‘It’s very different’: Why Gamecocks football parents can’t attend this week’s game
Trey Hill and his wife, Missy, used to fly across the country from Spartanburg to see their son Collin play for Colorado State. They have not missed one of his games since fifth grade.
But this week, the Hills will have to watch Collin, now South Carolina’s starting QB, on television for the first time because no Gamecock parents will be in the stadium to see their sons play against Vanderbilt.
“It’ll be very different,” said Trey Hill. “We’ve tried to be very faithful about whenever he’s playing and even when he wasn’t playing, making sure that we attended the games.
“It will be a very different experience.”
The Commodores were set to play all games without any fans this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The school has since softened its stance, allowing in some students, but players’ parents are still on the outside looking in.
Several USC parents told The State they were informed before the season about this eventuality, as the SEC’s lone private school had been more conservative than most about limiting crowds.
There’s a Marriott hotel next to the stadium where some fans have already reserved hotel rooms, getting spots in floors high enough to see the field.
After years of splitting time between their sons’ games, this year for Kevin and Shannon Muse was supposed to be about just son Nick, South Carolina’s starting tight end. They’d always had to balance his games at William & Mary and then South Carolina, and his older brother Tanner, a starter at Clemson and now an NFL player.
Pre-pandemic, it was normal for many parents to make these journeys across the Southeast, greeting their sons as the buses pulled into stadiums and as they cleared out of the locker room, still wearing the emotions of the game. Shannon Muse said they’ve been lucky just to see players for a few minutes after the first two games.
“We’re used to tailgating and staying there all day,” Shannon Muse said. “Now the gates open, the parking lots only open like two hours before to get in. So you don’t have a lot of time to spend with your kid, either. Once the game is over, they want them to live what Nick calls ‘a boring life.’ So it’s pretty much football, school and stay indoors, which is good for COVID, but it’s just different for what we’re used to doing. So makes it not as as much to celebrate.
“But then again, football still going on, so we’re excited about that.”
The Muses expect they’ll be able to get in the stadiums to watch USC’s remaining three road games (LSU, Ole Miss and Kentucky).
Even before COVID-19 pandemic, Trey Hill said parents could mostly only see their kids after the game anyway. He admitted he and Missy are disappointed but grateful there’s a season at all with everything going on. They used to fly out for every home game, even when Collin was sidelined with a series of torn ACLs, and each road game he played in.
The Hills will instead gather for a watch party. Trey said it will be different, not being there to see his son on the field.
“It’s very special, you know?” Trey Hill said. “So you want to be there to experience it with them.”
A few other Gamecocks parents and players spoke about or answered questions about this disruption and their plans for the weekend.
▪ Dee Amos, mother of freshman Rashad Amos, said she and her family will be making the trip to Nashville and will watch from the hotel. She said she’s only missed two of her son’s games since he as 7, and that was because of health issues.
▪ Cornerback John Dixon said his family tries to get to every game they can, and he can’t remember the last time they weren’t at a game. He said they’ll probably stay home, but he does have a cousin in Nashville he might be able to see.
▪ Running back Deshaun Fenwick said his family doesn’t usually attend games, but his uncle does, and depending on if the game is farther north or south, different parts of his family will come to games.
“Most home games it’s just my uncle,” Fenwick said. “So it really doesn’t affect me that much, I’m not going to lie.”
▪ Defensive tackle Zacch Pickens said that while his mother did get to the game at Florida last week, she usually stays home and does not travel.
▪ As of Tuesday, defensive tackle Keir Thomas said he didn’t think his parents would travel, although he wasn’t sure. Coming from the Miami area, they usually do.
“Like you say, none of our people can go to the game,” Thomas said. “So I don’t think they’ll go.”
▪ Lisa Huntley, mother of freshman defensive tackle Alex Huntley, said she will not be traveling. She has never missed one of her son’s games. His status this weekend is uncertain as an ankle injury has sidelined him the first two games.
▪ Keshia Sandidge, mother of defensive tackle Rick Sandidge, didn’t travel last week and won’t go this week. She is running for public office in North Carolina, which has impacted her schedule.
▪ Lisa Register, mother of tight end Will Register, said concerns about health risks associated with traveling (hotels, restaurants, etc.) meant her family didn’t travel last week and won’t this week, especially considering the lack of access to the players.
Even Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp will be feeling the impact on this front from a family perspective.
“I hate that we’re in the situation we’re in,” Muschamp said. “My mom lives in Mentone (Alabama). She’s got about a two-and-a-half-hour drive. One of her best friends, a guy named Rob Hammond, is a huge Vanderbilt fan and they can’t even go to the game.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2020 at 5:10 AM.
