Before student ticketing went electronic, students would brave the cold and camp out in front of Reynolds Coliseum in hopes of receiving a ticket to a basketball or football game. The first campout started in 1967 and has been a Wolfpack tradition ever since.
But now with the rise of the online ticketing system, standing out in the cold nights during January and February has been rendered obsolete for all games but one. This game is the men’s basketball matchup against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
This year’s campout will take place Saturday, Feb. 23. As of Wednesday afternoon there are 2,000 students signed up to participate. Organizer Robert Walsh of the Student Government started planning the event in August.
”More events will be taking place inside Reynolds and Talley through the night,” Walsh, a sophomore in political science, said. “Students will be able to escape the frigid temperatures.”
UAB and Student Government are combining Campout and All Night Bash. This is the last year Campout will be in front of Reynolds Coliseum until Talley’s renovations are finished. In Reynolds there will be a 3 vs. 3-basketball tournament to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research. Campers can register online and with a maximum of five people on each team.
There will also be a hockey shooting station hosted by the Carolina Hurricanes, along with prizes, tickets, board bucks and memorabilia. In Talley there will be an array of food, student organizations and karaoke. At 2:30 a.m. students will be required to go back outside and either head to their tents or to the movie “Cool Runnings,” which will be showing outside of Talley.
In order to make sure students are there all night, checkpoints will be administered randomly throughout the night. Two-thirds of each group must be together at the checkpoints or the group will be disqualified from receiving tickets to the game.
William Burnet, a junior in business administration, said he believes that receiving good seats at the RBC Center is worth the price of staying awake all night and suffering through the cold weather.
“Last year my friends and I got sideline tickets,” Burnet said. “The year before we didn’t camp out, and got the upper level seats.”
According to The Weather Channel, the low on Saturday night is expected to be about 28 degrees. But with 2,000 students already signed up, the temperature will not keep determined fans from getting seats for the UNC game.
“I plan on bringing ten blankets,” Matt Hirsch, a freshman in environmental design in architecture, said. “I’m not ready for the cold, but I’m excited.”
Registration was extended until tonight at midnight as a result of the winter weather delays and cancelations.
“With the beginning of the semester and the ice storm we had I didn’t have a chance to register before the original deadline,” Jonathan Betts, a senior in civil engineering, said. “So the extension really helped get me and my friends there.”
Tents and sleeping bags are highly recommended and are available to rent for the night through Campus Recreation at a discounted rate. Students can start setting up their campsites around 6:00 p.m. all along the streets of Dunn and Jeter. Student Government is tasked with assigning specific campsites for each individual group.
Campus Police are asking participating students to park in the Coliseum Deck or the Dan Allen Parking Deck. Students are expected to abide by the NCSU Code of Student Conduct, requesting that there are no open flames, alcohol or weapons during the campout. However, tailgate items such as corn hole and latter ball are allowed and encouraged.
