For years the N.C . State community has supported the famous Wolfpack-Tarheel rivalry with a plethora of different events. This week, students will have the opportunity to show their school spirit by participating in the traditional ticket campout .
Student Government partnered with the Union Activities Board and other university organizations to host the 2012 Campout for students who are eager to receive tickets for the University basketball game against University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Jan. 26.
The Campout is characterized by a number of events, including a three-on-three basketball tournament and amazing race competition, broken up by a series of checkpoints. The first checkpoint will be the students’ initial check-in and five others will follow.
According to Scott Moore, this year’s Campout planner and a senior in computer and electrical engineering, students have to make four out of the five checkpoints, including the mandatory checkout, in order to receive a ticket to the game.
Moore, who is a Campus Community Committee chair, said a great amount of planning and preparation went into the 2012 Campout . This year, Moore said the campers will be lining their tents along the side of Dunn Ave. and the various events will be held in Reynolds Coliseum and Talley.
Among the events in Reynolds including the University Recreation sponsored three-on-three basketball tournament, hockey shootout, and slam dunk contest, a health promotions booth will be set up to endorse healthy habits and “The Big Event”.
With the exception of breaking the University rules and regulations or the Campout conduct rules, Moore said all students who complete four out of the five checkpoints, including the final checkout, are guaranteed a ticket.
“Students will check in between 5 and 8 p.m . and that’s the first checkpoint. After that there are three random checkpoints and then the final checkout which is mandatory for getting a ticket,” Moore said.
Students who break any of the rules or miss more than one checkpoint are ineligible for a ticket. According to Moore, a major deal-breaker is leaving trash behind. He said the grounds crews have cracked down on littering.
“They definitely won’t get a ticket if they leave trash at their campsite,” Moore said.
Moore said this is his first time planning Campout and he’s excited about how it will turn out.
“It’s one of the oldest and most important traditions in N.C . State history, for one night everyone comes together as one big Wolfpack family,” Moore said.
So far, according to Moore, over 1,500 students have signed up.
Moore said he and his committee are eager for “as many students to sign up as possible.”
The University Tradition’s Commission chair, Andy Walsh, junior in political science, said all students who camp out are guaranteed a ticket, but there will be leftovers available in a lottery after the Campout .
Walsh said the lottery tickets are not guaranteed but the grounds restrictions allow only a certain number of students to camp out- a number that is smaller than the total number of basketball tickets available.
For the Campout , students can bring their own equipment or rent equipment, including sleeping bags and tents from Outdoor Adventures, a branch of University Recreation.
Walsh said Outdoor Adventures and University Recreation sold out of all their camping equipment for last year’s Campout .
In addition to the different events, competitions, and games, the various campus organizations will be providing food to all the campers. Among campus participants, Talley and the Wolves Den will be open until 2 a.m .
Walsh, who organized the three-on-three basketball tournament, said this year they have space for 48 teams to sign up. The teams can be any size but each member has to pay a $5 sign-up fee and all of the proceeds will be donated to the Jimmy V Foundation, which supports cancer research.
Though this year’s weather does not seem to pose a threat to the campout , past years have proved differently.
Tracey D’Angelo , senior in statistics, said she participated in the Campout of Jan. 2009, her sophomore year. That year the Campout had to be ended early because of the frigid temperatures.
“It was so cold, like below 20 degrees, and they ended it early,” D’Angelo said.
Although the weather conditions were sub-par, D’Angelo said she enjoyed the campout nonetheless.
“Overall it was a really good experience because I met some long-term friends while doing it,” D’Angelo said.
Taylor Allen, a recent graduate who camped alongside D’Angelo , said everything about the campout was great except for the weather.
“It was an interesting experience. I had a good time with all my friends but I did not enjoy the weather. I spent most of the time drinking hot chocolate or with my hands by the heater,” Allen said.
Though outside sources and factors sometimes play a role in the success of the Campout , planners Moore and Walsh both said this year’s event is set to run smoothly.
“The Campout is one of the biggest, if not the biggest athletic tradition at N.C . State. Every student should experience it,” Walsh said.