'I was kind of drunk': Spring Break returns to South Padre Island

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND - The two vans parked and a dozen college guys jumped out.

They sported aviator shades and carried coolers full of cans of Bud Light. They had journeyed some 20 hours from Truman State University in Kirksville, Mo., where the temperature peaked Saturday at just over 30 degrees.

They hopped out of the vans onto South Padre Island Boulevard, where the temperature nearly topped 80 degrees Saturday.

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These 12 young men are among as many as 85,000 students from across the country that South Padre Island officials hope will trek to Texas between now and the end of the month. Spring Break at Truman State started Friday and runs all week, like many universities across the country.

Island officials appreciate the business, said Dan Quandt, executive director of the South Padre Island Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The peak time of the year for tourists flocking to the Island is June, July and August, he said. But Spring Break brightens the traditionally slow winter months, bringing $8 million last year to local hotels alone.

Nick Garcia, 24, brought a few hundred dollars to the Island with his friends from Texas A & M University and said he would likely spend it all this week.

Island officials enticed many this year with an advertising campaign during movie previews in more than 200 college-town theaters. The advertisements implored the students to spend Spring Break in South Texas - and on Saturday the first wave hit.

Hundreds of spring breakers have arrived and begun spinning their sun-soaked stories.

A first timer

Nikita Robinson, 20, hails from Carlinville, Ill., and had never been to South Padre Island before this week.

Robinson, a student at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, had never gone to Spring Break anywhere. This year, though, she landed an internship in Brownwood, Texas, about an eight-hour drive north of the Island. Robinson expects to graduate this year, and her co-workers insisted she attend Spring Break first.

They drove here Friday, and even though fierce winds made the Gulf of Mexico too cold for many to think about taking a dip, Robinson said her friends jumped in anyway.

Salamon Nava, 32, dove in with all his clothes on, and Robinson caught it all on tape.

"I was kind of drunk," Nava said by way of explanation.

The group plans to avoid the water the rest of the week unless it warms up but said they definitely would be going out to the nightclubs - especially Louie's Backyard. They said they wanted to have a few drinks. Maybe even more than a few. But, hey, it's Spring Break.

Looking for love

Matt Morgan, 21, walked off the beach to the Radisson Hotel with beads draped around his neck, a giant cardboard beer bottle under his arm and a real can of Bud Light in one hand.

He arrived at South Padre Island on Saturday after an 18-hour drive from Kansas University. His buddies Chance Moore and Ryan Nesbitt, both 21, rode with him.

They had been on the Island for three hours - plenty of time to down some brews. They also said they had met several women. The guys planned to stay on the Island until next week, with one goal in mind.

"Chance Moore is looking for love," Moore said, referring to himself in the third person. "I want to meet a girl on the Island and get married."

Nesbitt and Morgan said they, too, aspired for Spring Break matrimony.

"Hey, let's go get some more free stuff," Morgan said.

And off they went, in search of romance and swag.

Making new friends

Tom Stack, 62, and his wife, Mary, 59, wore Michigan college gear to Spring Break.

The Stacks live in Michigan during the summer and Port Isabel during the winter. They have spent the past three Spring Breaks on the Island and have had a great time on each occasion.

They downed beers with the first wave of students Saturday afternoon and said they had made a lot of friends. They remember being that age and said they wish they could have had such an experience.

"When we were kids, you couldn't really go to Cancun or South Padre," Tom said. "Everyone usually stayed around home."

They have made up for it in recent years. The Stacks said they spend the day on the beach and the night at the bar, and are often approached by Michigan students to shake their hands.

"Even the Ohio fans are friendly," Mary said, referring to the schools' sports rivalry.

The couple said they likely would have a few drinks. Maybe even more than a few. But, hey, it's Spring Break.
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Zack Quaintance covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4447.