Javier Gomez and his friends had it all planned out. Thursday night they would pitch their tent and set up shop in front of the student gate at Scott Stadium -- a full 36 hours before the kickoff of the Virginia-Virginia Tech game. Sure, at least two of them would have to brave the cold for a night, but the group of four first years was willing to make the sacrifice.
But when Gomez spotted a few eager fans that had already claimed their spot outside the entrance Tuesday morning, he knew that he had overestimated the sanity of the Virginia student body. He and his friends needed to mobilize quickly and prove that they were just as crazy.
By the afternoon, the group had a tent set up next to one of the gates. By 6:30 p.m., eight different groups had staked out their own spots. Six hours later, over a dozen tents were scattered around the area in front of the stadium.
Even with a football team that had to upset Georgia Tech to get its record to .500 in the ACC, even with temperatures scheduled to fall in the 20s Thursday night, even at a school where the student fan base is known for its tradition of ignorance and apathy, Gomez and his buddies joined almost 50 of their fellow students in front of the stadium five days before the game.
What in the name of bow ties and sundresses has happened to this place?
Gomez and his fellow campers Neil Paine, Brendan Hart and Joel Klas see themselves as launching a new era where Virginia fans are respected across the ACC and teams dread the thought of entering Scott Stadium.
"It put a chip on our shoulder," Paine said about the poor reputation of Virginia's student fan base. "I don't want to go to a school where the people are just like, 'Oh, well they have no home field advantage, so we don't have to worry about playing there.' I want them to get mad when we yell at them before games."
I've lived in dorms within a quarter-mile radius of the stadium all four years at this school and have never seen fans lining up this early for a football game. Last year, a handful of students set up tents the night before a Thursday night game against Clemson. Of course, that Virginia team was undefeated at that point and ranked in the top 10 in both major polls. And that was one night in early October. Some fans spent a couple nights in front of the gates before the Miami game last November, but that was when the Cavaliers had a legitimate shot at playing in a BCS bowl. Camping out four nights in late November with Virginia out of the ACC title picture is an entirely different story. But the way Gomez sees it, this kind of behavior is just what committed fans do.
"It's one of those experiences that you can't put a price on," Gomez said. "It's just something that you do, and it's part of the whole college experience."
The four first years, however, wouldn't even have been out there yet if it wasn't for Drew Curtis and Ryan Croft. The pair claims to have been the first two students in the stadium for each game this season, and when they heard students planning to camp out for the Virginia Tech game, they knew they had to keep their streak alive.
"The last game, people were waiting in line and people started talking about camping out," Curtis said. "Some said Wednesday and some said Tuesday night. So, we just thought we'd play it safe and show up Monday night."
After watching the Dallas Cowboys squeeze out a victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Monday Night Football, the two third years got comfortable on the Scott Stadium steps by 2 a.m, a full 106 hours before the start of the game.
For every game this year, Curtis pulled himself out of bed at the crack of dawn to get to the stadium where he would "pass out on the steps." Croft would then come and relieve him a few hours later. Curtis and Croft have typically been in the minority with their fanaticism, but the two friends believe things are slowly changing.
"My first year, almost all of my friends wore ties," Curtis said. "That year, people were making fun of us for painting our chests and wearing orange. Now, it's starting to come the other way around with more people wearing orange."
Curtis and Croft's preemptive strike on Monday night has already had an effect on other Virginia students, drawing dozens of students out in front of the stadium five days ahead of time. As word spreads of the campground in front of Scott Stadium, the numbers will almost certainly increase throughout the week.
"Our school isn't a big football school," Croft said. "We're trying to get something started."
Curtis and Croft have set the bar high for their successors. Gomez, Paine, Hart and Klas were forced to scramble and camp out two days earlier than they had planned because of them. For the Miami game in Charlottesville next year, students may just set up a tent immediately after the previous week's game ends.
It may seem a little crazy, and I certainly think it is, but what are true fans if not insane, illogical beings? With a cold front quickly moving toward the East Coast, the four first years know they will be in for some chilly nights this week. But these guys know they'll find a way to manage. They are willing to make the sacrifices they need to make and do whatever it takes to ensure they will have a front row seat for Saturday's game.
"We're buddies. We'll keep each other warm," Paine said. "You've seen Without a Paddle, haven't you?"
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