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

KillarneyRose · #1 10-13-2003, 08:29 PM

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

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?"

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

#2 10-13-2003, 09:45 PM

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?

Betarulz! · #3 10-13-2003, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by OohTeenyWahine
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?

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.

#4 10-13-2003, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Betarulz!
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.

sugar and spice · #5 10-13-2003, 10:21 PM

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.

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.

Bama_Alumna · #6 10-13-2003, 11:08 PM

Quote:

I'm kind of glad that we don't wear high heels to games, considering that the student section stands the whole game.

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!

CutiePie2000 · #7 10-13-2003, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bama_Alumna
Actually, it's quite a challenge to find cute shoes that don't kill your feet by the end of the game.

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

Bama_Alumna · #8 10-13-2003, 11:33 PM

Quote:

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!

KillarneyRose · #9 10-13-2003, 11:46 PM

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

sherbertlemons · #10 10-14-2003, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KillarneyRose
"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?

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.

FAB*SpiceySpice · #11 10-14-2003, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by KillarneyRose

"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?

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!!

kdonline · #12 10-14-2003, 12:26 AM

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!

IvySpice · #13 10-14-2003, 12:44 AM

>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.

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.)

GPhiBLtColonel · #14 10-14-2003, 02:52 AM

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!)

Munchkin03 · #15 10-14-2003, 08:21 AM

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.