Dear readers,
Hi and welcome back to a new semester of blogs! We missed you and are super excited for what's ahead. We hope you had a great summer break and have fallen into a routine for this school year. Your blog editors are very ready for all things October — the weather is cooler, pumpkin spice has made its way into every drink, and of course, football season is SO back.
Texas football has been killing it and is heading to Dallas this weekend to face the Oklahoma Sooners in an age-old classic, the Allstate Red River Rivalry. It's a big weekend for both schools as fans come together and watch the showdown at the Cotton Bowl. But what does it mean, and how did it start? Here's a quick history lesson about the game and what it means to us!
What is the Red River Rivalry?
Back in 1900, when the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns first started playing each other, the game was played in Austin, Norman, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Houston. Since then, it has permanently kept its home in Dallas Fair Park since 1929, where it shares space with the State Fair of Texas. The location serves as a halfway point for both teams, making it a great fit for a neutral-site game.
The first team to ever win was, of course, Texas, beating Oklahoma 28-2. Since then, the game has been played 121 times, with Texas having more wins over Oklahoma (65-51) as both teams compete for the Golden Hat trophy. The trophy tradition started back in 1941 and originally was made of bronze. In 1970, the trophy was updated to be made with 10 gallons of gold — a real, massive prize
This weekend, fans will fill the stadium in Dallas to watch their favorite teams, sitting in sections split between a full side of burnt orange and the other crimson red. As the weekend approaches, plan and be ready for anything, especially if this is your first time going! Here are some helpful tips from Panhellenic President-Elect Adrianna Pruitt and Panhellenic VP Wellness Rachel Dolan to help you have a safe and great weekend.
Adrianna’s Tips:
Know who in your chapter is going to the game and have their contact information: “It's super important just to have a general idea of who is going, where, and with who, which is usually facilitated through a Google Sheet or whatever way the chapter finds it easiest for them.”
See who is from Dallas or isn’t going with an organization: “I think a really big part of getting this information is also gathering the contacts for the girls who maybe aren't necessarily going with an organization, but they are from the Dallas-Fort Worth Area and will be home for that weekend and kind of serve as an outlet for women who maybe don’t have a good experience.”
Make sure you check in with yourself and your friends! “You are not obligated to do something that you are uncomfortable with. Have fun, be safe, and know that you have autonomy over yourself, your body, and your choices.”
Rachel’s Tips:
Fuel your body for the day: “If there's one day to not skip breakfast, this is your warning because the day just gets away from you. By 1:00 pm, the game hasn't started yet, and you still haven’t eaten; that's where you can start feeling faint, feeling sick, passing out, and things like that.”
Hydrate your body for the Texas conditions: “Everyone wants to get into the game early, and you're sitting in the stands for (hours), and you're just baking in the sun, so you're sweating out a lot of moisture and need to replenish that. Don't be afraid of Gatorade or sugary sodas [and] anything that can kind of replenish sugar and hydrate.”
Making sure to know yourself and your body: “Knowing yourself and your body is really important; you're not in the wrong for needing to go to the bathroom or needing to take a chill pill in the shade. If that means leaving the game early, then do it.” “I think a lot of people try to push the limits on how much they can take, how long they can stay out in the sun, how little they can eat.”
Here are some other helpful tips to take on the weekend:
Bring travel sunscreen
Bring a clear bag
Use a buddy system
Make plans in advance before getting to the stadium
Bring a portable charger or fan
Some of Adrianna and Rachel's favorite memories:
Adrianna: “I’m from the Dallas area, so I look forward to OU every year because it’s an opportunity to see my family and my hometown friends. It was super fun going to [a] formal last year; I stayed at a lake house and went on a boat, did the jet skis, and chilled at the lake.” “I have a group of friends who will be staying at my house [this year], and we're going to go out to the Stockyards, and we're going to go somewhere to watch the game.”
Rachel: “My sophomore year, we had to get ready in the hotel lobby bathroom at the hotel we were staying in because we were gonna go up early Saturday morning and just stay Saturday night. We paid for early check-in, and it ended up being that our hotel room was not available, so we said, screw it, and we got ready in the hotel lobby bathroom. My friend Elizabeth made a banner, and we put the banner up in the bathroom and just went to work.”
A list of resources that are available during the weekend:
Title IX office located in the Student Services building: https://titleix.utexas.edu/
UT Austin Confidential Case Manager: https://titleix.utexas.edu/confidential-case-manager-students
First Aid Stations inside the fairgrounds
State Fair Command Center: (469-461-4646)
State Fair of Texas Guest Relations
CMHC 24/7 Crisis Line: (512-471-2255)
We hope that you have a super fun and safe weekend as you travel out to Dallas this week! Remember to have fun and make so many memories while cheering on the Longhorns — we are always looking back at pictures of our freshman year at OU, so do your best to capture as much as you can! If it's your first time going to the game or even the fair, make sure to take everything in while being safe and in-the-know about your surroundings. Use the buddy system, especially since your service may not work inside the stadium. More than anything, have the best time and cheer for the Longhorns as loud as you can!
All my love,
Victoria :)