Terriers take on tigers at their chaotic campus
Terriers take gameday seriously. During football season, fans gather on the city’s northern border, decked out in their own versions of football fashion to cheer on the Terriers. They park in a lot near campus and conveniently walk to tailgates. Students roll out of bed half an hour before they are expected in the Campus Life lot and every other person you pass exchanges a wave and smile. However, take a terrier off of its turf and it is a different story — one that reminds each of us how fortunate and thankful we are to call Wofford, and its conveniences, home.
Elizabeth Taylor, ‘22, was able to journey to Clemson, where she says the majority of her high school classmates attend, to watch the Terriers take on the Tigers. Taylor said, “I felt like it was great, but it was overwhelming and everywhere felt filled with a bunch of people no one knew. That is one thing I couldn’t handle if I were a student there, that disconnect between students, that I feel is present in every interaction on Wofford’s campus.”
As I myself wandered through the sea of orange and purple, slowly gaining the courage to venture farther from the tailgate, I could not help but notice tiny clusters of old gold and black peppered throughout the crowds. As my eyes focused from one Terrier to the next, I was able to make out faces. “I know them. I know them. I have English with her,” I thought as I wondered if the Tigers I was surrounded by could say the same.
According to the Wofford game recap, 81,500 people were in the stadium, which does not include those who tailgated. Grayson Loftis, ‘21, also attended the game, and said of his experience, “Clemson runs on football. It was 10 times busier than any NFL game I have ever been to.” Loftis also commented on how difficult parking was, saying“I thought parking was bad at Wofford.”
Another hallmark of the Wofford experience is that the majority of students live on campus, allowing them many advantages and conveniences that students at large universities do not have. Anna Pitney, ‘21, said, “I think it would bother me to have to live off campus; parking is really difficult and you often have to pay. I think the ability to be close to your friends at pretty much all times is something that is just not possible at Clemson. Wofford is so close knit and I think the environment we live in has a lot to do with that.”
Mary Hannah Willingham, ‘20, commented, “Ubering everywhere? No thank you! This weekend was an eyeopener.” Short walks and minimal human and vehicle traffic are a few of the things that Willingham says makes her thankful for the atmosphere that Wofford provides on and off gameday.
After an exhausting weekend navigating Death Valley, the Terriers were happy to return to their cozy doghouse, leaving the Tigers at their zoo. Tree-lined sidewalks, satisfactory parking and our friends down the hall, were all waiting for uswhen we returned to Wofford.