumna, does Alabama have an equivalent of Vanderbilt's Gold Stars?

Re: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Big East Girl Attends an SEC Homecoming Game
 

You mean, there are schools that don't? I had figured they were the norm at every school. I know FSU has a group like that (I believe they're called the Garnet and Gold, or something like that), am pretty sure UF does as well, and know girls from UCF that have participated in a program like that, so therefore assume there must be one here.

Re: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Big East Girl Attends an SEC Homecoming Game
 

We have those here! They're called "Tiger Hostesses" and it's sooo competitive to become one. One of my good friends and chapter sisters, Erin, is one though and she loves it!! :D

UF does not dress up for games. Probably because it gets soooo hot here in FL..

I don't think FSU does either, but they're not SEC. :P

Anyway, UF has a similar program to Gold Stars. In my days, they were called Gator Getters - they might be called something different now. A pledge sister of mine was one, and in no way was she "one of those" - she was just a football fan (her dad was a coach for a pro team).

Also, I know Univ. of Miami has this group too - they were called Hurricane Honeys, but I am certain that name has changed, too!

>You mean, there are schools that don't? I had figured they were the norm at every school.

My Lord. I just pictured what it would be like if someone tried to start an organization like that at my Ivy League school, and I'm still recovering from my imagination. S&S, you're absolutely right (as usual)...it would absolutely be viewed as the school pimping out its young women. It's an understatement to say that the program wouldn't fly; there would be widespread outrage. Furthermore, an all-female program would violate the school's non-discrimination policy; the school does not recognize, much less sponsor, any single-gender groups except for singing groups; this is the reason why even our local fraternities/sororities are not recognizes.

I laugh whenever I hear someone arguing that this country has become totally homogenized and that McDonald's has destroyed all the regional character...as if! My school and the SEC might as well be on different planets. :D In the last several months I've been to Scotland and to Birmingham, Alabama, and Alabama felt a lot more like a foreign land to me than Edinburgh did!

(One similarity, though -- some alumni at our big game tailgate in style...we're talking crystal, silver and champagne. For the students, though, it's all about jeans, keg stands, and hiking boots.)

When I was at Southern Cal, I was in "Helenes" the official university hostesses...it was competitive to get into, as I recall. We had to wear this ghastly red double-knit dress -- I believe "Helenes" are still in existence today (but I hope they wear something different!) :p

I know at Auburn, they're called the Tigerettes and Tiger Hosts. I knew someone from home who did that.

I would LOVE to see the fallout at my school for such a thing. I can't imagine too many people who would go out for it, being that everyone who tries out for cheerleading makes it. :D

I've always wished I could have an additonal college career, just so I could experience something like this. I'd love to see what it would be like to be in atmosphere like the one you described. I would pick a larger, more liberal arts school that has a larger Greek community, a much larger athletics program, and a stronger alumni network.

Yes. Actually, there is a separate, similar program for each of the "major" sports... basketball, baseball, football. The football one is, obviously, the most prestigous and most competitive. They are called the Bama Belles. But they are certainly NOT encouraged to do, um, "whatever it takes" to get a recruit. I've never even heard that!

Re: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Big East Girl Attends an SEC Homecoming Game
 

Being a Vandy alum, I have to say that it is a lot of fun to dress up for a football game every now and then. But at least when I was in school there, the student body dressed up for every home game with dates and attended the fraternity parties afterward with free beer flowing for all who attended (well at least all females). I am sure some things like the free beer have changed, but the dressing up is still a big deal. As a student, I used to think it would be a fun change of pace if we all just wore jeans and sweatshirts with school colors once in a while. I think I almost enjoy attending the games as an alum more than as a student because I feel more freedom to wear jeans and sweatshirts. More importantly, I would enjoy the games a lot more if we could just win one every so often. ;)

Re: Stranger in a Strange Land: A Big East Girl Attends an SEC Homecoming Game
 

I can tell you inequivocably that something like this would never fly in Canada.

Oh, and when I was at UBC, I never attended a football, ever. (And I don't know anyone who did). Sports is not a big deal in Canada unless you go to one of the football schools like Queens, University of Western Ontario or McGill.

You can get your smelling salts out now...LOL.

CP2K experiences an "evil moment".....
 

I would have been LMAO if you'd replied, "Yes, actually, I know an unattractive woman who was offered $5,000.00 from the University to "disappear" from campus just for the Homecoming Weekend". Can you imagine the look on her face? LOL

You just have to love SEC football :)

A lot of people dress up for all the games at UGA, not just homecoming. Of course, you will see folks with t-shirts and shorts on, too, but they're not in the majority.

I think it's easier for us, though, because nice clothes are easier to find in red and black than, say, purple and gold or bright blue and orange.

To answer your other question, Georgia has the Georgia Girls. Ditto on what everyone else has said about no hanky-panky and it being an honor. I think I just always assumed that there were these types of organizations everywhere. I learned something new today! :)

I have never heard of this before... We have Rowdy Raiders, but it's just another student org with lots of people who run around on the field, get free cokes, make alot of noise and tailgate before the game. No real high honor, but it's a lot of fun. But then again, we're not a big time SEC school or anything.

When some of the girls in Phi Chi talked about dressing up for a game, I didn't realize what they meant, and they didn't explain, so I was going to show up in school colors, MT painted on one side of my face, my letters on the other side, and my MT hair ribbon... Thank God I got sick and didn't go... how embarrassing it would have been to show up like that when they were wearing these cute little denim skirts, etc... :eek:

The University of Tennessee has Vol Hostesses. It is a huge honor and you have to have a certain GPA and go through vigourous interviews. One of my friends is one!

You know, when we were in Nashville this past weekend the whole state seemed to be excited about the Tennessee-Georgia game. Is TN-GA a particularly fierce rivalry or is it that crazy every week? I loved it; reminded me of growing up in football-mad Southwestern Pennsylvania! :)

Tennessee football in its various forms
 

It's football time in Tennessee.......

As a Vanderbilt alum, I can honestly agree with Rubyrose <nods to my sister> that the student body and most alums dress up for every Vandy football game. I do not wear heels anymore, but Mr. Silver and I have sevral matching "game day" outfits for each football season.

The UT-GA game was such a big deal because this makes the 4th (?) time in a row that GA has won the game! When I was at Vandy, we played GA for homecoming every year because they were the only team that we could beat!

Crystal, actually MTSU does have a similar program but for both women and men. It is called "Student Ambassadors." They were the wonderful, immaculately dressed young people in royal blue suits standing on the football field around President McPhee at homecoming....

Roses and football to you all,
Silver

It not just the south that has the female "hostesses" for recruits. I bet some of the big 10 (12) schools have them as well, and there was a recent expose' on a University in Arizona where there was some hanky panky going on, or expected.

The TN-GA game is a big game normally, but it was even BIGGER this year because both teams have good records and a good chance of going to a great bowl game.

It was many years ago, but I clearly remember wearing long underwear, jeans, wool socks, hiking boots, a turtle neck under a sweatshirt with my sorority coat over it all.. gloves, scarves, hats and all wrapped up in a comforter and STILL being cold!!!!

(Can't imagine a dress and heels at any football game in Michigan!)

Sure wish they'd had those football seat warmers back then...

Dee

GPhiBLtColonel,
USC still has Helenes...last time I was Greek Escape (USC's greek store) I saw tons of Helenes paraphenalia there.

UCLA doesn't have a program like these; we do have recuitment hosts that take recruits to various games and try and pump them up about UCLA. A couple of girls in my house are hosts but it is more a paid job than an honor...they have little UCLA polo shirt uniforms and everything. Wait, we do have Bruin Belles but I think that they are geared more towards philanthropy than as a school hostess.

Here at UGA, its a mix of people dressing up for games and people who don't. I'll wear a cute red and black dress one week and then jeans and a red top the next. I went to the UGA/UT game this past weekend and just wore a UGA hoodie and jeans. My sisters and I were so suprised when people said they wore T-shirts and jeans to band parties! :eek: . That does NOT happen here!

:eek: :eek: :eek: Helenes paraphenalia??? OHMYGAWD -- wonder what it is???? I just cannot imagine! :eek: :eek: :eek:

I'm actually just so surprised. ASU is soo different. Yes we have girls who partake in meeting new football recruits. They 'help' them settle in to college life. I don't know their names though, something with 'devil' in it considering the mascot is the 'sun devil'.

As for games, lord no, we so don't dress up. Then again, it's still around 95 degrees right now in arizona. I went to the USC/ASU game and I was dieing in pants and shirt. Our standard of dressing up in the student section is wearing a gold shirt. We too also stand for the entire game. But we don't dress up. I've been the homecoming games before, it's still the same gold shirts and jeans for the students. Hell the same goes for the non students. Unfortunately it's just too hot to be dressed up. I mean the last game of the season is our famous U of A/ASU match up, I'll be wearing my gold shirt, jeans, flip flops and bring a jacket just in case I get cold, but even in November during the day, Arizona high is about 70-75.

I guess we're just a little different here in Arizona.

Brianna

Wow, Silver... I had no clue. Amazing what I'm still learning about my school. :)

at LSU it seems that a lot of people dress up for football games, but it's mostly just greek pledges, actually. greek pledges have to dress up, but only if they are going to the game with a date who is another pledge. the guys all have their shirts and ties...and i just feel so bad for them, because it's so hot and crowded in tiger stadium!!!

At W&L you wear a sundress to football games. The guys wear coat and tie.

When i was ay Valdosta State the greeks always got dressed up for the game.

Well my extremely liberal campus would never have a program like that but I do wish my school had spirit like that .. ( or even HAD a football team at all) It sounds very cool... although I must say I have drinken from glass glasses at a fraternity party...

Back In The Day...
 

Well, I was one of the original football recruiting hostesses at Troy State University in L.A. ( Lower Alabama) exactly 20 years ago. I remember we were each given a little booklet to read on NCAA recruiting rules. We were known as the TROJAN HOSTESSES.

To this day, I am still ribbed about that name by everyone I tell it to. LOL

On a side note, I also had a bumper sticker that read " I love the TROJANS" ! My mother thought it was awful when I put it on my car. :D

To add to what Cluey posted earlier, the Georgia Girls at UGa are now the Georgia Girls and Guys...Read on...



Not just a girl thing
College football recruiting corps adds guys
By Kristen Wyatt
Associated Press

ATHENS - The Georgia Girls have a new weapon in their fight against those who say college football hostesses are just flirts to lure top recruits:

Men.

The University of Georgia football ambassadors who volunteer to show recruits and their families around campus are now the Georgia Girls & Guys. For the first time this fall, khaki-wearing men will join the ladies in high heels escorting high school football stars to Sanford Stadium.

And there are other changes for the 90-member group, once called the most exclusive sorority on campus. Gone are the tight black dresses, replaced by sporty sweaters and pants, even an athletic-looking warm-up suit.

The host group has also started volunteer projects, all to get the word out they're not just there to twirl their hair and smile at recruits.

Adding men gives the Georgia Girls an air of respect that all the new outfits and hospital visits in the world may not bring, adviser Connie Connelly says.

"If it can help their image as far as their peers, it's a good thing," Connelly says. "That would be wonderful."

Georgia is the latest school to overhaul its recruiting volunteer program in the wake of unflattering news reports about using pretty coeds to persuade high school athletes to sign with a school.

Decades after Alabama coach Bear Bryant enlisted campus beauties to visit high school stars considering the Crimson Tide, hostess programs nationwide are adding men and changing their image. Clemson's Bengal Babes are now called the Tiger P.A.W.S, and Miami's Hurricane Honeys are the Cane Connection.

The days of eye-candy-only hostessing are long gone - the ambassadors work long hours arranging game day visits and now are expected to answer questions like what defensive scheme a school is running or how the conditioning program works.

But the stigma remains, and no one knows that better than 19-year-old Blake Varner, one of five men who signed on to this first year of coed hosting.

For one, Varner's friends insist on calling him a Georgia Girl.

"I tell them I'm a recruiting ambassador and they say, 'Naw. You're a Georgia Girl.' They ask how the recruits like me," Varner says, laughing.

"That perception is still there. People think we're just there for the recruits to show 'em pretty girls and show 'em a good time," he says. "That's not what it is."

At Auburn University, where the Tigerettes were joined by male Tiger Hosts in 1992, adviser Sue Locklar says their reputation improved, and so did their recruiting.

"We realized there were a lot of places these young ladies cannot go, the locker rooms and so on," Locklar says, adding that some recruits are flustered by the women and would rather talk to a guy.

Male recruiting hosts also stop the biggest problem facing football hostesses - unwanted advances from recruits. Tigerettes are never left alone with the athletes, Locklar says.

"I don't want it to have any semblance of a date or anything like that," she says.

At Georgia Tech, men have been invited to join the hostess group, called Solid Gold. But so far, no takers.

"We've just never had any guys express any interest," says adviser Shanny Burge.

Georgia is hoping that after this first mixed-sex year - 86 women and just five men - more males will want to join. The sales pitch includes preparation for a future sports marketing or management career.

Or, in the case of senior Michael Thomas, a chance to meet the players and coaches he's been watching for years from the student section in a stadium of 90,000 people.

"I'm a sports fanatic," Thomas says. "I'm looking forward to being on the field, meeting all the players, just the experience of it."

And the original Georgia Girls are hoping for fewer raised eyebrows when they tell their friends why they're not in the stands at home games.

Regarding the hostess topic: I know for a fact that on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (Withholding all comments here) a few months back they had a piece that discussed the hostesses at University of Washington I believe...so it's not just a southern thing. One of the ex-hostesses was saying that they purposely only picked good looking women to encourage the young recruits to believe that there were tons of good looking women who would be interested in them when they arrive at the university. Other past disgruntled ex-hostesses were mentioning the fact that they recruits were overly affectionate towards them.

Long Beach has the President's Ambassadors, but l have never heard anything about having hostesses simply because we don't have a football team...If anything my university's sports program is big for Women's Volleyball and Baseball.


Anyhow...off to get ready for work.

GPhiBLtColonel, the Greek store had tons of stuff for Helenes, the same stuff you would find for any GLO such as shorts, cups, keychains, shirts, and etc. I thought it was pretty cool that they had all of that paraphernalia for the Helenes; it showed that these girls were really proud of their association with the organization. You should check it out next time you are in LA.


On the subject of game attire...
I can't imagine wearing anything but jeans and maybe a jean skirt to a game. Most people go really casual to the games... some people don't even wear UCLA paraphenalia to the games. Many get to the games at the end of the first quarter sh*t-faced and leave in the third quarter. I'm definitely NOT one of these fans (I forced my sisters to stay until the end of USC game last year when we got beat by a ton and then proceeded to berate USC fans on the way out) but the majority of fans just go to the games to get wasted. Not that there is anything wrong with that... ;)

This doesn't surprise me at all. I attended the University of Maryland, and I remember being approached at the gym about joining the Football Boosters (I can't remember what the official name was). It sounded interesting, and I was planning on joining, until a friend of mine told me that they look for pretty, thin/fit girls (I guess why they were recruiting at the gym) to be "groupies" for the football team and the incoming players. Our football players act like they should be getting NFL-type status and recognition on campus, esp from girls, and they didn't even start winning games until the past couple of years. When I realized that "Football Boosters" was the p.c. term for getting pretty groupies for the recruits, I definitely started deleting every email they sent to me about meetings, etc.