This is a piece I'm writing for our twice/month meeting from my Guided Autobiography class. We picked our theme as 'Food'. I've written about parts of this previously but here's a new version. The pictures are all from the softball alumni weekend reunion in 2008. This piece increasingly featured Grant so I lead off with his picture. Then the fruit we prepared in the hotel room and a shot of the alumni tailgate on University Street in front of Howe field with Grant cooking in the center background.
Softball tailgating
My husband and I have never tailgated before football games. In fact, we've never gone to football games. And I was a bit vague on what it all entailed.
However we have participated in Pac 10 sports as parent of an athlete. My daughter, Susanna, played softball for the University of Oregon 2004-2007, acting as Assistant coach in 2008. Fun! We went a lot and enjoyed our role as parents. Especially towards the end, we wanted to strengthen the parent community; you can be a lot more effective if you work together. We started an email notification list and how about getting together? One parent, Grant, had the whole tailgating getup, the big SUV, a large homemade grill with tables, chairs, containers. He even could set up omelets with small burners and pans.
This year, I've taken a part-time job working as game day staff (usher) at the University of Washington football games. Walking in through the parking lot 3.5 hours before the game and out an hour or so after the game, I see a LOT (like hundreds) of tailgate gatherings in the parking lot. However they all seem private. Nobody asks me to join them as I walk out in my usher shirt. And it's all fans. The O-line is not out there searching for lunch and Coach Sark is not grilling.
Back 3 years; we decided to start a softball tailgate in Eugene centering around Grant's setup. We chose to be out on the street outside the field, which actually is a city street with metered spaces. Another parent, Doris ,had organized a potluck the year before off of the street in the parking lot between Howe Field and Mac Court. But it involved too many permissions and rules. So we went rogue out there on the street, realizing we might have to feed the meters. Grant originally cooked up burgers though eventually we had more success with breakfast and omelets. I organized the rest (albeit vaguely) by emailing people to 'bring stuff'. We had success right from the start. I know Grant and his buddies probably were up for hours preparing food. We included all the families and soon the players, coaches, event staff and the field maintenance people participated. The place to be!
We would set up early in the morning. The players came by because they knew they could get a free breakfast. Grant served up omelets with cheese, vegetables, sausage and shrimp or similar. Often Pam Cook would make her fabulous cinnamon rolls. We had a lot of fruit (often that's what I did) which we sent into the team dugout for the game afterwards. Plus hashed browns and whatever else people brought. Soon Associate Head Coach J came out and manned the omelet pans with Grant. Parking enforcement looked the other way. Several people bragged that they had called the city people asking them to leave us alone.
One day, we commandeered the marketing staff's table. "Ah they don't need it". So when the marking people came out looking for their table, we offered them a muffin and they decided they would find another table as long as we brought it back. Mike, the world's greatest field maintenance guy, fed his staff before the game at our tailgate. Afterward, the players and coaches came to eat the leftovers and hang out. It helped program morale a lot as, um, the team didn't win a lot of their Pac 10 conference games that year. But they always played better if we set up the tailgate.
Apparently I was the only one who could convince Grant to step up. One time, he caught up to me in the stands.
"You know, I'm just too tired and it might rain, so maybe we should just forget it"
"Grant" I countered "I've told everybody we're tailgating at the UCLA game, so we've got to show up. We can't just not do it. Besides it won't rain"
"It won't rain?" he presses. He wants to flake and I'm not letting him.
"No, it's not going to rain" I say confidently. I know nothing of the forecast, I just want Grant to come through. We both know that rain squalls constantly swirl around in the Willamette Valley in the spring.
We spend a few seconds glaring at each other. I don't blink.
"Oh, oKAY!", he says annoyed and exasperated, stomping off.
Another time, I walked into the stands and a big dad breathlessly came up to me handing me his phone...
"You've GOT to talk to Grant!"
"Grant, are we still on for tomorrow?"
"Nah, I just can't do it, you can tailgate without me."
"It's not the same without all you do"
"You can still do it"
"Ok, see you" I say"
But I hear he's planning something and the next day, he shows up all ready to go. Later, I'm eating with his wife Lovena
"I told him to say no", she says.
"He did tell me no" I reply as we both munch on our freshly made omelets.
Our crowning moment (besides senior day, of course) came at the alumni weekend. Becky Sisley, the first coach and still a real active fan has organized a softball player reunion weekend. "You aren't going to believe this, "Grant solemnly tells me "Becky wants a tailgate. We're official. We even have a BUDGET of $500. We've got to figure on feeding 100".
I'm stunned, we went from renegades to caterers, just like that?
A few weeks later, I corner Grant at a team function up here in Seattle, the Ducks were supposed to play the Huskys but got snowed out. After many evasive maneuvers, he finally talks to me.
"What are we going to do" I ask, a little panicked.
"Oh, oh, I think we've got to go with french toast and ham on the grill. We can't make that many omelets"
I say I will do the fresh fruit and ask Pam about the cinnamon rolls. I have to buy 30 pounds of fruit here in Seattle and bring it in the cooler. How else would I get it? Working at Susanna's house would be impossible. So, predictably, Dennis and I are up in a motel room late at night preparing fruit.
And don't underestimate Becky's influence. Early on Sunday morning, a truck rumbles up to our site along University Street. The driver gets out and mumbles "Becky said I should bring tables" and she starts unloading them and setting up. Soon other women show up "Becky said I should come and help", they say.
The Cooks come with their horse trailer from their beautiful farm outside the rural town of Elmira and unload their big barbecue and an elaborate home made shelter made for one of their daughter's weddings . That's when Dennis and I realized how crucial it is to own a horse trailer, not the horses, just the trailer. How had we not known this before?
It all came out great! All our tailgates did.
Our daughters are now several years out of the program. The parents of the current players will find their own way. But we loved our tailgating experience! Even Dennis has started looking at big outdoor cooking equipment and thinking about how we could also feed lots of people.
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