10 miles apart is no joke.

There’s no rivalry like UNC and Duke. It’s unexplainable.

I think I screamed, and maybe cried a little, when I received the email: “Congratulations! You have been awarded a ‘PHASE 1’ ticket for the Duke game on February 8, 2020, with College GameDay coming to town!”

Having lived in Chapel Hill for quite some time, I have always wanted to attend a UNC-Duke game. Is this a dream come true?

It couldn’t be.

Rather than blog about the rivalry and all the statistics from previous years, I wanted to give you an insight on what my February 8th looked like.

8:30 am:

My friends and I all met at the Dean Dome for College GameDay.

Everyone who had Phase 1 and 2 tickets were encouraged to attend College GameDay to enter another randomization process. Being the big fans we are, we decided we had to attend with our signs.

Everyone and their friends lined up to get their wristband before they entered. Chaotic didn’t even begin to describe it. Doors didn’t open until 9:30 am so we sat there in the cold weather, all bundled up and ready to see what College GameDay looked like.

12:00 pm:

The time we had all been waiting for. Warmth.

At the end of College GameDay, the magic number that would be first in line would be announced. Our hearts raced. We had been waiting eagerly to see what our chances of being in the risers would be.

Number 33986.

I looked down at my wrist and I was number 34097. This couldn’t be real. Our group would have a chance at being in the risers as we were only 100 people from that number. The excitement didn’t end here.

1:00 pm:

All Phase 1 tickets gathered back at the Dean Dome after having what they called “an hour break.” Let me tell you, this was one of the most stressful parts. There was no order, no organization whatsoever. As our watches ticked past 1, we decided it was time to start asking people in front of us what their number was, so that we could line up accordingly. Turns out, we almost lost our spot in line.

We ended up having to run to the front as they were going to skip over our numbers since we weren’t there. Panic set in. Where was the rest of our group? The security guard was quickly skipping over anyone who wasn't there because he didn't have time for waiting. We had spent all morning waiting for our time in the risers and half our group was nowhere near us. After patience and some quick phone calls, we were able to gather all of us together. Minor setback, but we made it into the risers line.

Meanwhile, we hadn’t eaten since before College GameDay—so you bet we ordered pizzas. With a group of 12, yes we did order 4. We knew it would be a long waiting period before we would be let into the Dean Dome.

Although it was chilly and there were no bathrooms nearby, we made the most of it. We had to find ways to entertain ourselves, but we had a great time and made time go by fast. Remember when you were in middle school and played the famous telephone game? Yep, we sure did pull that game out. I think the best part was when we all got in a circle and started playing Heads Up, all screaming at one another. Talk about a sight to see.

3:30 pm:

Here we go.

After a long morning of waiting in the cold, we were all ready to enter the Dean Dome.

If you don’t believe me, look how happy I was to be in the risers line. Not only were we in the risers line, but we were about 80th inline, meaning we were going to be able to be in the second row. I cannot express how much of a dream this was for me.

We all rushed into the Dean Dome. It was a herd of cattle. So many students trying to enter and get their tickets scanned.

The funniest part is they expected us to walk to get to the risers. It’s not like we had been waiting outside for over 7 hours.

Jokes on them. We all ran and got our SECOND row spot.

6:00 pm:

GAME TIME.

This was an incredible feeling. Being that close and being able to experience the rivalry from a few feet away is more than I could ask for.

I won’t go in-depth with how the game went, because we all have things we could say, but hands down a memory that I will never forget.

Excitement.

Shock.

Anxious.

Disbelief.

8:47 pm:

Inconsolable.

While the outcome wasn’t what we wanted, I will never forget this day and the opportunity to be in the risers watching a team that I love. My heart hurts but I will always be a Tar Heel and love my heels no matter what.

Always a GDTBATH.