Tickets against USC? Priceless.

Yesterday, while eating lunch, I got a call from my friend
telling me to hurry to the Central Ticket Office to buy vouchers
for the UCLA v. USC football game in December.

I quickly finished eating and hurried to the CTO a little before
my last class of the day and listened to employees yelling out,
“Cash only! No credit, debit, Visa, American Express,
Mastercard, checks, whatever else you may use! Cash
only!”

“Have your cash and BruinCard ready!”

There were so many instructions and everyone around me was
intimidated and afraid to ask any questions, so we just stood still
and obeyed everything anyone told us to do. For all I know, I may
have even signed up as the newest member of the Guerilla Unit.

But none of that mattered; everyone wanted tickets and we were
all going to do whatever it took to get one.

Everyone began to call their friends, frantically telling them
to hurry because the vouchers for tickets were almost gone ““
something that had me very worried because I was too afraid to say
a word in fear of getting thrown out of line.

My lucky number for the day was 6,183.

6,183 out of 7,000.

6,183!

I made it out alive and with a voucher for the “˜SC game. I
immediately called my friends and relayed the message of the
diminishing ticket numbers, because there were no longer any
worries running through my head.

One hour later, I walked back to the CTO to see how the line was
doing and whether or not it still extended beyond Pauley
Pavilion.

Surprisingly, the line had become much shorter, and at 3:15
there was no line. I was utterly confused.

All my questions and doubts in my mind about UCLA sports fans
were quickly answered when just seconds later the line again
extended to over fifty people.

Several students I spoke with had been to prior “˜SC games
but this year is much different, with the Bruins looking like an
entirely different team than in years past.

Second-year student Jesse Epstein attended last year’s
game at the Rose Bowl in which Drew Olson was unable to deliver a
comeback drive late in the fourth quarter ““ something that he
has proven he can do now with two such outings in recent weeks.
Epstein, like so many other Bruin fans, has jumped aboard the
bandwagon, convinced this year’s game might be a little
different.

“I’m really looking forward to beating them and
taking away their chances at another national championship,”
he said.

Kevin Butler, a fourth-year student who also attended last
year’s game, echoed Epstein’s hopeful sentiments.

“I think we have a better chance this year than we did
last year because our team is much better than it was at that
point,” Butler said.

However, not everyone seemed as excited as I had imagined. In
fact, a student in front of me kept doubting whether it was worth
the $32 to watch the “˜SC game. I overheard him say he was a
freshman while introducing himself to the girl in front of him and
immediately felt bad for the guy.

If I wasn’t afraid that he might be purchasing the last
ticket, I would’ve told him that he should talk to some
upperclassmen and ask them about the suffering they had to endure
in their first few years, and the answer to his doubts would
quickly be answered.

Then I thought back to how I handled the USC game last year and
reminded myself what an idiot I truly was.

I had waited until the last minute before I realized that none
of my plans had fallen through so I just decided to go to the game
ticketless with some friends.

Luckily someone had an extra ticket that I was able to purchase
for an embarrassingly high price.

In hindsight, however, the tickets to games involving such
heated rivals playing one another are priceless, and a
one-and-a-half hour wait in line should be more than worth it after
what promises to be a close game.

Most sports fans can only dream of standing next to Pauley
Pavilion while waiting in line to purchase tickets for a game
between UCLA and USC, two top-ranked rivals.

Yesterday, I was one of those fans living someone else’s
dream. And by no means was I the only one.

E-mail Behniwal at [email protected] if you want to
trade priority numbers. Please?