Not many people had delusions of Ball State University becoming a football powerhouse or even becoming consistently respectable. But the past two seasons, during which we had a decent team and then a good team, made Homecoming Week about more than lip syncing awful (-ly fun) music from the 1980s and wheeling beds.
But events like Air Jam and the Bed Races are the biggest Homecoming traditions we have. The week should be about filling Emens Auditorium to watch your friends pretend to butcher our favorite songs. It should be about lining Riverside Avenue to watch costume clad groups drag race with custom bed frames. And people should be up for a little bit more partying than normal.
This is the only week of the year that we can go to a large social event every day of the week. Granted, the first part of the week's events will be tame. We don't want to be too worn out for classes. Bonfires are cool, talent shows are OK, but things will stay on the hook or chain or what have you until later in the week. But we can always have extracurricular fun.
Toward the weekend, when the staples of Homecoming Week happen - Air Jam, Bed Races and tailgating - things will probably be crazier and more fun. If you've never been to any Homecoming events or haven't been involved in general, now is the time. Go to these events. Eat, drink and be merry. This is probably the closest thing to going to a "real" school that you see on TV and in movies with the lack of consequences and gratuitous nudity.
Then Saturday, you can nurse your hangovers with more booze, see the parade and go tailgating before the game. Despite the noon game time, students will still flock to the intramural fields. Rather than drinking to forget, they'll hope to prevent any chance their brain will even register what takes place at the football game out of fear the team's winless streak will continue. It'll be a good cap to a fun week.
Don't let the week pass without doing at least a few things fun and out of the ordinary. It's the only one we'll have all semester. Make the best of it.
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