| Rival
Fans Share Dedication
by Anne Sexton
For Duke University and UNC-CH fans, dedication
means sleeping bags, alarm clocks, cold weather,
and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
While the men’s
basketball players prove their enthusiasm
for the Tobacco Road
rivalry on the court, it's outside the famed
Cameron Indoor Stadium and Dean Smith Center
where student fans show what they're willing
to go through for a chance to witness the
historic match-up.
Since New Years’ Eve, Duke students
have been camping in front of Cameron Stadium
in an area dubbed "Kryzewski-ville,",
just to get the best spots on the risers
for Wednesday’s match-up. UNC-CH doesn’t
condone camping out for basketball tickets,
but Carolina students
still get their fair share of line checks,
sleepless nights, and refreshments.
Senior
Aemika Best said the Saturday morning lottery
distribution shows how dedicated Tar Heel
fans are.
"We wake up extra early," said Best. "Some
of us do not go to sleep just to get tickets,
like the Duke fans to stand here and get
tickets. I think we are just as dedicated
if not more than Duke."
But for some fans, dedication can be confused
with desperation.
"This guy ate something," said
UNC-CH senior Sarah Hoag. "And then
[he] had to regurgitate it into the other
guy’s mouth--actually the guy had to
receive the regurgitation--for Duke tickets,
and I thought that was pretty dang nasty."
Well, most Carolina fans aren’t desperate
enough to use digestive
means of getting tickets and tend to stick
to the more sanitary
lottery system. Some Blue Devils, who missed
out on Kryzewski-ville have been
creative in other ways to guarantee a spot
at the rivalry match-up.
"There is this story that this guy
slept in the rafters above the bathroom the
night before the game and then climbed down
to get in," said Duke graduate student
Ed Venit.
While the tents of Kryzewski-ville serve as a constant reminder of the dedication
of the so-called "Cameron Crazies," in Chapel Hill, the anxious
moments, hours in the rain, and early morning line-ups don’t go unnoticed.
"You folks have no idea how much you
mean to us and to our team and
we definitely appreciate it," said UNC
men's basketball coach Roy Williams. "Thank
you very much for that, too."
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