Q: What time do you start tailgating for games?
Volleyball times vary, day and night, but typically we want to have at least 1 1 / 2 to two hours to enjoy everyone. The football games we are usually set up around 5:00-5:30 p. m. for a 7 p. m. kickoff.
Q: What is some tailgating equipment that you can’ t live without?
Nowadays for us it would be our tailgating trailer. I’ d also say a grill, tables and chairs, footballs and volleyballs to toss around, and radio and TV to watch other sporting events, if possible. With streaming technology now, we try to pull up older Providence games and have them playing on our TVs, if possible.
Q: What makes tailgating fun?
Family and friends. It’ s great to catch up with friends that we haven’ t seen in awhile.( Also) watching the next generation of Pioneers running around playing football or hitting volleyball in their game jerseys. What makes Providence tailgating so special and great is it’ s a family event!
Q: What do you not like about it?
Obviously, it does take some work to get set up and break down, but it’ s worth the effort in the long run. The memories we are making are worth all the effort. When we are with our friends that were part of tailgating back in the late‘ 90s, there always seems to be one or two stories reminiscing about the good ole days.
Q: How much planning goes into your setup?
For us personally, my wife and I built our tailgating trailer for our 20th anniversary. This allows us to keep our tailgating supplies all in one place. Obviously we have the cooking( to plan), based on how many people we are expecting and we may have to restock some items or gas up the generators. We always say:‘ We’ ve never lost a tailgate.’
Q: Do you cook everything yourself or is it a group effort?
It varies on who and how many are expecting to make it out. Usually, everyone brings something to contribute.
PAGE NO. 22 NEWS AND TRIBUNE SPORTS MAGAZINE NOV / DEC 2025