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LOGAN -- There is no doubt that Utah State University students take being a fan seriously.
In a movement to "occupy the Spectrum," more than 1,000 students are braving the cold weather for two nights in order to guarentee good spots for the first USU men's basketball game against BYU this Friday.
Not only are they taking over the fields next to the basketball arena, they also took over Twitter, trending #occupythespectrum in the Salt Lake City area starting late Thursday afternoon as they gear up for the game.
Regardless of whether you think they are nice or mean, ESPN has described the USU crowd as one of “the smartest student sections in the entire country.”
"The Spectrum atmosphere makes it unique," says Karson Kalian, president of the HURD (the official USU athletics fan club). He and Ryan Baylis, the ASUSU athletics vice president, are the two main organizers for this event.
"The students have built the atmosphere of the Spectrum and put fear into the opposing team," Kalian said.
The fans aim to play an integral part by getting into the opponent's head with their creative, and sometimes harsh, chants.
In anticipation of the game, the fans are bundled up in approximately 240 tents strewn across adjacent fields.
"We are here rain or shine, no matter how many days early," said Tyler Nielsen, a graduate student at USU. "We're here from the 'I believe' to the final scoreboard."
Some of the fans had been there Thursday since the early hours of the morning and weren't planning on getting much sleep.
"I'll freeze for my Aggie team," said Kaydee Jensen, another USU student who had been at the fields with her friends since 10 a.m.
"Two nights in a tent below freezing? It's ridiculous, but everyone wants to be in the Spectrum — that's what makes us us," Kalian said.
Katelyn Ericson is currently pursuing an MBA at Utah State University. She completed her undergraduate work at Brigham Young University-Idaho in English.
