The time has finally come! We have been lucky to be able to have college football games this year, even if it has some restrictions. I went to the season opener last Saturday with UofSC against Tennessee, so I am going to share with you what to expect for the rest of the season.
Disclaimer: This post is specific to the University of South Carolina student ticketing process.
The Ticketing Process:
If you don’t know, University of South Carolina allows their students to attend football games for free. They have a ticket request process that is based off of the amount of points a student has. On a normal year, the student is given points based off of what year they are, and how many sporting events they have gone to (each event they attend is one point).
This year, the points are solely based on what year you are and whether or not you are a member of Gamecock Club (which you have to pay for). Additionally, if you are a returning student you get 20% of the points you had last year.
Seniority Points:
- Seniors – 8 points
- Juniors/Graduates – 6 points
- Sophomores – 4 points
- Freshmen – 3 points
Requesting the ticket:
Sadly, the University decided to limit students to one game a season. This allows everyone to get a chance to go to the game, but really sucks for the avid football fans.
To request a ticket, Students can go on the SC Rewards app to request their ticket from Monday at 9 am to Tuesday at 4 pm the week of the game. Then, they will get an email saying if they got the ticket or not on Wednesday morning and they must claim it before Thursday at 4 pm. Even if you get upper deck and wanted lower, you should claim your ticket because you could get upgraded. However, once you claim a ticket you have to go or you will lose your ticketing rights for the 2021 season.
FYI: While upper deck is offered to students, the student section is only in lower deck, so it is much harder to get.
Social Distancing Rules:
The biggest rule is that you must wear your mask when you are not in your seat. This means when entering, exiting, and walking around the concourse. They highly recommend that you wear a mask at your seat, but it is not enforced.
However, socially distancing from others is enforced in the stands. There are green circles on the stands of where you can sit in order to maintain a good amount of space. There were several security guards around monitoring that there were no large groups forming at the lower deck, but they had no problem with my small group of 4 standing together.
They also have people monitoring the bathroom so that you can’t go in until someone comes out.
Finally, there is only water and soda sold at the concessions in the student section. You are able to leave the student section to get food, but it is quite the hassle.
Even though the game is not the same, I highly recommend you go. All of the student in the stands were dancing and cheering from the top of their lungs because they were truly ecstatic to be there.
Tailgating:
It is no surprise that the Fraternity Lots hasn’t opened this season because it is essentially a mosh pit on a dirt lot, which doesn’t follow social distancing guidelines.
If you are at a house party, the likelihood of it getting busted for breaking social distancing is HIGH. Rental tenants have actually been losing their leases because of breaking the guidelines. This is because if the property owner doesn’t kick them out as a repercussion, the owner could lose their rental license. It’s a bit out of control if you ask me.
The University published these following guidelines about tailgating near the staduim:
- Athletics Department controlled lots will open two and a half hours prior to kickoff
- Athletics Department controlled parking spaces in Gamecock Park and Fairgrounds will only be available to patrons for the games in which they have purchased tickets
- Paid gameday parking will not be permitted in Gamecock Park or Fairgrounds
- Tents will be prohibited
- Tailgating, including grills, coolers and large buffet-style spreads, will be discouraged
- Large gatherings will be asked to disperse
- Face coverings will be encouraged to/from parking areas
That’s all the information I have on tailgating and football! Stay safe and healthy while cheering on the Gamecocks 🙂
