Contrary to popular belief -- I'll admit I was popular before coming to Duke -- you do not just walk up to the ticket window the day of or before game day, hand them your school ID and walk away with a ticket to a Duke basketball game. You don't do that. Why? Because that would just be too easy and as it turns out, "easy" is not the name of the game here at Duke University. So, what do we do, in place of the age old tradition adopted by pretty much every other academic institution in the country, We camp out. The undergrad folk have to campout every game week. The grad students camp out for 36 straight hours, in a parking lot, only once a year.
Wow, sounds fun does it?! Hanging out with 2000 of your peers in a parking lot, with only a Syracuse University sweatshirt and a sleeping bag to shield from the elements, and more beer than you've seen since freshman year of college... Now imagine that at ANY point within those 36 hours, you have to be primed and ready to run to a checkpoint to get your name checked off of a list. By any point, I mean it could be 1pm in the afternoon, midway through a heated game of beer pong, or at 4:30am, when you are curled up on your reclining lounge chair sleeping off the effects of those games of beer pong, flip cup, and something new, a combination of the two. Genius.
Anyways, how did they let us know that it was time to jump up and run to our line? The most horrifying siren alarm! Half the time I felt like I was in a WWII air raid. Still I wake up in a panic and find myself wanting to take off running so that I don't miss a precious checkpoint. By the 36th hour, I was a wreck. Not showering, living off of beer, chips, and hot dogs and hamburgers... not something I would recommend. My classmates saw me in a new light. On the upside, if I fail out of school and have to beg on the street, they will definitely recognize me (please see picture below).
So after all of that, hour 36 arrives and I've hit all of my checkpoints. What happens? I win season tickets for Duke basketball right?! Is that your final answer?
Well you're WRONG. After that, I get entered into a lottery to win season tickets for Duke basketball. Yes you read correctly, a lottery. So, as I stood in line, tired, cold, and smelly, I thought to myself. I'm in it for the experience. Then I quickly put myself in check. I'm no masochist. You people (the lottery gods) had better give me some tickets or things are gonna to get UGLY-er up in here! I watched as the people in front of me either left the line wearing a look of defeat or kicked up their heels in a fit of joy. Which would I be?
My dear friend Michael Foss was right in front of me. "Sorry, I heard the lady say." Sigh of defeat. I walked up and waited as she scrolled down the list.
"Congratulations." I thanked her and smiled.
Out of respect for the other Michaels in line, I did not kick up my heels in a fit of joy. It had nothing to do with the fact that the sub-ambient temperatures had left me virtually immobile. I instead did a mental kick up, which was good enough for me.
"I GOT TICKETS, I GOT TICKETS!!!!"
Alas, I will not be doing campout this weekend. I will still be there, after all, I do love a good party. I just don't want to look like this at the end of that good party...
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