Students Camp Out at Smith Center
By Meghan Smith

Enduring 40 degree weather, missing class and listening to people snore are just some of the things Carolina students are willing to do for a certain sporting event.

Tar Heel basketball’s biggest fans have taken over the Smith Center, and they’ve been camping out there since Saturday night to get the hardest tickets to come by in town—front row riser tickets to the UNC-Duke game on Tuesday.

Senior Meridith Martin says it’s worth the experience, whatever the cost.

“Well we had a snorer, and that was fun,” Martin said.

Friends delivered meals to the fans as they caught up on homework…and a little poker.

Some students will have camped out for 48 hours before they cheer on their Tar Heels on the front row risers at the Duke game.

So what does senior Tripp Shedon say when friends tell him he’s crazy?

“You know, I might be crazy, but I’m a Tar Heel fan, and this is what I do,” he said.

Senior Emery Chen says this is what Carolina’s all about.

“It’s Carolina basketball. It’s one of the traditions of this University…we live college basketball,” Chen said.

So what do students plan to do when they finally gets to the game Tuesday night?

“I actually toyed with the idea of being naked completely, but I thought I might be kicked out of the stadium,” said senior Smith Gregg.

The good news is, he will make it into the Smith Center. Although not everyone camping out will make it to the front row, they’ll still be so close that you’ll probably see them on the big screen Tuesday night...and for them, that’s a well-deserved win.