Although UW-Madison hockey tickets do not go on sale until Sept. 28, groups of UW-Madison students have been waiting outside the Kohl Center since Sept. 16, eagerly anticipating front-row seating at the hockey games.
This is the earliest that students have begun waiting, according to UW-Madison graduate Catrina Ahlbach.
\We keep raising the bar every year, so people come out earlier and earlier,"" she said.
Since the seating is sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, students have been camping in shifts in front of the Kohl Center. The line is composed of students' chairs, sleeping bags, mattresses, pillows, blankets, bags of food and items for leisure activities.
While waiting, students do their homework, read, rollerblade and play games, such as bean bags or hockey, according to UW-Madison seniors David Krawczyk and Kyle Schaible.
When asked if the camping experience is enjoyable, Krawczyk said, ""It's mostly fun, but it has its moments. [It rained on Thursday] and it wasn't so great.""
Since the groups are not allowed to pitch tents, most of them use tarps to cover their belongings when it rains.
""I almost got hypothermia,"" UW-Madison senior Tom Hoban joked. ""When it rained, our tarp didn't work so I got really wet.""
UW-Madison sophomore Katie Herrera is camping in a group of between 12 and 18 students and has been enjoying the experience.
""This is my first year doing it so I'm getting really excited,"" she said. ""I sat out for football, too, and I think this group is a little bit more rowdy than our football group.""
She said many people's friends visit and hang out. It is also an opportunity to meet the other people waiting in line.
UW-Madison sophomore Paul Long said a number of strangers have asked why they are waiting in line. When they reveal how long they have been waiting, they receive strange looks, he said.
Students unanimously said they would wait in line again.
""I'm a huge hockey fan so this is definitely worth the experience,"" Herrera said.
""I'm wondering what I'm going to do when it's over,"" Hoban said. ""I think I might just hang out [here] for a couple weeks afterward so I don't go through withdrawals.\
