Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010

Cameron Crazies

The fans of Duke University's perennially dominant basketball team (and last season's national champions) aren't your typical drunken college rabble. Sure, they'll burn anything in sight at a communal bonfire following a win. But they're also a well-organized collective — clever to fellow Dukies and irritating to just about anyone else who steps inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Days before a home Duke game, students begin to camp out in a line referred to as Krzyzewskiville — named after Mike Krzyzewski, four-time national-title winner as coach — in anticipation of a prime spot in the 1,200-seat student section that hugs the court. The Crazies then circulate cheer sheets before the game to coordinate their taunts. More infamous examples include the student section yelling "Freeze! Police!" at University of Maryland's Adrian Branch following his arrest on drug charges and "Where's Olden? At the copy machine!" at University of Virginia's Olden Polynice following plagiarism charges.