My experiences her last first football game as a senior at Ole Miss
by Phoebe Cramer
This is my first column for The Local Voice. First is an exciting word. It is something fresh instead of using the word last, meaning final or, at the end, for example, starting my senior year at Ole Miss. I’ve been experiencing a lot of lasts in the typical annual college student experience: the last sorority recruitment season, the last first day of school, and even the last first football game.
Football impacted my experience as an Ole Miss student tremendously. It’s one of the things that grabbed my attention, to come all the way down to this little town of Oxford, 18 hours away from home in Pennsylvania. I wanted to experience going to a big SEC school and being a part of the Rebel community.
Now that I’m 21 years old, I’ve grown more in love with the game, the traditions, and the Ole Miss motto: “We may not win every game, but we never lose a party.” I can definitely attest to this after witnessing a close game between Ole Miss and Alabama in 2022, with the score coming out to 24-30. Standing outside in unbelievably cold weather, huddled with all my friends and losing feeling in my toes,we still didn’t lose the party.
After all of the highs and lows, the victories will live in my head forever. Back in the 2023 football season, we stormed the field after beating LSU 55-49, that night officially made me become a diehard Ole Miss fan.
Going into my fourth year attending football games, it felt different. I spent my first last as an Ole Miss student wandering in The Grove, trying to get the perfect view of the Walk of Champions, and admiring the chandeliers and buffets at a tent.
My last first game was perfect. All my friends tailgated at a tent with the best chicken tenders and champagne. It was hot and humid, raining heavily, The Grove flooded with mud, and students were doing mudslides. I stayed under the tent, trying not to ruin my hair and outfit, which had been planned months ago. After the rain stopped, we made our way to Vaught Hemingway Stadium, waiting to get into the game with thousands of other students chanting “Are you ready?” tired and sweating.
It’s the best. Moments like these, I will tell my kids, ensuring I’ve soaked up every football game and had the best college football experience possible. Racing in, I get a hotdog, which later on I learned is called a “glizzy.” I grab a pom pom and find a good view to watch the game. No matter what game it is, I feel adrenaline and excitement linking arms with the person next to me, “locking the vaught,” and watching our team run out.
We had a magnificent start to the season, winning against Furman with a score of 76-0. The words last first—I choose to find positivity in them. Hitting this long-coming milestone has given me gratitude for a massive portion of my college life, offering the best experience and showing my Northern self Southern hospitality.
