‘Camp Calhoun:’ The HURD begins four-night campout ahead of GCU matchup
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information is available.
On a cold, rain-soaked February night in Logan, tents were already lined up outside the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum more than five days before the next Utah State men’s basketball home game. Members of the Utah State student section, the HURD, had begun a five-day, four-night campout ahead of the Aggies’ Saturday night bout with Grand Canyon.
The campers, who have dubbed themselves ‘Camp Calhoun’ in honor of USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun, plan on spending the night in tents from Tuesday to Saturday.
“It’s incredible. It’s the best student section in the country. It’s the most organized. It’s one of the most prideful things that I’ve ever been a part of. It’s awesome,” Calhoun said in his pregame media availability ahead of Wednesday night’s game against San Diego State. “Really, they create the environment, they create the excitement inside the arena.”
The HURD is no stranger to camping out for games, no matter the weather. Many students camped out prior to Utah State’s 75-56 win over Boise State last Wednesday, despite Logan receiving over seven inches of snow that day.
“Every football and basketball game this year, except maybe one game over [Christmas] break, there’s been someone camping out,” said Kolton Freeman, a junior at Utah State studying computer science. “It’s been really cool to see this year the passion of the HURD and people that are taking time and willing to sleep in crazy conditions just so they can cheer on the team.”
While it’s certainly not uncommon to see HURD members camping out the night before games, the length of the campout had a different motive. Prior to Utah State’s matchup against the Lopes in Phoenix earlier this season, GCU students camped out for three days prior to the game.
“We had this idea that we wanted to because they were bragging about how they camped out for three days, and so we collectively got together and said, ‘You know what? We need to outdo them. We need to do a day longer.’ So, that’s what we’re doing,” Freeman said. “In worse weather, raining, it’s not 65 degrees, covered pavilion, nice weather.”
Nine tents could be seen outside the Spectrum on Tuesday evening, despite consistent rain for most of the afternoon and evening on Tuesday, and more rain forecasted into the night and into Wednesday.
While Freeman and several others started the campout on their own on Monday, they are anticipating that additional participants will join as the weather lightens and the game draws nearer.
The HURD also has activities planned each of the four nights for campers and students who want to participate. Some of those participants are expected to be Calhoun himself, along with members of the men’s basketball team, later in the week.
“I’m looking forward to joining them, whether it’s tomorrow or the next night, certainly going to get out there with them and buy them whatever they want, whatever type of meal that they would like to have,” Calhoun said. “We have a great amount of respect for the amount of time and energy that they put into their themes and the different things throughout a season, so we’ll certainly be out there in the next couple of days with them.”
Calhoun and the program have made an effort each time to interact with the camping students, frequently by bringing dinner. For Freeman and the rest of the campers, this connection between the team and the students has been a bright spot, as each of them has been able to interact with Calhoun and the players.
“They brought up McDonald’s a couple weeks ago for the San Diego State game, and it was cool to watch because coach Calhoun went and talked to every group of students that was there,” Freeman said. “There’s probably 75 people, and he came out, and he talked to everyone…It just builds a camaraderie and a sense of community that you have.”