As Buckeye football season draws nigh, so, too, do mountains of recommendations when it comes to game-day dining.
Tailgate grilling. Watch party snacks. Team-spirit spirits. Thematic entrees designed to take shots at the opposing team. Endless ways to incorporate the chocolate-and-peanut-butter buckeye flavor into other foods.
There’s nothing wrong with any of those things, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with a wise word or two from an experienced tailgater or devout fan. But there’s more to a successful game-day experience than food.
We reached out to some folks connected to The Ohio State University in various ways for advice, and they delivered on a variety of useful topics.
Timing
I’ve been tailgating for almost 20 years now, and I actually met my husband, Paul, at a tailgate party in the old Holiday Inn on Lane Avenue after Ohio State lost to Michigan in November 2000. … My personal advice is to plan to arrive early on game day – at least four hours before kickoff at a minimum and earlier for night games, so that you can get a good tailgate spot and have plenty of time to enjoy food, family and friends before the game starts.
–Eileen Scahill, media relations, OSU Wexner Medical Center
Parking
Park in the garages on the south or east sides of campus. They’re easy to get to from the less-crowded I-71, they don’t fill up as fast and the walk to and from Ohio Stadium takes you through the Oval and past the library, which is far superior to the endless parking lots of west campus.
–Amanda Hoffsis, director, Campus Partners for Community Urban Redevelopment
Tradition
My friends and I really don’t tailgate, but we do have our rituals. For home games, we usually gather at Dick’s Den before and after, and usually eat at the Blue Danube before or after depending on if it is a noon, 3:30 or night game. … In the rare instances when OSU loses, the rituals are discarded and we likely just head to our respective homes to stare at ourselves in the mirror for a few hours, wondering about the meaning of life.
–Dave Filipi, director of film and video, Wexner Center for the Arts
Tailgate Alternatives
For me, my spot is always the Varsity Club on game days. … People are literally crammed into every square inch (and overflowing outside), but it’s the best place to visit before, during and, especially, after a big game.
–Randy Dineen, career prep advisor, Arts and Sciences Career Services
Company
I am new to tailgating at OSU, but I really enjoyed hanging with so many friends at the Continental Office tailgates last year. They always had the right mix of food (City Barbeque) and drinks, along with great friendship.
–Doug Ulman, president and CEO, Pelotonia
Team Spirit
I’ll visit my new 66-foot-by-22-foot digital mural at Gateway Plaza first, then paint my face like an OSU warrior, gear up and drink up in the sea of scarlet and gray. When in Rome? When in Columbus!
–Ryan Orewiler, Gateway Plaza mural artist
Protecting Your Voice
Dr. Arick Forrest
Anyone who’s ever been to a raucous sports game – or the pre-game and/or post-game celebrations – knows the unfortunate reality of waking up the next morning hoarse from shouting.
Many people accept it as a natural consequence, but that loss of voice is not a necessity – and may, over time, lead to permanent damage. Dr. Arick Forrest, a voice disorders specialist at the OSU Wexner Medical Center, has advice for Buckeye fans – and superfans of all teams – who want to keep their voices intact for the next day and the next few decades.
The first step is spotting the signs early, before the damage – even temporary damage – becomes impossible to ignore.
“You will start to hear a slight raspiness to your voice and feel like you are straining to get the sound to come out,” says Forrest. “If you pay attention to your body and stop yelling, you will save your voice.”
Hoarseness that lasts more than 24 hours may indicate damage beyond your average swelling, he says.
“If you are losing your voice or having extended hoarseness, you may need speech therapy or medical help to correct it, because if you keep repeating it, you are going to eventually cause permanent damage to your voice box,” says Forrest. “Even with surgery, there are only certain things we can correct. The key is to prevent the injury in the first place.”
Forrest’s advice for enthused fans includes:
- Drink water before and during the game to keep vocal cords moist.
- Plan five to 10 minutes of “quiet time” during a game to rest your voice. If you feel your voice getting strained or if you hear a “pop,” stop yelling immediately.
- “Warm up” vocal cords first before screaming. Vocal cords are muscles and need to warm up. Think about runners; they don’t go from sitting to sprinting without jogging first.
- Practice “vocal hygiene,” such as drinking a lot of water and talking quietly, to help prevent long-term and permanent damage if a problem does occur.
- Avoid whispering if you have vocal damage. Whispering is even worse than talking and causes more stress to the vocal cords than soft, conversational speaking.
- Avoid talking, as much as possible, as well as caffeine, alcohol and cigarette smoke or other harmful chemicals, if your voice box is irritated.
- Work with a speech therapist to learn proper breath support, particularly if you are a cheerleader or a serious sports fan.
Garth Bishop is managing editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
