Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow
Four nights under the Arizona sun in historic, record-breaking, 100-plus-degree temperatures, no beds, only a tent or hammock for shelter. It could be called madness.
But Grand Canyon University students call it a tradition.
The number of students at Camp Elliott, when students camp out on the Quad to nab the best seats for the raucous basketball season kick-off event called Midnight Madness, was slimmer this year because of the weather. Tuesday's 113 degrees was the hottest day ever recorded in Phoenix for October, a month whose temperatures usually linger in the mid 90s.
Wilson Neitzel, president of the Havocs, the renowned student cheer section that oversees Camp Elliott, said about 60 groups, or around 250 students, have pitched their tents and hung their hammocks on the rim of the Quad to take advantage of the trees and shade. Students in past years have packed the interior open space of the Quad, too, but that interior space had room for more students this year.
"The students out there right now, they're some of the more passionate Havocs we have," Neitzel said. "They are braving the heat for this cool event."
Those who stuck it out through the heat believe it was worth the sweat. As they gear up for Midnight Madness with a four-day campout, the question is: Will the experience, free T-shirt and basketball pride be worth the heat?
For GCU student Anna Foster, "Camping out for Midnight Madness is a GCU event every student should experience."
The event was named after Daniel Elliott, the first student to camp out for a GCU basketball game. When the next basketball game came around, his friends joined him. After awhile, the tradition stuck.
In the past, more than 500 people fill the Quad by Friday morning for Midnight Madness.
Students form groups of up to six people and coordinate their schedules so that one person from each group is always at their tent. Havocs leaders, who set the tone for GCU spirit, walk around the Quad to ensure a person from each group is present.
Neitzel has witnessed that spirit at Camp Elliott, basketball games and other events over his past three years as a Havocs leader.
"As Havocs leaders, we want to serve the student body, and creating a space for students to connect and have fun is one of the best ways to serve and connect students," he said.
Students who camp out receive a color band and a number for Friday’s lineup into Midnight Madness, a high-octane pep rally, when the Havocs train students on chants, cheers and everything else they need to know to be Havocs. Those students are guaranteed T-shirts and a close-up experience in the student section.
"The whole reason I am here is for a free T-shirt," Foster said with a smile.
Leading up to Midnight Madness, the Havocs keep Elliott campers entertained with activities, such as games of Just Dance, a pool party, fitness classes and karaoke.
The men’s and women’s basketball athletes show up on the Quad, too, with treats – pizza this year from men's basketball on Wednesday night.
Neitzel also has witnessed numerous friendships blossom at Camp Elliott.
"On Monday, we see groups staying around their tents and not talking much, and by Thursday night, there is a huge kill-ball game happening in the center of the Quad, and students are singing and dancing with each other on the cement," Neitzel said.
"When everyone is together on the Quad, playing games and having fun, there isn't a better feeling," Neitzel said – a feeling not even record-breaking temperatures can stop.
Midnight Madness, whose theme is Lope Vegas, is a student-only event that will light up Global Credit Union Arena at midnight Friday.
GCU student writer Leandra Lepp can be reached at [email protected]
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GCU News: Midnight Madness whets Havocs' hoops appetite
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