First annual Lobster Tailgate Party kicks‑off

American football fans have tailgate parties before the big game. At Dal, we have Lobstergate.

The Dalhousie Tigers football club will take on the Acadia Axemen developmental team on Saturday, Oct. 1. Leading up to the game, the Dalhousie Alumni Association will host the first annual Lobster Tailgate Party at Alumni Crescent.

The idea of a lobster party came from Jim Wilson, president of Dalhousie Alumni Association and the unofficial number one fan of Dal football. After taking over as president this year, Wilson is looking for alumni to become more involved in student life. After chatting with Marc Braithwaite, executive director of student wellness, they decided to put together an event that involved good food with a Maritime twist.

“My focus this year is to engage students through Dal sports,” says Mr. Wilson. “I want engaged students to become engaged alumni.”

The event almost never happened. Originally the team was scheduled to play against the Moncton Junior Mustangs. In late August, the Mustangs announced the team would no longer play in the Atlantic Football League. Wilson, along with Tigers head coach Mike Tanner, scrambled to find an opponent for the October 1 game. Luckily, Tanner has a good relationship with the Axemen. His son, Will Tanner, is a wide-receiver for the Axemen varsity team.

The Tigers are looking to continue their momentum from a whirlwind first season. The team lost to the University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves in last year’s championship. Mr. Tanner wants to focus more on building confidence than generating   results this season.

“We’re in a catch-22,” says Mr. Tanner. “We want to improve our play but there’s no guarantee that we’ll get to the championship game because of the way the league is so young.”

Next week’s game will be tricky. The Axemen are part of the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) league. This will be the first time since 1976 that the two teams face off. “This will be a good opportunity to see how we play against a CIS team,” says Mr. Tanner.

Turnout for the games and the roster have been good. This year more than 40 new students joined the Tigers. The league is also changing with Holland College joining this season. “Kids are coming to Dal knowing they can play football here,” says Mr. Tanner. “Instead of kids going to a CIS team where you may sit on the bench for three years, you have a chance to play.”

Tickets for the Lobster Tailgate are $15 for students and $30 for general admission. The Tailgate begins at 4 p.m. and the game will be held at Wickwire Stadium at 6 p.m.