I was in Publix at 10:30 in the morning when I picked up on the intensity that accompanies the phrase “Gator Nation.” The grocery store was a sea of orange and blue, flooded with students picking out what beer they wanted to be their liquid courage for game day in the Swamp. I had to wonder when the last time these students woke up that early on a Saturday. I knew it was going to be a great day from that point on.
Despite the gloomy weather, Gator fans started their game day experience eight hours before kickoff. What does one even do for eight hours (without getting bored)? The thought of that is actually mind boggling.
However, with the hype that surrounds this year’s Florida football team, so does the hype in Gainesville. Fraternities started their day drinking early in the morning, the streets began to clutter and cop cars began to line up out of the stadium. Mind you, at this point we still haven’t reached noon.
As the day continued, the streets flooded with people, University Avenue shut down and the fraternities were at full capacity – all this hoopla for a football game against an unranked team.
When it came time for the game, I was amazed to see the entire Swamp filled up and the fans remain in their seats through the rain. Think about it – we were playing UMass (a team whose record was 3-9 last year), and it was raining the entire first half. Despite the external forces, the fans were more alive than ever.
As a student-athlete and a member of a sorority, I had the opportunity to experience two completely different environments during the game: the athlete section and the sorority/ fraternity block. The athlete section is always full, because you can imagine that they’re really into sporting events. In the previous seasons, however, many of the student sections have had a hard time filling up and staying packed (especially in the rain during a game that is insignificant to many). However, this time was different. The student section looked like a pack of sardines. It was truly a sight to see!
In both sections, I asked my fellow Gator fans a simple question: What are you most excited for on gameday?
In the sorority and fraternity block, I was surprised by the responses. Although I have nothing against Greek life, I expected to hear negative retorts about our football team. However, the responses I heard were all genuine: “I feel like the quarterback’s head is really in the game” and “I feel like it’s going to be a good season.” One student suggested that we’re going to “win it all.” Talk about a day and night difference in our students’ Gator pride!
Just as I anticipated, the student-athletes had more personal answers. My teammate Ryan Schnulle replied with “I’m here to support the Gators… all Gator sports. It’s nice because we know how hard each other have worked. We respect the football team. We know how hard we’ve worked, and we know they’ve worked just as hard as us.” Nick Uruburu, another student-athlete responded, “I feel like we’re all a family. You know, there’s the Gator Nation, but the student-athletes at UF, you know, we’re all a family. We support each other and just want success for all of us.”
Hearing these responses from fellow student-athletes warmed my heart. Even the responses from the regular students were better than those in the year’s past.
After a gameday experience like this one, I have the comfort of knowing that we’re not just a school, we’re a family, and the meaning behind “Gator Nation” remains tried-and-true.
