Issue date: 11/6/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE

Media Credit: Savannah Boyd The Crosson's 18-Wheeler is currently parked beside Fout's Field for everyone passing by on I-35 to see.

Two glass doors lead to a room with all the comforts of home: a sofa, a television set, bathroom, complete with shower, and a full-service kitchen.

These amenities belong not to a new house or apartment.

What used to be an 18-wheeler now stands as a monument to tailgating, adorned in NT emerald green.

"We had it for a while," electronic news freshman Kendall Crosson said. "My brother used to race motocross, and after that my dad was thinking about getting rid of it. But then he came up with the idea."

Kendall Crosson said many students and passersby stopped to glance at it, some even mistaking its purpose.

"People thought it was a store or something because of those big glass doors," she said. "They'd say, 'What are you guys promoting?' Oh, Mean Green spirit. We're just tailgating."

Her father, Troy Crosson, said NT President Gretchen Bataille and other staff held back on approval when he first presented the idea.

"At first I think they were a little apprehensive because they really didn't know what it was going to look like," Troy Crosson said. "You don't have a second chance to make a first impression, so you want to make a good impression the first time around."

But once the truck received a $20,000 makeover to convert the living area and include NT graphics and green paint on the outside, the staff realized the opportunity the truck presented for both sports and networking.

"It's been accepted great, and it's a great advertisement," he said. "Now the school can use it anytime they want for any activity they want to use it for."

After football season, NT's basketball, track and even softball teams have plans to use the vehicle for games, meets and tournaments.

Troy Crosson said he hopes to get other students involved in the future.

"What I'd like to do is change the graphics once a year just to integrate all the kids, make it part of their college experience," he said. "And offer a $1,000 scholarship for the one that comes up with the graphics that gets chosen. And each summer we'll change that out."

Troy Crosson said the whole tailgating experience takes nearly a full day's work from setup to teardown.

"To set it up it takes about five hours, and I do that on Friday," he said. "We're up at 8 [on Saturday], and we go to bed when everybody leaves the parking lot. Last time, I think we got to bed about 1:30 or 2. Sunday, we get up late; it takes me about three hours to tear it back down and drive it over to the side of the field."

He said he feels that even if the scores of NT's sports teams stay down, this may rally school spirit.

"Sometimes it takes a little spark to start the flame, start the fire, to get the thing rolling," he said. "And hopefully, this is the spark that everyone needed."

Overall, Troy Crosson said he hopes that if this helps the school, the cost will prove worthwhile.

"I just want to enhance it and do anything I can to help and promote the school," he said.

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