Dear Director,

I like tailgating before home football games just as much as the next person, but some of my friends drink too much and kind of spoil the fun for the rest of us. What can I do to keep the emphasis off of alcohol but still keep the party entertaining?

Tailgating is a huge part of the football tradition here at FSU, and it’s a great way to socialize with friends and pump up your school spirit before the game. But those folks who sit around for hours knocking back alcohol will end up intoxicated, so it’s a good idea to have a plan in place to keep the focus off of drinking.

I spoke with Christine Franzetti, the director of FSU’s Partnership for Alcohol Responsibility, and she shared a few tips with me that will help keep your tailgate party fun and healthy for everyone.

“There are several things you can do to try to take the focus off alcohol,” said Franzetti. “You can make sure you have a lot of good food at the tailgate, have an equal amount of non-alcoholic beverages available, and encourage your friends not to play drinking games.”

You can also talk to your friends to let them know their behavior bothers you, and plan fun games for everyone to play to distract them from drinking a lot.

Franzetti told me that these activities will help keep the focus on fun instead of alcohol at your next tailgate party:

Play ball! Bring a football or Frisbee to your tailgating location. You’ll burn off some of the fattening food you’ve eaten and have fun doing something other than sitting around drinking. Easily portable games like horseshoes and croquet are also good to bring to the party.

Show your school spirit. Bring some face paint and take turns with your friends painting each other’s faces. See who can come up with the most creative design.

Check out the competition. Walk around and check out what the other team’s fans are doing to show their school spirit, or take the opportunity to socialize with your fellow FSU fans.

Play tailgate games. If you really want to take part in the tailgate tradition, try playing some of the old games like “Pass the Ball” or “Tailgate Trivia.” For “Pass the Ball,” two teams compete by passing a ball person to person using only the elbows. For “Tailgate Trivia,” round up some little known facts about tailgating before the party and see who scores the highest.

“These are some of the things you can do to try to reduce the chances of your friends getting “stupid” when drinking alcohol,” said Franzetti. “Even better, you can bring them to Bobby’s True Seminole Tailgate at Wildwood Plaza to party in a fun environment where alcohol isn’t the focus.”

What is Bobby’s True Seminole Tailgate? It’s a special pre-game party that provides a healthy, positive environment where people can gather for food and fun before the home football games begin. You can get down to music provided by a live DJ; watch great performances by student groups; enjoy some free food, sodas and water; win cool door prizes; and play fun tailgate games. And don’t miss having your picture taken with “Bobby,” a life-size cardboard cutout of Bobby Bowden!

The tailgate, which is free for everyone, is held on Wildwood Plaza between Ragans and Wildwood Halls 2 ½ hours before each home football game. The next tailgate will take place on Saturday, October 6 at 1:00 p.m.

Whether you choose to host your own party, attend someone else’s, or come to Bobby’s True Seminole Tailgate, remember that you can have a good time before the games without focusing on alcohol. The suggestions listed above are juts a few ways you and your friends can show your school pride while respecting others on game day.