Students have a fever for Duke tickets

During men’s basketball season, no position is more coveted than a spot among the Carolina Fever top 150 point earners. With tickets to the Duke game in the Smith Center and phase one riser seats at stake, top 150 hopefuls go the extra mile to get a spot in the constantly changing group.

Students earn points by attending UNC sporting events, which are each assigned different point values. Olivia Henley, ticketing and database chairperson for Carolina Fever, explained the perks of being a top earner. 

“You get two phase one basketball tickets every game, as long as you remain in the top 150,” she said. 

Because of the competitive nature of the Carolina Fever system, students start early in order to retain their place. 

Emily Crockett, a senior who used to be in the top 150 Fever point earners, said it can be hard to make time for Fever events.

“When Fever releases their schedule I go and put it in my planner,” she said.

Crockett said while making all of the Fever events is difficult, the rewards are worth it. 

“I have been able to go (to the Duke game) the past two years,” she said. 

She said trying to earn enough Fever points to make it into the top 150 has introduced her to new sports.

“I love wrestling, which sounds so bizzare," she said. "The first time I went, I was like 'what is going on, this is weird' and I happened to be next to a girl who knew what was going on and she kind of explained it to us . . . since then, whenever I see wrestling on the schedule, I get really excited."

Some students have become so invested in the Carolina Fever system that they joined the system itself. Matthew Fedder, a public relations director for Carolina Fever, started in Fever when he was a first-year trying to get into basketball games. 

“It’s what I’ve always dreamed of, and now I get to do it every home game,” Fedder said.

Because he works for Carolina Fever, Fedder attends many sporting events, but sometimes he gets to just be a fan and enjoy long days of basketball.

“Phase one (ticket holders) get in at 6:30 and I got there two hours before 6:30," he said. "All in all, it's five and a half, six hours of your day devoted to basketball if it’s game day."

He said the program helps out the whole University athletic community.

“(Duke tickets) are used as an incentive to kind of achieve the purpose of gathering attendance for other sports games around the year that might not be seen," he said. 

Rachel Bybee, a current top 150 member, has built her schedule with her roommate so they can attend as many events as possible 

“My entire planner is filled with Fever events — not every day — but especially in the fall it feels like there are two or three a week at least," she said. 

Bybee said she and her roommate are glad they chose to commit this year. 

“My friend and I have this unspoken agreement that if there’s a Fever event, you’ve got to go.”

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