By Jamie Mones
“Vertically challenged” people like me struggle watching basketball games. Last Friday at the first men’s basketball game, I had the best seat in the house.
Two words: Crazy Couch.
This is simply a wonderful treat from the Canyon Crazies Club. Think comfortable couch, free food, center of the action and halftime fame all in one.
How did I manage to get all of the above? Let me tell you.
A day before the game, the Canyon Crazies Club had a rehearsal party, where students learned game cheers and enjoyed free food and prizes. The prizes were ’Lopes Cash or a chance to sit on the Crazy Couch.
Club president Dan Ballenger asked me to staff the snacks and raffle table while he taught the rest of the students the cheers. Moments later, he asked for the container with the raffle tickets and my help in drawing the first name for the Crazy Couch.
I asked the students for a drum roll, picked a ticket out of the container held high above my head (I think it was a premonition), showed the ticket to Dan and, after a moment of weird looks, the rest was history. I had won!
The next evening, it was approaching 15 minutes past game time and I was just leaving my International Club buddies at India/Nepal Night. I was in a hurry to reach Antelope Gym, all excited but without a clue what to expect.
Once I reached the gym, there it was, waiting for me: a big, black couch perched on a platform on the first few row of bleachers on the gym’s west side.
It was like in the movies, where the camera focused on one object and everything around it was blurred and moved in slo-mo.
Only one word could describe that picture: perfection.
When reality finally kicked in, I happily mounted the couch (let’s not talk about how I reached it). It was a vertically challenged person’s dream come true.
The game went on. My couch buddy, junior Christina Motley, and I watched the action without a single head to block our view.
The audience was treated to an amazing, in-your-face dunk by Antelope senior Rony Tchatchoua. The crowd went wild. The gym was loud and people were preoccupied doing victory dances. Talk about crowd involvement!
I was even asked to sit, because the game staff thought I was going to fall off.
As if one dunk were not enough, freshman Chris Johnson followed up with another.
I looked at the video screen — without having to stand on tiptoe or break my neck — and there I was with Christina! Then it quickly switched to show GCU’s mascot, Thunder, walking toward us with a box of Papa John’s Pizza.
Everything went on slo-mo again. Thunder suavely approached in his GCU shirt and perfect smile. I stood up and he handed me the pizza box. For once in my life, I towered over someone as tall as Thunder — antlers and all.
It didn’t end there.
Dan approached us with the microphone for a brief interview, and it was all on camera.
With entertainment from the Dance Team, games and giveaways, all of it was better from the Crazy Couch.
My couch buddy and I were at the center of all the action in the bleachers. We were involved in every cheer, from doing the ’Lopes Up signal to the “D-fense” and GCU chant. The “winning team, losing team” chant is new this year and is not to be missed.
Everything from the Crazy Couch was perfect — the view, the food and the energy. I learned that you can still be vertically challenged — OK, short — and enjoy the game on a different level (both figuratively and literally).
How can you sit in the Crazy Couch? It’s simple: Come to the Black Hole rehearsal party and join the Canyon Crazies Club!
Jamie Mones is an international student from the islands of the Philippines and the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia. Writing is one of her numerous passions. Contact Jamie at [email protected].
