Just when we think we've met the most enthusiastic and school spirited fan on our Original Retro Brand College Student Section journey, another school yields yet another uber fan to replace the previous. How appropriate then, that today we visit the uber state of Texas, where the Longhorns Men's basketball program sits atop the Big 12 with their eyes squarely set on an April 4th date in Houston.
7th Stop: # 5 Texas Longhorns
Student Section: The O-Zone
Student Section Case Study: Helen Tau, Freshman
The Interview…..
ORB: I seriously got goose bumps talking with you about The O-Zone, and your love of Texas basketball. You got me so pumped up, and I honestly thought you were going to jump through the phone! What is it that gets you so charged up?
Helen: Wow, Where do I start?! The guys are playing SO WELL right now, it's hard not to get pumped up. On any given night, any player might drop 20. It's just a thing of beauty to watch how well they've come together as a team right now. Getting to the games a few hours early helps too, because we always get seats in the first 2 or 3 rows where we can watch the warm-ups and be closer to the players - that REALLY gets me charged up!
ORB: Do you have a favorite player?
Helen: Jordan Hamilton is probably our best player, but I really don't have a favorite. They are all playing so unselfishly that it's hard not to love them all!
ORB: Understood. What do you do as a member of the O-Zone during the games to get the team fired up?
Helen: We're in the first few rows, we end up standing and screaming our heads off for the entire game! We join in the chants with the Longhorn Hellraisers (I leave the orange & white face painting to them!), and the Drum (Frank Erwin Center) goes nuts after we sing "Eyes of Texas" every time. It's kind of tradition for Matt Hill (Senior), and sometimes Jordan, to come by and high-5 a bunch of us, and of course Hook 'Em (school mascot) comes by and gives us High - 5's also, and gets the student section pretty rowdy.
ORB: You sound like a real veteran, but you're just a Freshman. How did you get involved?
Helen: I've always loved sports and wanted to participate any way I could. I am in the UT Varsity Rewards Program which is basically a student incentive program to get students to come to the games and increase the fan base. There is a point system that builds up each time you attend games, which gets you cool things like backpacks, school supplies, and t-shirts with the Texas logo on them. By the way, I wanted to mention that I follow the women's team also!
ORB: We love women too! How are they doing?
Helen: They've actually been doing pretty well. We had a rough game against # 1 Baylor, but bounced right back to beat Nebraska. I Love College Hoops so much that between both the Womens and Mens teams, I've missed just 2 home games out of about 32 so far, and have been to some road games too!
Pretty impressive - HOOK 'EM HELEN! Hey, that sounds like a new mascot, right?
Thanks so much to Helen for taking us into the O-Zone for a quick, small look at a big time program, and maybe we'll see her and the Longhorns in Houston!
VISITING TEAMS GET LOST IN THE...
Our next stop on the Original Retro Brand “I Love College Hoops” journey, takes us into the Tiger Territory of the Mizzou Zou Crew.
FOR UPDATES ON CONTESTS, FASHION, AND FUN FROM THE ORIGINAL RETRO BRAND, BECOME A FAN ON FACEBOOK AND FOLLOW US ON TWITTER.
