As an alumna of a D1 university, I am no stranger to the world of college tailgating. Back in my day, I was a pro: up by 9, drinking by 10, and going hard all day long.
Late-day naps before rallying for the night were for the weak; we partied straight through until the bars closed. (In Boston, that was 2AM). For the math-adverse, that’s 16 straight hours of partying. It was a lot of fun from what I can remember.
Fun and messy.
But that was Boston College in the 1990s. Work hard, play hard—especially during fall football season.
Fast-forward 30 years,and I’m back on the college tailgate circuit—but this time as a mom.
A sober mom.
My oldest was a lacrosse player at Middlebury College, where tailgating was very different than what I was used to. Maybe it’s because MIDD is a D3 school, but football tailgates are way calmer in Vermont: less people, less noise, less drunken debauchery.
Lacrosse tailgates at MIDD are another scene entirely: older, more upscale, and even calmer still. Don’t get me wrong; the lacrosse parents can eat and drink with the best of them. But it’s top shelf liquor and oysters, not Milwaukee’s Best and chips.
My younger son, on the other hand, is now a sophomore at James Madison University in Virginia. JMU isn’t in the Deep South, but it’s far enough below the Mason-Dixon Line that many of those Southern traditions are at play—especially during football season.
Last weekend was Parents’ Weekend (or Family Weekend, as they call it). Since this wasn’t my first rodeo, I thought I knew what to expect … I was wrong.
I’m not sure if it’s generational, regional, or school-specific, but JMU tailgates in 2025 are not like BC tailgates in the 1990s. Everything from what kids wear to what they drink is different.
At BC, we wore oversized school sweatshirts and baseball hats. JMU girls wear very short shorts/skirts with white cowboy boots (regardless of their body type), and boys wear logo’d gear or striped overalls, bare-chested (also regardless of their body type).
At BC, we drank cheap beer. Lots of it. From cans and kegs. JMU kids drink beer, but it’s mostly hard tea and cider—both of which they shotgun (making the hole in the can with their teeth!). Mad Dog 20/20 is also making a comeback, unfortunately🤮.
At BC, we left the game at halftime to go back to the tailgate for more beer. At JMU, that’s not allowed, which is probably why they go so hard for the four hours before kickoff. They have a “nine (drinks) before nine (AM)” challenge that is apparently a well-known tradition.
Where the two schools are similar is in the level of school spirit and parent participation. Parents and alumni party just as hard as their college-aged kids. Some even harder. The cooler of purple jello shots is proof.
As a socially anxious, sober person, Family Weekend was a lot for me. A lot of planning and organizing. A lot of standing and talking. A lot of peopling.
But it was also a lot of fun seeing my kid live his best life—even if that life was a bit too inebriated than I would’ve liked to witness. But he was happy, and that’s what matters most.
—LJDT
