My three-hour shift Wednesday night, from 6-9 p.m., came with little excitement. Yes, my friends and I played some lively music for the campers at Gate D. This time the main performance was “Milkshake.” Quick—who’s the artist behind “Milkshake?” It’s…OK, I’ll wait. No? Nothing? I’ll give you a hint.

“My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard/And they’re like/It’s better than yours/Damn right it’s better than yours/I can teach you/But I have to charge”

First, don’t lie, you just sang that out loud, or at the very least in your head. Second, the correct answer was “Kelis.” Yes, Kelis. Don’t worry if you didn’t get it right. No one did.

Now, jamming out to “Milkshake” was good fun and all, but that wasn’t the main thing that stuck with me from my short three-hour shift. What really stayed with me was the Otto’s Army meeting that we were all able to attend.

It wasn’t just a break from the cold, although that was amazing, it was a room full of students that have so much dedication to their school, and are giving so much support to this team. Being able to come to together as a community of die-hard fans has been fun and rewarding.

Over the past week I’ve learned that the ability to overcome all problems and all obstacles is what makes us stronger. Camping out in general isn’t easy. Camping out in the cold isn’t any easier. Camping out, in the cold, and having to balance everyone’s schedule so you always have enough people in the tent at all times, is extremely freaking stressful.

Even though my friends and I are a large group (three groups of four), there are still times where we have to struggle to make sure we have at least one member from each group. It forces us to make sacrifices. Skip class (and be very studious and make sure we get all the missed notes from a fellow studious classmate), skip going to the gym, miss our favorite shows, etc…

However, I have news for all of my fellow campers making similar sacrifices – it’s going to be worth it. All the times when you slept on cement floor rather than your comfy bed. All the times when your hands froze just trying to text or use your laptop. All the times where you fell asleep, only to wake up in a cold sweat. It WILL be worth it.

This is an experience that will last a lifetime. A scenario that will never happen again. The first-ever conference game between two of the biggest powerhouses in college basketball history. It pits the two winningest active coaches in NCAA men’s basketball. Two of the top freshman dueling it out. A projected record-breaking attendance. College GameDay. Syracuse’s 20-0 undefeated record put to the test.

When we enter that Dome, it will be worth it. All the hardships many of us have had to endure over the past week will make us even that more intense.

Beat the cold. Beat Duke.

Published on January 30, 2014 at 6:08 pm