On Friday, my token spontaneous friend approached me with a proposition for a would-be adventure. The scheme was simple: a night spent waiting in line for ESPN's "College GameDay," the Holy Grail for many university men. It sounded boring, but he promised there would be TWIZZLERS. I said I would go.
We witnessed the escalation of Florida-Miami hostilities on our way along University Avenue at the Swamp Restaurant. A shouting match was underway from opposite sides of the street, but I had money on the UF crowd. It had more alcohol. The parking attendants watched as though the ruckus was the main event.
The cast filed in gradually, with a Hume resident adviser and his comrades leading the line. John, clad in traditional orange and blue Gator gear, had been waiting since 10:15 a.m.
A portly man by the name of Coleman joined us later, wearing a "SuperTebow" T-shirt, his eyes gleaming through the orange and blue war paint on his face. He brought with him a cheery air and some food, so he was most welcome.
Farther down, a group of men passed the time smoking cigarettes and needling the one improbable Ohio State fan, who claimed to have walked all the way from Columbus. A group of Hume kids unpacked a laptop and fired up "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." It seems UF students will use any excuse to stay up all hours of the night.
The more fervent fans were already constructing signs as alumni and students caroused the streets shouting slurred chants in a haphazard haze. Brilliant examples of UF students' ways with words lined the barricades, ranging from "Hurricane Forecast: Rainey all night" to "Usain Bolt was too slow to play for the Gators."
Meanwhile, there was a mild explosion of wrath from some of the more animated spirits, who were busy debating whether to kick the Buckeye or the Miami fan off the island. We sent out for pizza.
As it neared daybreak, everyone began to scramble for a position as they stowed the sleeping bags and lawn chairs. Border wars were constant, and territory encroachment was inevitable. However, a policy of appeasement was granted for those with the most elaborate body paint.
By this point, almost everybody had been waiting for more than eight hours. I couldn't be certain if I was dreaming or not. Suddenly, a man with a Gator-themed shower curtain for a cape tromped by. I gave up trying to reason.
It was nearly time. At the signal, the mighty, crushing horde of charmed and enthusiastic UF fans swarmed through the gates in a sea of chaos, noise and confusion.
By 10 a.m., I had been up for 24 hours, and the night was over. The day was yet to come.
