Feb. 11, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - "So...when do you think someone else will come?" My friends and I asked this question of each other at least fifty times on Saturday night after we set up our tents in front of Cole Field House's East Lobby doors--this week's prime real estate on campus.

Our campout plans had started months before this chilly February evening when my friend Jeff Beverage and I were having an online conversation. We went back and forth trying to decide which night would be a good time to pitch our tent for Duke tickets, knowing that these rectangular pieces of paper would be the most coveted item in College Park, Md. come February.

So here I am on the night before tickets are available for student pick-up. And I'm first in line.

A few people came by our tents on Saturday night with puzzled looks on their faces. "What exactly are you doing?" they'd ask. After my crew and I answered their question, they'd usually just dub us as crazy yet dedicated fans. One guy, Tim, praised our school spirit for awhile that night and then came back on Sunday morning with donuts and coffee for us. Being first in line definitely has its perks!

After spending a somewhat lonely night wondering whether or not the "Candyman" or the "Blair Witch" would come and get us while we slept in our vinyl fortress, we were excited to see a few more tenters show up on Sunday afternoon. My friends and I greeted the newcomers and helped them set up their tents. We passed the rest of our time that rainy afternoon by playing cards, listening to the boys play guitar, and talking about how much we love our Terps.

As the evening approached, my fellow tentmates and our new friends sat on milk crates that we snatched from behind the South Campus dining hall and huddled around a radio so we could listen to the Terps capture a 92-77 victory against UNC. Minutes after the game ended, more and more tents started popping up behind ours. I continued to walk around and help the Terp faithful set up their campsites, smiling to myself because I knew that even though the line kept growing and growing, I was still getting my ticket before everyone else.

Beverage and I took many trips around Cole, staring in amazement as more and more people got in line. The rain didn't matter to some Terps fans without tents, they just curled up in blankets and sat in lawn chairs or on the damp ground. One girl even pulled her mattress out of her dorm and plopped it on the ground for the night. Another group of students brought out a Duke effigy and placed it near their campsite, allowing all willing Terp fans to perform moves on it that only Vince McMahon would approve of.

The scene got livelier and livelier as the night wore on. A group of my friends and I ran behind Cole Field House just in time to welcome home the basketball team from North Carolina. I pulled Coach Gary Williams aside and said "Hey, you've gotta see what we've got going on up by Cole. There are hundreds of us camping out for Duke tickets already." Coach Williams thought that we were inside Cole camping out for tickets, but I proudly informed him that my fellow students and I had pitched tents and braved the rain just for a chance to support our team on Sunday, February 17. Coach Williams was pleasantly surprised at our dedication, and told me that he'd be sure to come up and walk through our version of "Garyland."

Never one to disappoint, Coach Williams walked out of the East Lobby doors only minutes after our initial encounter with him and gave the citizens of Garyland a great pep talk and thanked us for our support.

The rain continued to pour throughout the early morning. Around 6 a.m. I awoke to the sound of violently flapping vinyl and wondered if some of my friends were just playing a joke on me by hitting the sides of my tent. I quickly realized that my unstable tent situation was no joke when I heard people screaming "Oh man, my tent just blew away!" and "Gary, Juan, come save us!" I unzipped my tent door to see my friends struggling to get out of their collapsed tent. The wind snapped one student's tent poles in half and left him homeless for the rest of the day. The student said that the only thing that could make up for his tent tragedy was knowing he'd get tickets since he was near the front of the line.

Hundreds of other students turned out in droves this morning and afternoon for their spot in the line that presently wraps around the side of Byrd Stadium, hoping that they'd have a shot to get inside Cole Field House at 7 p.m. Monday when the building doors will be open to students. Those students who camped overnight spent the day taking shifts with their tentmates while they went to classes and work.

Williams and his coaching staff once again journeyed through Garyland's friendly confines Monday afternoon, taking pictures with every excited student that asked for one...despite some bizarre requests, such as one from a student who insisted that Coach Williams sit next to him on a futon for the picture.

The mood on campus is amazing right now, and the media are rushing over here to capture it all for those who wish they were experiencing it in the flesh. As the day continues on and the sun goes down, I feel a tremendous sense of pride in my school and its students, who are showing the country what Maryland and ACC basketball is all about. For now I'll retire for my tent for the last few hours before I lead my fellow Terps inside Cole Field House to take my spot directly underneath the student ticket window. Even though the weather didn't always cooperate with us and I've had about four hours of sleep since Saturday, you better believe that the other four original settlers of Garyland and I are going to be celebrating at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday when we're handed the first tickets to the greatest college hoops match-up of the year. GO TERPS!

-- story by Chelsey Trowbridge, sophomore journalism major