Tales From The Tailgate: Taylor Weitz

At the end of nearly every press conference by head coach Michael Locksley, he expresses his excitement for the upcoming game and implores the student body to come out in droves to fill the endzone seating and cheer on his team. 

Many have taken those remarks as a rallying cry this season as the student section has been packed and vocal, especially for the bigger games against West Virginia and Iowa and even for homecoming against Indiana. 

The lifeblood of the Maryland football fanbase is the students, and several Maryland students have formed connections with the program that go much deeper than a game. 

“What got me hooked is just like the school environment,” Taylor Weitz said. “I love sports, and just being here tailgating going into games, it was awesome.”

Weitz is currently in her senior year at the University of Maryland but has been a Terp fan for longer than she can remember. Both of her parents are Maryland grads and her father, Scott, currently sits on the board of directors on the Terrapin Club.

Following in the footsteps of both of her parents by attending the University of Maryland never felt like a daunting challenge because she just loved the Terps that much. So much so that when she arrived here as a student, she joined the Maryland dance team as a way to combine her love of dance with Maryland athletics.  

Weitz’s gamedays looked different than most Maryland students as they were essentially gamedays for her too. She would parade through the tailgates with her fellow dancers, be on the field during the games giving performances, and express her Maryland pride throughout the day. 

Being in such a unique situation allowed Weitz to connect even more with the team and the extended football family. 

“Being on the dance team just kind of allowed me to like be in the middle of everything and kind of be on the field with the football players too,” she said. “I think it gives me some appreciation for the team and all the hard work they do because, I mean, they're doing practices every day all day. [Being on the dance team] just kind of gives you an idea of all the hard work they do, and it makes me appreciate it even more.”

Weitz decided to step away from the dance team for her senior year to enjoy her final semesters in College Park with as much freedom as possible. This free time has allowed her to reconnect with her family and friends and gamedays and attend pregame and postgame festivities as a fan instead of as an extension of the team.

“Our tailgate setup is huge,” she explained. “There are feather flags, there are TVs, grills, we kind of have everything; my dad goes all out for it. So it's just the whole setup, and it even goes on during the game. Some people go in for the actual game, but some people stay outside, eat food, and watch on the TVs just if they don't get tickets or something. It's the best tailgate setup.”

Family is everything to the Weitz’s and their love for each other has become intertwined with the Terps in virtually every facet. 

Football to my family and me is a big deal; it’s a family thing,” Weitz said. I feel like it brings our family together, they come from other states, we all come together and watch the game. So it's cool seeing how Locksley leads the team and brings them together as a family. The environment is just awesome.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Weitz family was forced to stay away from Maryland Stadium, but their fandom never waned in their time away. They cheered on the dramatic win against Minnesota and the dominant victory over Penn State, but they’re more excited to finally get back out to the field.  

“I'm just looking forward to the hype of the games,” Weitz said. “I think just everyone being back and being in that environment and like seeing all the football players run through this the entrance to go into the field...I'm just excited about and just the feeling of the game, and it’s going to be cool.”

Head coach Michael Locksley consistently describes his program as not just a team but a family. He wants all kinds of fans, whether it be students, alums, or just regular fans of the team, to feel that familial connection that he’s building. 

Not only is it being felt for the Weitz’s, but they’re embodying everything it means to be a part of the newfound Maryland football family. 

“Maryland football is important to me because it brought my family closer together,” she said. “We get to all be in one place together with my extended family too, so the tailgates bring us together. We all then get to go in the stands and watch the game so I think it definitely grew our relationship. We all bond over Maryland.”