It’s coming. For many of us, this moment has been dreamt about since we were freshmen. Now, it’s a mere three weeks away. Will we survive? Will we make it all the way, Thursday through Sunday? There’s no real way of knowing, we can only hope. And prepare. And Pray.
In fact, I do believe preparation cannot be stressed enough. We must take this journey seriously, as if we were that freshman, making his/her walk of shame back from Foster for the first time. It takes mental toughness. It takes courage. It takes strength, creativity, and a liver made of steal. After all, we’ll be on their turf.
It’s the “Holy War on Wheels.” Or as a BC class of 2011 alum says, “It’s the Mods on Wheels. Straight up RAGEFEST.”
Yes, it’s Notre Dame weekend.
So, BC, if you’re like me, your RV is booked and ready to go. Your Facebook thread of organizing the trip is written, read, and getting too long, and whenever you think about the weekend, you kind of want to pee your pants.
It’s a weekend that previous goers have called their favorite experience at Boston College. It’s a weekend that will undoubtedly go down in the books as one of the wildest trips we’ve ever made. It’s a weekend of extreme, excess, and absurdity in the best ways possible. So, BC, let’s go prepared. Let’s go prepared for anything to happen: on the rink, on the field, and perhaps most importantly, in our RV’s.
(Yes, on the rink. If you’ve been living under a rock, our insanely good hockey team is playing ND that Friday night in South Bend, and the tickets have been sold out forever.)
So, here are some helpful tips from alumni who have made the trip in the past.
1. Expect something to go wrong with your group
“I.e. two of my RV members caught Swine Flu the day before our departure so we obviously had to find replacements. So if you are a duo/trio looking to hop on board an RV, look for cancelations because Swine Flu and last-minute papers that are 50% of your grade do happen.” – An ND RV-er Class of 2011
2. Discuss driving shifts
“Talk about who will be driving which shifts ahead of time. It’ll let everyone plan their nap times and other on-board activities. Make sure you break up the shifts based on when everyone feels comfortable driving.” – An ND RV-er Class of 2011
2b. Driving Option Two: Get Drivers!
My group of friends and I believe we hit the jackpot with this category. Our friends and BC alumni, class of 2011, RV-ed to ND their junior years and volunteered to be our drivers! This way, they know what to do and where to go… and we don’t have to worry about having tired brains behind the wheels.
3. Pick a good time of departure
“BC kids will be leaving for ND throughout the day on Thursday- some leaving earlier and some leaving later. That said, yes it’s better to leave a little earlier.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
4. Pick up your RV, and go, go, go!
“The spots to park an RV at BC are very limited. I remember it being something along the lines of less than a dozen available spots. So, don’t count on that. Ideally you want to have the RV picked up right around the time you want to leave. To make things easier, designate a meet-up spot for everyone to be at where we’ll double-park, load the van, and head to South Bend.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
5. One person should co-pilot
“There’s nothing more boring than driving for four hours straight while everyone ishaving wrestling matches in the suite behind you. You will need a co-pilot to keep you entertained and awake.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
6. Mods on Wheels
“Set up camp in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Sounds sketchy, but it’s all of Boston College camped out in America’s Largest Retailer. Really can’t go wrong.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
7. Get to the tailgating field with ample tailgating time
You didn’t drive all the way to South Bend, Indiana only to rush your tailgate! A past ND RV-er said that his year, “it was a 3:30 game, so everyone was tailgating by 10:00 or 11:00, and there are a ton of lots around the stadium… BC folk are even friendlier if they see a fellow BC fan in enemy territory. Make some friends!”
8. DON’T MISS THE GAME!
Sure, we all know tailgating is going to be amazing, but get your butts to the game to root on our boys!
BC alumna class of 2011 says, “I loved being in the student section with my fellow BCers. You thought we were passionate at alumni, I’ve never seen such ethusiam before. You get goosebumps as your sense of school pride swells.”
9. Don’t forget the postgame tailgate!
“Regardless if we win or lose, there WILL be tailgating to follow. And for those who start to leave, reiterate that.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
10. Find the South Bend bars
“Bars in South Bend are really fun… BC students took over and “For Boston” was heard echoing around the bar at least twice.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
*If you’re making the trek, you best learn every lyric to our fight song…
11. BC PD… ND PD… watch out!
“Security on game day was terrible, many a person was arrested for no real reason outside the stadium, so people should try to pull it together for the walk into the stadium at least.” – An experienced ND RV-er, class of 2011
One BC aluma had fantastic words to say about the tailgating experience, as it turns out, the atmosphere might not be quite as hostile as we expect!
“I have to give Notre Dame credit,” she says. “We like to bash them, but as a hosting school, their tailgating community was very welcoming. I honestly expected more of an Ohio State atmosphere, where people are extrememly territorial of their tailgates–even to their own kind, but Notre Dame’s alumni and students were much more fun and engaging. They mercilessly teased and chanted at us, but opened their tailgates to us and our retaliations. Some even challenged those that were 21 to drinking competitions. It was a great atmosphere.”
Things you will need and may forget:
First Aid Kit (yeah, yeah, that’s your mom talking… but injuries happen)
Water (for drinking, and just in case your tank runs out that flushes your toilet)
iPod hook up (it’s a 15 hour ride)
Camera charger
Phone charger
Cash
Video camera
Hand sanitizer
Dry shampoo (showers don’t really happen)
Cups
If you’re a freshman or sophomore and can’t make it this year, be sure to try again the next time around! BC alumna class of 2011 says, “it sounds so cliche but it was one of my greatest experiences at BC and I would tell anyone that they absolutely have to go. I don’t care what it takes. Even though it doesn’t cost that much, if you’re worried about money, start saving a year in advance. You need to go.”
Sounds good to me! If you’re making the trek, be safe, be loud, and be sure to find us in the RV lot!
See you there!
Photo Sources:
http://www.hep.nd.edu/howgethere.html
http://www.azrvsupercenter.com/Default.asp
http://www.south-bend-today.com/tailgating-at-the-notre-dame-stadium/
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