Football Tailgating Buckeye Style

January through August the Midwest college town of Columbus, OH seem almost bare. A steady flow of students with backpacks meander from their houses on E. 15th Street, also known as "fraternity row," and make their way across High St. to what is officially known as The Ohio State University campus. Girls can be seen in T-shirts and shorts with bikinis underneath heading toward the grassy center of campus, called "the Oval." There they catch some sun and people-watch while guys play Frisbee, pick up games of soccer and fetch with their dogs. Then there are the others. The fans. These clusters of would-be graduates with baseball caps pulled low over their eyes huddle around a pitcher of beer outside umbrella covered tables to discuss the latest recruits, stats and coaching strategies of their beloved hometown team, the Buckeyes. For them, these months are only the hibernation period … the build up… until OSU football season, tailgating-and real life as they know it-begins.

As September rolls in to C-bus, as the town is affectionately called by its locals, the energy at Ohio State begins to rise like the faint whistle of a teapot on the stove as it gradually warms on the burner. In Columbus, this the time of year when students arrive to start their first quarter of classes. Mothers and fathers help their children move into the dormitories. The campus stores are filled with freshman buying Buckeye memorabilia. Student groups are in the Oval recruiting new members. And, the faint whistle of campus activity escalates under the pressure into a steady, constant hum.

Until one crisp, September Saturday morning, you wake up to the sound of TWEETOO! It's 10:00 a.m. It's game day. You hear the loud whistle horn of a clarinet outside and see a crowd of more than 10,000 fans dressed from head to toe in scarlet and grey. It's not your alarm or your teapot. It's the "Skull Session." This famous Buckeye band tradition began in 1932 and has become a right of passage for any Buckeye tailgater. The OSU Marching Band, also called "TBDBITL" (The Best Damn Band in the Land), officially earned its nickname in 1988 after USA Today named the group the number one marching band in the U.S. TBDBITL holds the Skull Session, a popular concert/pep rally, two hours before kickoff of every home football game at St. John Arena. The event is free, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

If you haven't already got tickets, then it may be time to hit the streets and look for a scalper. Of course, this is technically illegal. But, unless you are among the lucky alumni who get thrown into a random lottery to receive the option to purchase one pair of tickets per year, then it may be your only alternative. Because OSU home-game tickets are so hard to come by, some opt for "borrowing" a season ticket from a clueless freshman looking to make a quick $50. However, if you go this route, you have to arrange a time to return the ticket to the student, as they only get one pass for all home games. In addition, these tickets are marked as "student tickets" and you may be asked to show I.D. upon entry. It is a risky purchase and isn't recommended as your first course of action. Ebay also sells OSU tickets, but as with any Ebay purchase, you won't know the person who you are buying them from. Depending on the game you can expect to pay anywhere from $30 (for less popular match ups) to $300 or more per seat. For the University of Michigan games-always the last game of each Ohio State season and their biggest rival¬-plan on giving up your first born. Keep in mind that many people don't ever go inside Ohio Stadium, which is affectionately referred to as "The Horseshoe" or just "The Shoe" by OSU fans because of its shape. The Shoe only holds 110,000 people, but thousands of others come simply for the tailgating and spirit of the city alone!

As you walk up and down Lane Avenue, the main through street nearest the stadium, you can see nothing but a sea of scarlet and grey, the school's official colors. Street vendors sell brats and sausages with sauerkraut, chicken sandwiches and hot cocoa. Run-down houses with peeling paint are busting at the seams with student partiers sitting on their front porches or hanging off balconies serving kegs 'n eggs and giving the "high five" to passersby. Radios propped on window sills are turned to high volume blaring "Hang on Sloopy," an OSU anthem. Tables along the sides of the road offer homemade "buckeye chocolates" (sweets of peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate) as well as "buckeye necklaces" for sale. You see T-Shirts for sale 3 for $10, hats, bumper stickers, marching band CD's and more. It's all here for a "Buck nut"-the nickname given to Buckeyes fans. It is also the name of the school's team mascot, Brutus Buckeye.

So what the heck is a Buckeye anyway? It's a nut. But, not just any nut…a poisonous nut. It is also the state nickname, "the Buckeye State" and the state tree, Hippocastanaceae Aesculus glabra. The word can also refer to a resident of the state of Ohio. It's best that you know this before attending a game. Although, if you ask, any fan would be happy to tell you all you need to know and more.

To officially kick off your OSU tailgating experience, a visit to the ever-popular, ever-packed, Hineygate is in order. It happens to also be located on Lane Avenue, just outside the Holiday Inn. Hineygate is the name of the several officially sponsored tailgate parties that take place before and after every OSU home football game. Nationally renowned by the likes of ESPN as "one of the best parties in all college football," Hineygate's reputation and the size continues to grow expecting up to 17,000 people per game.

After taking in a couple of beers at Hineygate, you should head 2 blocks west over to The Varsity Club, a.k.a "The V.C." Follow your nose to the sweet, stench of $2 beers and an indoor/outdoor bar filled with alumni and buckeye fans alike. The inside of the bar serves food as well. Outside, there are often bands playing in the back and a stage is set up for entertainment all day long. This party is a popular post-game hang out as well. There are TV's inside if you choose to watch the game from there, and stop your tailgating journey. If you are still up for some more partying, head South over to the parking lot outside the Shoe for some tail gates in closer proximity to the stadium.

Because open container laws apply in Columbus, it is not recommended you walk with your beer on the street, as you could get arrested-a buzz kill for any football game. Once in the main parking lot, you will find 500 or more mini-tailgating parties. These are the purists, partying right out of the back of their car. Sure, you will see RV's bigger than the average apartment, equipped with all the modern amenities of home-sofa, bathroom, satellite T.V., Weber grills and appetizers galore. But, some of these tailgates will just be reserved for cars and the fans that fit inside of them. Nothing fancy, just a prime parking spot to mix and mingle with the other Buckeye die-hards pre-game. These spots don't come cheap though and are only available if you buy a season pass. Season parking spaces were sold out completely in 2004. Tuttle Park Place parking garage, which is a multi-level tower of tailgating just across the street from Ohio Stadium, should be on your list just before you take in one last party before the game.

If you are fortunate enough to get a ticket and see the inside of Ohio Stadium, there are a couple of historical traditions to make note of. First, there is the "dotting of the 'I' during the band's formation of "Script Ohio." First performed during the 1936 season, Script Ohio is the most identifiable trademark associated with Ohio State Football and the Ohio State Marching Band. Today, in order to be eligible to dot the "I" in the word formation, a sousaphone player must at least be a fourth-year member of the marching band and the honor of dotting the "I" is known throughout the world.

Another football highlight is the playing of the song Hang on Sloopy. When a small rock group from Ohio named The McCoys recorded Hang On Sloopy in 1965, who would have guessed that decades later the song would become synonymous with Ohio State Football? Perhaps no one realized the potential of it when the band first played it at a game, but the truth is that the song has truly become an Ohio State phenomenon. Fans will shout "O-H-I-O" in unison and recreate the letter shapes with their arms following every chorus of "hang on sloopy, sloopy hang on…O-H-I-.O" During crucial game situations, timeouts and the end of the third quarter, you can count on hearing the tune as if a prayer.

Of all the seating areas in The Shoe, Block "O" is the most recognized. In 1938, head Ohio State Cheerleader, Clancy Isaac, established this student cheering organization which is still present at any home athletic game 66 years later. This section of seats is occupied by 1,300 members who exemplify the true meaning of bleeding scarlet and gray. Their job is to rally the crowd into participation. They hold signs, start chants and begin "the wave." If you get a chance to join in, it is not an experience you will soon forget.

But, above all stadium experiences and in order to really feel the sensation of Buckeye fever, you must be at your seat and standing at attention when the stadium rings with the sound spine tingling sound of Carmen Ohio, the school's oldest song. With lyrics written in 1906 and as its alma mater, no other song expresses better all the reasons that people love Ohio State; the friends you make here, the good times you have, the pride you feel, whether you're an Ohio State student or just a fan. Set to the Christian tune, Spanish Hymn, the sounds of Carmen Ohio bring a tear to the eye and a lump in the throat. As the last note is played, mood and intensity of the crowd changes.

From the South corner of Ohio Stadium, the team players dressed in their scarlet and grey uniforms run out from the tunnel with the power and intensity of a freight train full speed ahead on the tracks. The Buckeye powerhouses thrust forward crumpling and tearing through the large paper banner held by the cheerleaders while Brutus Buckeye is running the circumference of the stadium waving his giant nylon OSU flag, the music from the band crescendos and the crowd goes wild, launching their players into the game destined for a Buckeye victory.

Now that's what a game day Saturday in Columbus is all about.

OSU Tailgating Essentials:
1.) Attend a Skull Session
2.) Have a brat and beer on the street corner for lunch
3.) Have a buckeye chocolate candy for dessert
4.) Buy a homemade buckeye necklace
5.) Go to Hineygate (keep your plastic cup)
6.) Stop by Tuttle Park Place Tailgate garage
7.) Find your place in Ohio Stadium and watch Script Ohio

Recent Championships:
2002 National Collegiate Football Champions

2005 Schedule:
September
Sat. 9/3 MIAMI (OHIO) Noon
Sat. 9/10 TEXAS 8pm
Sat. 9/17 SAN DIEGO ST. 3:36pm
Sat. 9/24 IOWA TBA
October
Sat. 10/1 Bye
Sat. 10/8 at Penn State 7/7:45pm
Sat. 10/15 MICHIGAN ST. TBA
Sat. 10/22 at Indiana TBA
Sat. 10/29 at Minnesota TBA
November
Sat. 11/5 ILLINOIS TBA
Sat. 11/12 NORTHWESTERN TBA
Sat. 11/19 at Michigan TBA

Where to park:
For more information about Ohio State traffic and parking please visit the web site at: www.tp.ohio-state.edu

About Hineygate:
Holiday Inn's INN on the LANE
http://www.610wtvn.com
www.innonthelane.com
328 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
Phone: 614-294-4848
Fax: 614-294-5366

About Varsity Club:
Varsity Club
278 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 299-6269

About the Ohio State University:
www.osu.edu