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HOLLADAY -- For some Utah Jazz fans after a 149- day lockout, the first game of the year is worth walking nine miles for.
A group of Olympus High School students and Jazz super fans decked out in their team's garb, carrying flags and a boombox on their march from the high school to the Energy Solutions Arena. The walk began was set to being at 1:30 p.m. at Olympus High in order to get to the 7 p.m. game.
"There are a lot of Jazz fans here at Olympus so we didn't have any trouble getting people who wanted to do this," said Josh Willhard, organizer of the march.
With enthusiasm propelling them, they marched and screamed and yelled and waved to vehicles driving by, the drivers of whom honked in return.
When the long lock out ended, there was some speculation that NBA fans might stay away from the arenas. It appears as though fans really haven't held much of a grudge at all. According to the NBA, 26 of 32 games through the past Wednesday were sold out and sales of NBA merchandise have also been brisk. The Jazz expect to sell out tonight.
The group of Olympus walkers are sporting Jazz jerseys old and new. Some of these guys just happened to attend the recent unveiling of the Jazz new uniforms, and, seeing their enthusiasm, team President Randy Rigby invited them to tonight's game.
"They gave us tickets to suite 21; 22 tickets to it," said Willhard.
Tickets for a luxury suite of the season opener certainly adds to the enthusiasm of the marchers. But for this group, the lockout had no bearing on their true devotion for the team.
"It just got us more excited, that wait. Especially when your team's not doing that well, you're just excited for them to start up," said Christian Vandenberghe, another organizer of the march.
The Olympus students are hoping to arrive early for some of the pre-game activities at the arena, and maybe get an autograph or photos with the players. The National Anthem will be sung by former Jazz great Thurl Bailey.
Email:kmccord@ksl.com
