This post is sponsored by EA Sports NCAA Football 2011
I gotta be honest with you. I'm not real good at tailgating. Not because I don't know how to fire up the charcoal or because I don't have anyone to hang out with at the games. It's just I'm so superstitious that I pretty much go through the same routine every week on game day including wearing the same clothes every Saturday. Come on, Don't act like you don't have your own lucky Sooner shirt!
Only two home losses over the last decade stand in testimony to the, "if it ain't broke - don't fix it rule." So, game day has to be a routine and in my house its a fun one.
Home Game Routine
Mrs. CC Machine and I only have a set of tickets and two boys who try to position themselves to get mom's away from her. She usually concedes by letting them pick one game to attend and then the rest of the time its her and I. We've been married for sixteen years (bet you thought I was younger than that) and have basically had the same routine every year for attending home games.
Our crew of friends meet at one of my buddies houses about an hour and a half before kickoff and do some catching up on scores as well as grab a quick bite to eat and a bottle of water. Here's where I have a serious breakdown in my tailgating routine.
1) I don't want to be bothered with cooking anything before attending a home game.
2) I don't like eating anything before a home game.
Call me crazy but that's just the way I am. We have great friends with which we attend Oklahoma football games with and we love to hangout as much as possible before kickoff. We talk football, share stories from the week and enjoy the time together. We just usually don't eat a lot before going to the game.
Away Game Routine
Here's where it gets interesting. We're polar opposites when it comes to away games. We've gotta have food and lot's of it! Away games are for family time. My dad comes to the house as well as my wife's mom and we eat like crazy but we have to follow two simple rules.
1) All food has to be cooked before kickoff
2) No talking, during the game, about non-game related subjects.
The menu is usually the same every Saturday. I fire up the grill a few hours before kickoff and charcoal burgers, brats and chicken and then finish the outside cooking by steaming some sauerkraut. Inside we've got chips, dip, baked beans and some kind of sugar loaded dessert. We wash it all down with Dr. Pepper, water or my personal favorite sweet tea while enjoying the Sooners on the big screen. Sticking to my superstitions, I won't eat until halftime.
Well, that's me. I admit that my traditions aren't great but they're mine and I'm just fine with that. How about you. What are your tailgating traditions?