shelbyvillevol
#MakeTNGreatAgain
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- Aug 25, 2011
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The last time the Vols visited Starkville, me and 3 of my buddies made the trek, and what unfolded was one of the most bizarre and surreal stories of fandom that the World has ever seen! (note: That's actually not true at all. It's just kind of a funny story that I wanted to tell)
It started the week before at the Georgia game. We had a large group in attendance, and most were expecting a Loss to the Bulldogs that day. (myself included) Well, the Vols laid an epic beatdown on UGA that day. On top of that, Trotline was playing at one of Strip bars that night, which made the entire weekend a purely blissful experience.
On Sunday morning, perhaps still a little drunk, I decided to check out eBay on a whim for tickets to the next week's game in Starkville. What I found were tickets so cheap it was embarassing. So I gobbled 4 of those sumbiches up, forgetting we had tickets to a concert in Nashville on Friday night.
Skip ahead to Friday. Instead of scrapping the concert and heading on down, we decide we're doing them both. So, the concert ends about midnight (we saw Corey Smith, for those interested) and head straight for Starkville, in hopes of finding a hotel somewhere along the way. Not only were the Vols playing in Starkville that day, but Bama was also playing in Oxford. Needless to say, finding a hotel room was futile. We get off the highway in Tupelo, in hopes of finding lodging, only to be shut down. We also get pulled over by some d-bag cop who proceeds to pull us all out of the car and hassle the hell out of us. (actually the cop was pretty cool, but making him out to be a d-bag enhances the story)
So, after seeking shelter and finding none, we book it on in to the outskirts of Starkville. We find a cozy dirt road behind the Waffle House to park, and get maybe 2 hours of sleep. 4 college aged guys in one of their girlfriends' Nissan Sentra. (tight quarters to say the least) No one got any sleep, other than myself. I slept like a baby because of my hidden talent of being a contortionist.
However, our sleep is interrupted by someone in a jacked-up pickup that comes hauling ass down that dirt road doing every bit of 80 mph. They couldn't have missed our car by more than a few inches. We then proceeded to get up and go grub at the Waffle House. Then we head on over to campus after we pick up our tailgating supplies. (weird tidbit: Not sure if it is a state law, or just in Starkville, but the gas stations can not sell Cold Beer. It can't be refrigerated. How scewed up is that?)
We get set up, and we tailgate hard, like we always do. Expecting to get some hostility from the home crowd, it was quite the opposite. I've never seen a more docile and indifferent fan base in my life. (probably not the case now)
The game itself isn't really anything special. The Vols come out a little flat, give up some big plays early, but straighten up and dominate the 2nd Half. But I tell you what, those damn cowbells are the biggest annoyance I've ever witnessed at a sporting event. The combination of cowbell, alcohol, and sleep deprivation provided everyone with massive headaches.
Being the hardasses that we are, we aren't spendind another night away from the comfort of our own beds. So we drive home, in a 1 hour increment rotation. I'm pretty sure everyone started to doze behind the wheel at some point. But we make it back to Shelbyville in one piece by late Saturday evening, weary as hell. It was a trip that I wouldn't reccomend, and I probably wouldn't even attempt it at my age now, but it was fun at the time. And it's a good story to tell. One thing is for sure: no one can question our dedication as Vols fans!
It started the week before at the Georgia game. We had a large group in attendance, and most were expecting a Loss to the Bulldogs that day. (myself included) Well, the Vols laid an epic beatdown on UGA that day. On top of that, Trotline was playing at one of Strip bars that night, which made the entire weekend a purely blissful experience.
On Sunday morning, perhaps still a little drunk, I decided to check out eBay on a whim for tickets to the next week's game in Starkville. What I found were tickets so cheap it was embarassing. So I gobbled 4 of those sumbiches up, forgetting we had tickets to a concert in Nashville on Friday night.
Skip ahead to Friday. Instead of scrapping the concert and heading on down, we decide we're doing them both. So, the concert ends about midnight (we saw Corey Smith, for those interested) and head straight for Starkville, in hopes of finding a hotel somewhere along the way. Not only were the Vols playing in Starkville that day, but Bama was also playing in Oxford. Needless to say, finding a hotel room was futile. We get off the highway in Tupelo, in hopes of finding lodging, only to be shut down. We also get pulled over by some d-bag cop who proceeds to pull us all out of the car and hassle the hell out of us. (actually the cop was pretty cool, but making him out to be a d-bag enhances the story)
So, after seeking shelter and finding none, we book it on in to the outskirts of Starkville. We find a cozy dirt road behind the Waffle House to park, and get maybe 2 hours of sleep. 4 college aged guys in one of their girlfriends' Nissan Sentra. (tight quarters to say the least) No one got any sleep, other than myself. I slept like a baby because of my hidden talent of being a contortionist.
However, our sleep is interrupted by someone in a jacked-up pickup that comes hauling ass down that dirt road doing every bit of 80 mph. They couldn't have missed our car by more than a few inches. We then proceeded to get up and go grub at the Waffle House. Then we head on over to campus after we pick up our tailgating supplies. (weird tidbit: Not sure if it is a state law, or just in Starkville, but the gas stations can not sell Cold Beer. It can't be refrigerated. How scewed up is that?)
We get set up, and we tailgate hard, like we always do. Expecting to get some hostility from the home crowd, it was quite the opposite. I've never seen a more docile and indifferent fan base in my life. (probably not the case now)
The game itself isn't really anything special. The Vols come out a little flat, give up some big plays early, but straighten up and dominate the 2nd Half. But I tell you what, those damn cowbells are the biggest annoyance I've ever witnessed at a sporting event. The combination of cowbell, alcohol, and sleep deprivation provided everyone with massive headaches.
Being the hardasses that we are, we aren't spendind another night away from the comfort of our own beds. So we drive home, in a 1 hour increment rotation. I'm pretty sure everyone started to doze behind the wheel at some point. But we make it back to Shelbyville in one piece by late Saturday evening, weary as hell. It was a trip that I wouldn't reccomend, and I probably wouldn't even attempt it at my age now, but it was fun at the time. And it's a good story to tell. One thing is for sure: no one can question our dedication as Vols fans!
