Stepping out of my Comfort Zone: Tailgating at Arrowhead Stadium
LONG TIME FAN
I’ve been a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs team for thirty years. Steve DeBerg was the quarterback when I first began following them steadily in 1988. I was only twenty one years old when I became a fan for life. My (then) husband and I used to have our own little “tailgate parties” when we attended the games at Arrowhead Stadium. I recall that this usually consisted of a little disposable charcoal grill, some hot dogs, chips, and a six pack of beer. The last Chiefs game that I attended was in 1994, and Joe Montana was the quarterback. My biggest memory of that game was the fact that it was so cold I couldn’t feel my feet for a week. Oh, yes, also..my friend Brenda’s nachos. She ordered nachos, and by the time we got back to our seats, the cheese was frozen. It wasn’t just a little crusty on top, it was frozen solid!
FAST FORWARD 24 YEARS…
Joe Montana is no longer the quarterback, and I am no longer in my twenties. I am now fifty one years old, overweight, with some nifty new back problems. My days of drinking and hanging out in large crowds of people are long gone. These days, I’d rather hang out in my pajamas and watch the game on television. Large crowds give me anxiety. Wanna know what else gives me anxiety? HEIGHTS. I am so bothered by heights that I will only purchase seats in the lower level when attending concerts at our local arena. I made the mistake of purchasing upper bowl seats for a Garth Brooks concert a couple of years ago. When I got to my seat, I thought I was going to die. My heart was pounding out of my chest, I was dizzy, I couldn’t concentrate. I had to get out of there, and I did. I found an attendant and told them I would be glad to pay more, but there was no way I could sit in that seat. My son and I got moved to some great seats (thankfully), and I learned a lot about myself..
THERE IS ALWAYS AN EXCEPTION..
When my brother kindly extended an offer for my teenage son and I to attend a Chiefs game with them, I couldn’t resist. I knew that his season ticket seats were located in the upper level. I thought long and hard about it, and decided it was time for me to stop acting like an old lady and have some fun! Besides, my son REALLY wanted to go!
GAME DAY
My brother and his son have a game day routine. The day begins by getting out of bed at 6:00 am. I set my alarm, put on my borrowed KC Chiefs jersey, and we headed out.
After making a stop at my nephew’s house to load all of the tailgate necessities in the back of the pickup, we made a couple of other stops to pick up his friends for a caravan to the stadium.
TAILGATING
We arrived at Arrowhead around 8:00 am. The parking lot was already starting to fill up. Tents, grills, coolers, flags, music, and beverages quickly filled every space.
DID I MENTION THAT RAIN WAS IN THE FORECAST? Well, it was. As soon as the guys got the canopy set up, the downpour began. My nephew Eliot, aka expert tailgater, was prepared. He had purchased rain ponchos for each of us, thankfully. But, hey….what’s a little rain? I always told my friends that I’m not just a “fairweather fan”, and I guess today was literal proof of that. The party must go on, and it did!
CHIEFS KINGDOM
As I said, the last time I tailgated was back in the 1990s. I thought some of the tailgate set-ups were impressive back then, but they didn’t even compare to the tailgates of 2018. Looking around (well, actually…walking to the port-a-potties), I saw SO MANY different types of foods. Our own spread included hamburgers, chips, cheeseball, etc. Others had chicken, brats, steak, even breakfast burritos. The people were fun and friendly (the various types of alcohol could have been a contributing factor to this). 🙂 The lines to the port-a-potties were very long, but I met some interesting people while standing in that line. Thanks to one of Eliot’s friends and her people skills, I even got a free mimosa while standing in the port-a-potty line!
At exactly one hour prior to kick-off, the canopy came down, tailgate necessities were put away, trash was picked up, and we headed into the stadium.
THE GAME
Remember that I said our seats were located in the upper level? That meant a LONG walk up a circular ramp to the top level. For my twenty something year old self, this would have been a piece of cake. For my fifty one year old self, not so much. 🙂 We were still in our rain ponchos, and it was still raining off and on. Once we made it to the top of the ramp, our seats were very near the entrance. Even though we were in the upper level, I was surprised that my anxiety subsided after just a few minutes. The mimosa might have helped with this, or maybe it was the beer?
It poured rain during the first quarter, but it didn’t phase the die-hard Chiefs fans. Suddenly, the rain stopped and the sun peeked out.
Fun Fact: Arrowhead Stadium is the loudest stadium in the NFL.
What an experience! The Chiefs won, and I lost my voice from screaming!
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT…
This isn’t just a story about a football game. This is a story of living life to the fullest. We can take the easy, comfortable route in our lives- or we can step out of that comfort zone and choose to have some fun. There are so many experiences that we miss out on because it’s just easier to do what we have always done. I’m thankful to my brother and nephew for this opportunity (and I’d love to do it again next year..hint…hint..). 🙂
Take some chances, have some fun. Say “yes” when your first inclination is to decline that invitation. It’s easy to find excuses to NOT do something, but it’s more rewarding to find that reason TO do it!
GO CHIEFS!
