Running In My Drinking Shoes: Tennessee Homecoming 2013! #500Strong

Party of the Southland is a group of friends who the majority met in the Pride of the Southland Marching Band at the University of Tennessee. We have tailgated together for 10 years, and party, run, travel etc together whenever possible.

For the last few years, most of us have not marched homecoming. For various reasons: live far away, cost, butthurt about days past etc. After last year me and Ben decided we would march this year. And we'd convince anyone we could to march with us. We had no idea what that would turn into.

2 weeks before the deadline to register for homecoming Ben created a Facebook page along with the campaign slogan #500Strong. He wanted to get 500 alumni to march homecoming. In 2012, they had roughly 130. This was going to be a huge task but with the help of basically everyone, I don't know many people who didn't convince at least 1 person to march they almost hit their mark.

469 people.

Yes. FOUR HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE!

In 2 weeks! They used recruiting videos, old rivalries, and training daze to convince people along with just plain peer pressure.

Ben realized that if people had more to come for rather than just a few hours on Saturday they were more likely to come. So he started planning. He had a run for those people who wanted to come on Friday morning, a private party Friday night at Saw Works Brewery, and an after game rally point at Central Flats and Taps Everything went off without a hitch. To my knowledge everyone had an awesome time, while the game didn't turn out as we had hoped, hopefully that's not what people are remembering from this weekend.