Our philosophy here at Roaring Riot headquarters is that whenever – and wherever – there is a Panthers game or event, there is a Roaring Riot event.
Whether that’s before, during, or after, building community and gathering fans to celebrate the Panthers is our primary focus and this year we expanded upon that even further by creating the Roaring Riot Training Camp Guide and building out daily events in Spartanburg surrounding the Panthers’ time at training camp. The events ranged from daily breakfast events at Bojangles and lunch events at various local restaurants to exploring some of the nightlife spots that downtown Sparkle City had to offer. Overall, our time mixing and mingling with Panthers fans in Spartanburg was a ton of fun and we learned a lot in the process; even though some of our events that were not as successful from an attendance standpoint, they were still very rewarding – plus I had to give away a free membership because I lost at cornhole – I’m still waiting for my rematch.
One morning at a Breakfast at Bo’s there were only eight of us there; but after stuffing our faces with some Cajun Filet biscuits and BO-rounds and making some intros, we figured out that two of the couples were both from the same area in coastal South Carolina and they made plans to get together to watch Panthers’ games this season. Amazing stuff, and one of the core reasons we put the Roaring Riot together – so no one has to watch a game alone!
Something else I noticed while at camp that is just really cool to me is that I’m seeing Roaring Riot gear EVERYWHERE.
In the past, there has always been a bunch of membership shirts at the tailgate or on away game trips, and of course that’s really cool – but this year at training camp, there were numerous times where I would randomly run into someone wearing a Change the Culture shirt. And not just at camp. I’m seeing them all over the place in Charlotte. Each time I see one I’ll throw the person a “Go Panthers!” or a “Yeah Riot!” or if we’re passing one another, I’ll offer up a high five. And the best part?
None of them know who I am.
Now, that may sound a bit funny or arrogant or whatever, but please understand what I mean by that. We’re now at a point where our community has grown so much that members are not just someone who joined because they know me personally or on social media or because they went on a trip in the past. Now they’re someone who has joined because they want to be a part of what we’re building together. They’ve joined to be a part of the Roaring Riot and not because they’re friends with Zack; if you know me, you know I truly believe our mission is and always will be about the group – never me. So when Josh and I are walking into the DMB concert at PNC Pavilion, and we see a guy wearing a Riot shirt and I say “nice shirt, man” and he replies with “thanks” and keeps walking, the feeling of joy and pride is immeasurable.
We’re getting there, fam!
We’d like to thank everyone who came out and participated – we enjoyed seeing you or getting to know you if it was the first time that we met. Special thanks to all of the local participating establishments: Willy Taco, Fr8yard, Cribb’s Kitchen, the Growler Haus, Wild Wing Cafe, and Paradise Bowling. And of course Bojangles’ for helping us make it all happen.
Check out some pics from our time down in Spartanburg and let’s get ready for the regular season – we’ll see you next year, Sparkle City!
The Roaring Riot & The Riot Report
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Movie Buff
Moes over Chipotle
Ranch > Blue Cheese