Dry tailgating party dampens spirits of some Penguins fans

Those in stadium loges, but not tailgaters, were permitted to drink alcohol.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Alcohol-free tailgating at Youngstown State University's final home football game of the season was about as flat as day-old beer.
Campus police Lt. Mark Adovasio characterized the size of the crowd Saturday as being "significantly down" -- only about 25 percent of the usual attendance.
And as if it were a coordinated decision, not one of the usual 10 to 20 corporate sponsors put up a tent.
Some police officers said that one of the reasons for the decrease in tailgaters was the Penguins' poor record (5 wins, 6 losses) going into Saturday's outing. YSU lost the game 37-13.
Alcohol was eliminated from the tailgate areas by YSU President Dr. David C. Sweet after an article in The Jambar campus newspaper pointed out that drinking at the event violated the state's open-container law.
Ted Sloan of Austintown, who has been tailgating for 15 years, said there was a "little bit" of drinking Saturday.
Sloan said YSU tailgating is a social event where "everybody helps each other. We watched what everybody did."
Sloan said he won't tailgate again if the ban on alcohol continues.
'Feel less than an adult'
Lori Peters of Strongsville, a YSU graduate originally from Austintown, has missed only five home games in 15 years.
"When you have something taken away, you feel less than an adult," Peters said.
John Blasko of Columbiana said his donning a large papier-m & acirc;ch & eacute; Bud Light bottle was his personal protest.
"They do it [drink alcohol] at other universities," Blasko noted.
"Look at the lot. There's nobody down here," observed Monica Ohlin of Poland, arguing that tailgating with alcohol isn't the issue.
"It's changing the rules and taking the right away," she said.
She planned to leave after the game between the Penguins and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, have some cocktails at home and watch the Ohio State University football game on TV.
Ohlin, along with many other tailgaters, pointed out that although they weren't permitted to drink alcohol, those in the loge areas of Stambaugh Stadium were permitted to drink.
Explaining the difference
YSU Athletic Director Ronald Strollo explained that the tailgate areas are public and anyone can walk in off the street and drink.
Entrance to the loges, which are rented, is controlled and aren't accessible to the general public, Strollo said.
Tailgaters complained that they must buy season tickets for the games before they can buy a permit to set up at the tailgate. They view renting a loge as being the same as renting a space to tailgate.
Despite the prohibition on alcohol, some tailgaters were discretely drinking. Some took the occasional shot of whiskey while others had beer in plastic cups.
Chris Partika of Coitsville has been taking her four children tailgating for 14 years -- one when just 3 weeks old.
Partika said she's uncertain if she'll return next year if the ban is continued.
"It's wrong to tell people they can't drink," Partika said.
YSU Police Chief Jack Gocala said he didn't put on any added staff for Saturday's game. He stayed with the usual one supervisor and six patrol officers.
Not unique to YSU
The issue of alcohol at tailgate parties isn't new, Gocala said, noting it's nationwide.
One answer, the chief said, was for YSU to buy a permit that would allow the sale of alcohol for five days until 1 a.m. Or the state Legislature could change the law allowing alcohol at such events, he said.
Strollo said a resolution is being studied and a decision will be made before season tickets go on sale for the next season.
yovich@vindy.com