DALLAS- Oct. 17, 2009. Thousands of Oklahoma and Texas fans flock to Dallas every year for the continuous tradition of the Oklahoma Texas football rivalry. Students, alumni and locals make their way to the fairgrounds for the festivities, the corn dogs and the competitive spirit of the day. Almost every person is labeled with either the Longhorn or the Sooner logo and school chants are yelled throughout the fair.
With an 11:30 kickoff the challenge of the day becomes clear very soon; how to get to the fair in enough time to take in the atmosphere and make it into the stadium for kickoff. For University of Oklahoma junior Lanie Bishop, the day started early with an 8:00 a.m. alarm.
“My friends and I had a hotel room that was close to the Dart, a rail that goes through Dallas. We knew that we had our transportation taken care of but we still wanted to get out to the fair early enough to hang out before heading into the Cotton Bowl Stadium.” Bishop said.
Bishop and her friends made it to the Dart station which was connected to their hotel by 10:00 ready for the game. Bishop’s friend Jackie Lustig, another OU junior, shared her excitement for the day while waiting to board the Dart.
“It’s Lanie’s first time to go to the game so we wanted to make sure and get there early enough to get her a fried snickers or something before we go in and kill Texas!” Lustig said.
When the Dart finally arrived to the station the entire group of eight girls climbed on board and sat back for a quick ride to the fair grounds. One hour later, kick off had come and gone, the Sooners had points on the board, and the girls were still on the Dart.
The large amount of people in Dallas for the weekend made for a much longer journey than anticipated. Oklahoma and Texas fans found themselves stuck together on the never ending train ride. Cell phone updates allowed fans to keep up with the game and despite the disappointment of missing kick off, the Oklahoma and Texas fans made an atmosphere of pure rivalry in the compact Dart.
“It was a pretty intense ride, every time OU would make a good play some Sooner fan would yell out what happened and everyone in red would cheer; same with Texas. It was frustrating not knowing what was really going on but it made for an interesting experience.” Bishop said.
Despite the fact that the fans weren’t even to the fair yet, the train was split in half with red and orange. With every stop came 15-20 minutes of stand still and more and more fans would opt to get off and walk to the fair. While the girls considered making the walk, the fact that they were still three miles away put them right back on the Dart for more waiting.
Finally, the Dart made it to the fair grounds and for the first time all morning, every fan was cheering in unison; they were finally there. The doors opened and people went running for the stadium. Half of Bishop’s group ran with the large group from the train while Bishop and two others opted to stay behind and take in the day.
“It was my first OU Texas, I already missed kick off and I wanted to get the fair experience before running into the stadium.” Bishop said.
The girls were lucky to find short lines everywhere outside of the game. Getting tickets, corn dogs, turkey legs and seeing alligator amusements were all done in a fraction of the time due to everyone already being in the stadium. Frequently, a rumble of cheers would explode from the Cotton Bowl tempting the girls to save their tickets and run for the game.
Finally, Bishop was satisfied with her fair experience and the three Oklahoma juniors made their way to the stadium.
With no lines to get into the game it was only a matter of time before they were inside looking for their seats. Upper deck, five rows from the top, 50 yard line is where their ticket stubs led them and finally they were united with all of their college friends.
“I had never seen anything like the inside of the stadium. I had heard about how cool the game was but being there put it all into perspective. It was literally split down the 50 yard line with red and orange.” Bishop said.
The girls joined the game at a great time. Despite the fact that Bradford was already out, the Sooners were playing like champions and Texas was fighting for a chance.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Soundslides
The picture slide show represents a typical meal in a sorority house. It shows the process of getting lunch in the line, eating with friends, and cleaning up after the meal is complete. It is a casual system that caters to the hectic schedules that come with being in college.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My Midterm Story
OU/Texas; A Fraternity Experience
I am going to follow the weekend through the experience of two fraternity boys. I will include their trip down, the activities they participate in, the game and any traditions that come with it, their date party that takes place in Dallas, and any funny experiences that come along the way. I think this will be an entertaining story that puts a differnt angle on the weekend of OU/Texas.
I am going to follow the weekend through the experience of two fraternity boys. I will include their trip down, the activities they participate in, the game and any traditions that come with it, their date party that takes place in Dallas, and any funny experiences that come along the way. I think this will be an entertaining story that puts a differnt angle on the weekend of OU/Texas.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Big/Little; A Sorority Experience
One of the first things that come to mind when talking about sorority life is the age old tradition of Big/Little. No matter what the house, no matter what the school, the women participate in the event and share similar big sis revelations.
In the coming weeks at The University of Oklahoma, new member classes will be sporadically surprised with the event as they progress toward initiation into their sorority chapters. While the direct relationship is between the freshmen and sophomore pledge classes, the entire house is involved through an addition to their Big/Little family.
Despite the fact that women like Junior Kappa Alpha Theta member, Taylor Ronck, will not be receiving a little of her own this year, they still get excited for the event.
“Even though I don’t get my own little this year, I’m still excited to have an addition to the family. She will be my tie to the freshmen class…and she comes with meal points!” Ronck said.
Every house presents the night in a different way. Here at OU, all of the houses start the night as a surprise for their new members and end the night with matching family pajamas. One particular sorority, Delta Gamma, kicked off the campus wide Big/Little revelation last week.
The house led their new members on a fake campus wide photo shoot for their chapter’s magazine. When the girls arrived back at Delta Gamma they found all of the members singing to them and gifts that led them to their big sis’s.
Freshmen Delta Gamma member Andi Evenson enjoyed the evening, but looks forward to what is yet to come with her new family ties.
“Big/Little is such a great thing. I know my big will be in my life for a long time. I can’t wait for the memories we will make together in years to come.” Evenson said.
In the coming weeks at The University of Oklahoma, new member classes will be sporadically surprised with the event as they progress toward initiation into their sorority chapters. While the direct relationship is between the freshmen and sophomore pledge classes, the entire house is involved through an addition to their Big/Little family.
Despite the fact that women like Junior Kappa Alpha Theta member, Taylor Ronck, will not be receiving a little of her own this year, they still get excited for the event.
“Even though I don’t get my own little this year, I’m still excited to have an addition to the family. She will be my tie to the freshmen class…and she comes with meal points!” Ronck said.
Every house presents the night in a different way. Here at OU, all of the houses start the night as a surprise for their new members and end the night with matching family pajamas. One particular sorority, Delta Gamma, kicked off the campus wide Big/Little revelation last week.
The house led their new members on a fake campus wide photo shoot for their chapter’s magazine. When the girls arrived back at Delta Gamma they found all of the members singing to them and gifts that led them to their big sis’s.
Freshmen Delta Gamma member Andi Evenson enjoyed the evening, but looks forward to what is yet to come with her new family ties.
“Big/Little is such a great thing. I know my big will be in my life for a long time. I can’t wait for the memories we will make together in years to come.” Evenson said.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Delta Delta Delta Pancake Breakfast
Saturday, September 19, the women of Delta Delta Delta set aside their tailgating time to work for a greater cause. They all pulled together to put on their annual Tri Delta pancake breakfast. Members spent their morning greeting families and friends, collecting donations and serving pancakes.
All of their hard work went toward Tri Delta’s national philanthropy, the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This is a cancer research hospital which is dedicated to the research of children facing the battle with cancer.
The pancake breakfast resembled other Greek philanthropy efforts in that members of houses from all around campus came out to support the cause. Holding the breakfast on a game day helped make it a unique event. It gave parents and alumni the opportunity to participate in the morning.
Junior business major Kristy Macdonell shared how her passion for the foundation has made her past three pancake breakfasts something more than a required event.
“After meeting some of the children, it really touched my heart and made me more motivated to raise money and help the cause. Whether through my committees or through serving at the breakfast, it became less of a chore and more of a passion.” Macdonell said.
In the coming week, the Tri Delta house will total their raisings for the event and present the check to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This year’s breakfast was a big success and the women are expecting to exceed last year’s $4000 donation.
All of their hard work went toward Tri Delta’s national philanthropy, the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This is a cancer research hospital which is dedicated to the research of children facing the battle with cancer.
The pancake breakfast resembled other Greek philanthropy efforts in that members of houses from all around campus came out to support the cause. Holding the breakfast on a game day helped make it a unique event. It gave parents and alumni the opportunity to participate in the morning.
Junior business major Kristy Macdonell shared how her passion for the foundation has made her past three pancake breakfasts something more than a required event.
“After meeting some of the children, it really touched my heart and made me more motivated to raise money and help the cause. Whether through my committees or through serving at the breakfast, it became less of a chore and more of a passion.” Macdonell said.
In the coming week, the Tri Delta house will total their raisings for the event and present the check to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. This year’s breakfast was a big success and the women are expecting to exceed last year’s $4000 donation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
