It’s that time of year again, when everyone in Athens packs up their funnels and coolers and head down to St. Simons Island for the infamous Georgia versus Florida game. Any Frat Beach veteran knows that to make it all day, it’s all about preparation and moderation, or at least a little of the two. Here are a few tips to get you through the day, and hopefully keep you off TFM.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. Upperclassman will tell you, you will ignore them, and then you will look forward to next year so you can actually make some memories on the beach. In Athens, it’s encouraged to go hard before downtown. I mean, why not take a couple shots and save yourself a few bucks later on? But when you’re drinking all day on the beach (literally all day), you won’t make it if you’re already half a bottle of Taaka deep. Pacing yourself is key, if you want any good beach pictures where your eyes aren’t half closed.
Stay strapped. Bring the bare minimum of things you need to the beach, which basically comes down to your phone, cash and a full Bubba keg. Keep everything in a backpack or fanny pack, and strap that thing on you for dear life. Even wear shoes that you can’t just kick off and leave for a second. Because there is a solid 90% chance St. Simons will claim anything that leaves your sight.
Stick together. Just like your iPhone, if you lose your friends, there’s a good time you won’t see them anytime soon. At least until you somehow get back to the hotel. For the friends that take off without any warning, maybe write “if found please call” and a phone number of your most responsible friend on their arm. You never know where some people will end up, because it may be Brunswick and they’ll be just as confused as you are.
Keep it classy. There are so many cute pictures that come out of frat beach, and some that you hope are deleted or burned and no one you know ever sees them again. Sometimes the latter are taken by people you don’t know, and you’ll forever be the girl with the bathing suit malfunction or the guy passed out face down in the sand. Or worse, that person will send it in to TFM, and then you’re famous for ocean nudity (I think we all remember that picture). So do your best to take all your cute pictures early, and avoid any hook-up pictures that that will haunt you until you graduate.
So when getting on the beach on Halloween, make sure to wear your best costume or basketball jersey and follow these guidelines. With any luck you’ll have the time of your fall semester, and maybe even make it to Jacksonville on Saturday to cheer the Dawgs on to another victory.
