When Temple Field Hockey midfielder Julia Bunch joined the program four years ago, she knew she wasn’t coming to Philadelphia as a party of one. Beth Bunch, Julia’s mom, came in with her and was immediately ushered into the team’s behind-the-scenes operations.
Tailgating before every home game has been a tradition for Temple’s field hockey parents for years. The parents spend the days leading up to games preparing by making sure food, drinks and supplies are ready for the big event. Everyone chips in, but the longer their daughter has been at Temple, the greater the responsibility is for their parents.
Parents get roped into the tradition the second their daughters step on campus. Everyone has a role within the operation, creating a sense of family that characterizes the tradition. Beth Bunch was immediately targeted as a “freshman mom” when Julia arrived on campus, and two years later she became one-third of the moms spearheading the tailgates.
“As soon as I walked on the field [Julia’s] freshman year, the parents kind of targeted all the freshmen, made them feel welcome and embraced them,” Beth said. “It’s a family here. Right away, everyone wanted to contribute. Julia even knew this was the school she wanted to go to because of the family.”
Beth became the point person for the tailgates last season, alongside McKenna Burkhardt’s mom, Shannon, and Maddie Molchany’s mom, Lorrie. Shannon and Lorrie’s daughters graduate in the spring, ending their journey as part of the unofficial “tailgating planning committee.”
Lorrie and Shannon quickly realized they needed to pass down the duties to keep the tradition alive. Even though Beth is sticking around Howarth Field for one more year, she delegated her responsibilities to younger moms so they can get the hang of the tradition to continue it after she leaves the team.
“I have passed the torch onto some of the younger moms and Julie Gallagher is doing an amazing job filling my shoes,” Beth said. “Maggie Arentz is doing the big box so she’s the Lorrie Molchany. Now Shannon Burkhardt 2.0 we delegate to everyone. She is a hard presence to overcome and all the younger moms are stepping up.”
Julie Gallagher, mom of midfielder Riley Gallagher, and Maggie Arentz, mom of midfielder Catherine Arentz, both volunteered to keep the tradition going. Julie kicks every game week off by sending an email and a Google Doc to the parents to organize the tailgate. Maggie and her husband Jim take care of the “big box,” which is full of all the supplies needed to make a tailgate work.
The rest of the preparation is a group effort, which helps to create a bond between the families on the team and makes tailgating special for everyone involved.
“I think it’s a great place to bring anyone,” said Janean Neilson, mom of Lina Neilson. “We bring friends and family to North Philly and just show them that it’s a great day to be out here watching the girls play. We feed them a beautiful feast afterward, and we all contribute. It’s just been such a great tradition.”
The contributions don’t just come from the parents who come to the games. There are seven international athletes on the team whose parents can’t be at the tailgates but they still send money to help put everything together.
It falls on Beth and the rest of the parents to ensure the international parents are still part of the family culture that is preached amongst the parents. Midfielder and Netherlands native Myrthe Schuilenburg is one of the internationals who has benefited from the tailgating culture.
“I feel so loved every time I see them,” Schuilenburg said. “Even though my own family isn’t there I have so many other parents I can go to. I can just hug them, and it gives me the same energy as everyone else. I feel like that’s special.”
Parents tailgating the field hockey games has become a tradition that keeps both the players and parents going through a grueling season. No one knows when the tradition started, but that doesn’t matter because of the culture it has brought to the parking lot of Howarth Field.
“At the end of the day, they’re there for us,” Julia said. “They want the best for us, and having that support really helps to keep things together off the field because we do such a great job on the field and as a team, but the family like that’s really what makes it all bind together.”
Be the first to comment