It is common knowledge that the tailgating culture of Penn State Football is incomparable when it comes to other universities and other sports, so why not have a competition for it? Saturday morning, eight members of the homecoming committee made their rounds to various tailgating lots to critique those tailgates that had chosen to enter the 2010 Homecoming Tailgate Competition.

Those that entered were judged in 4 categories: creativity, food, Penn State spirit, and overall.  Registration for the competition was free and the winner of each category went home with a $50 gift card to the Student Bookstore.

Overall, I saw some very unique tailgates, with everything from a Penn State ambulance to homemade pizza complete with Penn State logo. However, the most entertaining part was the hospitality of the tailgate hosts. Each one wanted to share their story and describe what all goes into their tailgate each week. As I listened to these stories, I picked up on some rules (some more specific to certain tailgates than others.)

Penn State Tailgating Rules

1. Tailgate food must be consumable while standing up, talking, and mingling amongst a crowd of fellow tailgaters. Additionally, while creativity is important, ultimately the most important aspects are appearance and taste.
2. If you buy an ambulance and paint the outside in a Penn State theme, you must remodel the inside to include a microwave, stove, and cots in order to tailgate at away games. (Yes, this vehicle actually exists.)
3. A pot roast sundae includes beef as the ice cream, mashed potatoes as the whipped cream, gravy as the chocolate sauce, corn as the peanuts, and a carrot as the cherry.