Student tailgating shrinks to 30 spots to accommodate sports arena construction

The prospect of a $66 million basketball arena has had some unintended consequences for football fans at the University of South Dakota — especially those who count on a beer and a brat before a game.

USD officials relocated student tailgating to the northwest side of the DakotaDome because of arena construction. The move reduced the number of tailgate spaces to 30 from the original two designated parking lots south of the Dome, but Director of Transitions and Student Programming Lindsay Sparks said the only time cars exceeded this number was against South Dakota State University last fall.

“The size is what it is. My hope is that people will work together to say ‘Let’s just do one big group’ for those bigger games,” she said. “Really, it’s just one car per spot, so you could bring 1,000 people if you wanted.”

Students who attended the first tailgate Sept. 6 gave mixed reviews about the new location. Sophomore Derek Conover tailgated with fellow fraternity members from Tau Kappa Epsilon, and said the new space might be smaller but is more social.

“You can’t ignore people because you are sharing space. It kind of forced you to talk to each other, but that’s not a bad thing at something like a football game,” Conover said.

Taylor Kapsch said the smaller space had the opposite effect of inclusiveness. The sophomore said the grassy space was dominated by fraternity and sorority members.

“If you’re in Greek Life, it’s not a big deal, but it’s kind of intimidating to everyone else,” she said. “I miss how open the old space was, and there was more to do.”

Coyote Tailgate Nation, which includes alumni, was also relocated to the B parking lot of the Dome next to the W.H. Over Museum.

Tailgating was previously located south of the Dome at the start of the 2010 football season. The move coincided with the opening of Coyote Village and increased parking spots.

Dakota Days is less than a month away and in anticipation of the 100th anniversary, Sparks said it is up to students to reserve their spots starting the week before. Tailgate spaces are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis by contacting Sparks by noon on Thursdays before each home football game, but emails will typically be sent a week before each deadline to begin the process.

Limited spaces means the university is requiring cars at the student tailgate to have tags to get into the new location. Sparks said this is not a new guideline but will be more strictly enforced this year.

But students do not need to have a spot reserved or be invited to attend the tailgate, said Kim Grieve, vice president of student services and dean of students. USD provides food and drinks for students, and Sparks said there will be a DJ for each game along with tailgate games and contests throughout the football season.

The new location corresponds with the change of student entrance to the Dome. Students with tickets to a game enter through a large garage door near the tailgate area.

Sparks said the tailgate will evolve with what students want, but she said the new spot’s location in the grass offers a certain level of flexibility not found in a parking lot. For one, the grass helps with the heat but also allows for items like flags and signs to be planted in the space, she said.

“I noticed a lot more personalization of the tailgating spots,” Sparks said. “It was bumpin’.”

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Photo: University of South Dakota junior Matt Newborg and senior Steve Payne play beanbags Septemeber 6 at the new tailgating area located behind the DakotaDome. Malachi Petersen/The Volante