By Rachel Kirby and Kirstin Meyerhoeffer
For the Salisbury Post
Feel-good music, hamburgers hot off the grill, high spirits and lawn chairs full of friends.
It’s a Friday night tailgate at Salisbury High School.
Everyone is buzzing with the latest news, and it’s not just about the football team’s latest victory. Walking through the crowd, you hear about the latest soccer practice and get the inside scoop on tennis injuries.
And can you believe Anthony Girelli has brand new gold shorts?
Right alongside him are Max Messinger and Seth Morris, covered in red, black and gold from head to toe. Not many can look as flashy or classy as these three do.
Although you’d never know it, this unique look is cheap. They didn’t have to break the bank on their wide range of school colored clothing. A variety of pieces are from Goodwill and second-hand fundraisers.
Known school-wide as “The Suits,” they’re the crazy guys with enough school spirit for the whole stadium. You can tell by the way they wave the school flag after every touchdown.
Girelli designed and made the flag during the 2006 football season. The trio has carried the banner to every home game since.
“The call us the spirit squad,” Messinger says.
Messinger, Morris and Girelli, all seniors at Salisbury High, are the ones who get the credit for starting and organizing the tailgates in recent years. They set up and prepare for the Friday pre-game festivities, starting at 5:30.
How did The Suits get the idea to start this tradition?
Apparently, tailgating at SHS didn’t begin with the class of 2009. Messinger’s older brother, Alex, who graduated in 2005, tailgated as a student at SHS. Max hoped to tailgate when he got to high school, so he and The Suits picked up the tradition.
The Suits organize the tailgates, but they have help from friends and family. SGA president Miles Jordan uses his connections to make sure the doors are opened each Friday night. The Girelli family’s famous grill is fired up early to cook each burger or dog to perfection. While it isn’t required, many people volunteer to bring food or money to help cover costs. Girelli can almost always be seen making change with a crowd from the wad of one- and five-dollar bills in his pocket.
People come and go as they please, from 5:30 until the game, bringing food to share. Senior Suncica Dragas tends to draw a big crowd for her fresh brownies and many enjoy Perry Graham’s donation of tortilla chips and homemade salsa.
While most tailgaters are upperclassmen, the tailgate attracts people from different social groups. Anyone can find his or her circle of friends, whether it’s a group of baseball players hanging out together on the off season or soccer players or tennis players ó who might still be in their tennis clothes ó showing up after practice.
Even some of the cheerleaders make an appearance. They come late and leave quickly, but they make a point to be there. Michelle Nguyen, a senior who was a regular tailgater last year, leaves a cheerleading dinner early to come by the tailgate.
“I always like stopping by,” she says. “It’s very important to me.”
All ages are represented, with younger kids tagging along with older siblings. The tailgating tradition will rest on their shoulders when the class of 2009 leaves.
Between the laughs and the food, the group becomes unified, reflecting the school spirit of Salisbury High.
As the tailgating lot clears out at 7:30, these Hornets head for the stadium.
It’s game time.
Post interns Rachel Kirby and Kirstin Meyerhoeffer are seniors at Salisbury High.