I Became A Gamecock For A Day

Most people put skydiving, bungee jumping or traveling to some exotic place high on their bucket list. But mine’s always been a bit different. 

For as long as I can remember, it has been on my bucket list to attend a game at every SEC stadium. Until this year, the only one I have been able to check off is my home turf of Neyland Stadium. This weekend, however, I was able to see South Carolina beat Kentucky for the first time in five years at Williams-Brice Stadium (affectionately called Willy B.) I arrived in Columbia clad in garnet and black, only because my Vols had a bye week.

3:30 p.m. Sweat begins to collect on my forehead as we begin the trek to the stadium and continues to roll down my face the remainder of the day. I had been informed that Columbia, S.C. is the hottest city in the South, a statement I believed but did not fully grasp until I experienced it.

4:00 p.m. We stand in line at a packed Bojangles near the stadium where they are charging $2.41 for a large water. Sawyer and I get our meals and water and go outside to escape the madness. Outside, we sit at umbrella-covered tables that do not protect from any of the sun’s rays. A two-man band plays “Wagon Wheel” on a stage in the parking lot. 

4:30 p.m. After eating, we go to the backside of the stadium that will protect us from the sun. We stay there and people-watch until the gates open at 6 p.m. 

6:00 p.m. Both event staff and fans approach the gates from either side like they are meeting for a face-off. We chat with a Gamecock fan about the season, and he brings up my beloved Vols. I have to defend myself and my team from his harsh words. 

We finally make it inside the stadium after the sweet old lady scans our mobile tickets. Teenagers in yellow shirts hand us white towels printed with a garnet family weekend graphic. We walk halfway up the winding ramp and find a spot to look out over the stadium. For the first time, I see the inside of Willy B in all of its glory. The sun is beating down on our seats, so we stay here until it hides behind the press box. 

I’m not sure o’clock We climb the rest of the ramp and head to our seats. A pit stop for water is in order since it feels like 120 degrees. The ascent to our seats begins, and I feel like I’m climbing Mt. Everest. I spent the summer in the Mile High City of Denver, but my shortness of breath says otherwise. 

We reach our destination four rows from the top. But the view is beautiful. The sun is setting behind the press box directly across from us. I can see all of Columbia from here: tall buildings, palmetto trees, swarms of people still outside the stadium. I watch the ant-like players warm up on the field below us.

A little before 7:30 p.m. The crowd rises for the invocation and the national anthem. Fireworks explode from the jumbotron at the conclusion of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” While still assembled in the shape of the palmetto, the Mighty Sound of the Southeast plays the alma mater. Fans raise their arms in salute, all making a “C” with their hands.

The band contorts themselves into different shapes and plays a few more songs before getting in position for the team’s entrance. Deebo Samuel, former South Carolina wide receiver, is introduced as the “celebrity starter;” the celebrity starter gets the honor of leading the Gamecock chant in which one side of the stadium yells, “Game!” while the other side responds, “Cocks!” All the while, the main theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey” plays in the background. At the end, the players emerge from the tunnel along with smoke and sparks. The gamecock (or “the dang rooster” as I have been raised to call it) crows over the loudspeaker. I’ve heard it called the greatest entrance in college football, but I have to disagree and say that running through the “T” at Neyland is the best. 

7:30 p.m. The electronic sounds of “Sandstorm” exit the speakers. The white towels given to us at the gates jump up to the rhythm all over the stadium. They all gather in the air as the crowd chants, “USC! USC!” It’s kickoff time.

Rest of the game I watched the game, but I’m gonna be honest. I don’t remember the plays or what happened on the field besides a few milked injuries, the fact that Kentucky gained about two yards compared to Carolina, and the Gamecocks won 24-7, giving them their first win in five years. 

I do remember some guy in our section getting kicked out for puking everywhere, the annoying people on our row that yelled the whole time (and didn’t know what they were yelling about half the time,) and the beginning of the third quarter when the whole stadium stood (Kentucky fans included) to raise 3 fingers in honor of Ryan Hilsinki’s, Carolina’s quarterback, brother who commited suicide (both brothers have worn the number three). 

As much as I love Neyland, Willy B gave it a run for its money. I was with one of the most involved crowds I’ve ever been in. Whether that was because the Kentucky game is such a big deal or the level of participation is normal, I’m not sure. But I do know the program does a dang good job of getting fans hyped up with anything from their media (probably one of the best in the country) to the traditions that get the fans engaged in the game. 

Two SEC stadiums down, 12 to go. They just mean more.