Shelby Langston

By Theresa Smith GCU News Bureau Long lines of students sitting on the grass or the pavement, endlessly playing cards, snacking, talking and dozing? If it sounds like madness, it is — Midnight Madness. Grand Canyon University students seeking premium seats for Midnight Madness are tailgating and tenting, as organized by the leaders of the Havocs, GCU’s nationally recognized cheer section. “Camp Elliott grows every year and people do it because they like it,” said Havocs Co-President Shelby Langston.  “Yes, they want a good spot for Midnight Madness, but they also enjoy being outside with their friends and changing it up.”  Camp Elliott, coined for Daniel Elliott, the first student to start the tradition, in 2015, will end on Friday, Oct. 5, at 10 a.m. when all students will be given their lineup numbers.  The doors to GCU Arena will open at 11:15 p.m. for Midnight Madness, featuring the men’s and women’s basketball teams, along with their coaches, Dan Majerle and Nicole Powell, and performances by the spirit teams: the Thundering Heard Pep Band, Cheer, Dance and Thunder. The theme for this latest edition of Midnight Madness is mysterious. “They are in for a wild night since The Joker, “Thunder,’’ […]

An early pre-event start and a power outage sent a frenzied crowd of over 7,000 students into an even higher energy level of dancing, clapping, singing and cheering at Thursday night’s Lope-A-Palooza at GCU Arena. The Thundering Heard Band, Cheer team, Dance team, Thunder and the Havocs leaders put on an unforgettable show to kick off the academic school year and pump up new and returning members of the Havocs to support athletics, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams who made an appearance prior to their home opening matches tonight.

Before they can even get unpacked, Havocs leaders have a message for new and returning GCU students: “We want you!’’ Indeed, maintaining the incredible spirit of the Havocs is an all-in enterprise. “It takes every single student,’’ Havocs Co-President Jake Bradshaw said. The learning process begins on Thursday at Lope-A-Palooza, an incredibly entertaining event featuring Thunder, the Cheer and Dance teams, the Thundering Heard Pep Band and the Havocs. It is the perfect time for students — who all are inherently Havocs — to learn the chants and movements that give the Lopes a home-field and home-court advantage.