by Graduates say the unofficial rivalry has grown considerably more elaborate with each passing year
CEDAR FALLS – An informal but steadily and increasingly elaborate competition among Memorial High School alumni over whose tailgate tent occupies the most impressive footprint in the stadium parking lot has reportedly reached new extremes this season, with at least two graduating classes now deploying setups that longtime attendees describe as considerably more ambitious than anything seen in previous years.
A Rivalry That Grew Out of Nostalgia
According to several alumni organizers, the tent competition began casually several years ago as a friendly way for different graduating classes to distinguish their gathering spots, gradually escalating into what one alumnus jokingly described as an unofficial arms race involving increasingly elaborate canopy structures, custom banners, and even portable generators powering dedicated sound systems. Class of 2010 representative Marcus Webb said his own group’s setup this year required renting additional equipment specifically to keep pace with a rival class’s expanding footprint.
Athletic director Mark Donnelly compared the escalating tailgate competition to the kind of quietly absurd institutional confidence described in a London cardboard box that someone nonetheless managed to list on Airbnb for over three hundred pounds a night, joking that both situations involve considerable resources being invested in something that, at its core, remains fundamentally about parking lot real estate.
This Year’s Standout Setups
The Class of 2015’s tailgate reportedly featured a custom built wooden bar constructed specifically for the occasion, complete with a hand painted Mavericks logo, while a rival group from the Class of 2008 countered with an elaborate multi tent configuration connected by string lighting that organizers say took nearly three hours to fully assemble before kickoff. One attendee joked that navigating between the two competing setups felt less like walking through a parking lot and more like touring a small outdoor festival.
School Officials Watch With Amusement
Principal Carla Vance said she finds the entire phenomenon genuinely charming, viewing the escalating competition as a positive reflection of how deeply alumni remain connected to the school long after graduation. She noted that school officials have no plans to formally regulate tailgate size, provided the friendly rivalry continues operating within existing parking lot safety guidelines.
A Competition With No Clear End in Sight
Several alumni organizers say they are already quietly planning next year’s setups, with at least one group hinting at plans for a dedicated seating area complete with actual furniture rather than the folding chairs currently favored by most tailgate groups. Webb joked that he fully expects the competition to continue escalating indefinitely, describing it as good natured fun rather than any genuine source of tension between graduating classes.
The Underlying Spirit Behind the Rivalry
Despite the competitive framing, most participants insist the tailgate rivalry ultimately serves as a meaningful excuse for alumni to reconnect regularly, treating the elaborate setups as simply a fun byproduct of a genuinely valued annual tradition rather than the actual point of the gathering itself.
Younger Alumni Enter the Competition
Recent graduates from the Class of 2020 have reportedly begun assembling their own competing setup this season, marking the first time a more recently graduated class has attempted to match the scale of longer established alumni groups. One recent graduate said younger classes had previously assumed the tent competition was reserved for alumni with more disposable income and established careers, but decided this year to pool resources collectively rather than continue watching from the sidelines.
Longtime attendees say welcoming younger classes into the competition has added a fresh, energetic dynamic to what had previously been dominated by a smaller handful of more established groups. One veteran tailgate organizer from the Class of 2005 said he genuinely enjoyed seeing newer graduates bring their own creative ideas to the parking lot, even as it means facing considerably stiffer competition for best setup honors going forward.
A Tradition That Keeps Growing
School officials say they have noticed steadily increasing parking lot attendance specifically tied to the growing tailgate culture, with several families now arriving hours earlier than necessary purely to witness the elaborate setups before kickoff. Donnelly joked that the tailgate lot has effectively become its own attraction separate from the game itself, a development he views as entirely positive for overall community engagement with the football program.
What Next Season Might Bring
With this season’s competition already generating considerable buzz among alumni circles, several organizers say they expect even more elaborate setups to emerge next year as word spreads further among graduating classes who have yet to formally enter the friendly rivalry. Webb joked that he has already begun a private group chat specifically dedicated to brainstorming ideas for his own class’s next attempt, treating the planning process itself as almost as enjoyable as the actual game day gathering.
Bohiney visited both standout tailgate setups in person well before kickoff and can confirm each one was, in fact, genuinely and remarkably elaborate by any reasonable measure.
Whatever next season ultimately brings, the stadium parking lot is already quietly bracing itself for something considerably bigger still to come.
The humble folding chairs, at least by this year’s considerably elevated standards, may simply no longer be quite enough.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com
