Ed Venit does not always remember Duke basketball games by the scores, the tough plays or the bad calls by the refs. Instead, many games he remembers by what he and other Cameron Crazies wore or what the students cheered at the opposing team. Many people remember Venit and his four fellow graduate student Cameron Crazies for their unique outfits and personalities developed within the confines of Cameron Indoor Stadium, and now for their selection by Screensavers.com as the top college basketball fans.
There was the time before a game when Venit--not wearing his traditional gametime outfit of a viking helmet, sunglasses and No. 12 Steve Wojciechowski jersey--was spotted by a fan from Idaho, a lifetime Blue Devils fan who recognized Venit as the "viking guy" from televised Duke basketball games.
"I thought, 'how the hell do you know who I am? You're from Idaho,'" Venit said.
However, that game is probably remembered by most people as last season's 83-74 victory over UNC.
There was the game in which Venit, and fellow Crazy Jeff Kovacs, whose attire consists of a mullet wig, sunglasses and a sweatband, got to "wipeout" with the band--rolling along the floor of Cameron with the Blue Devil mascot moving over them on a surfboard.
"The trombone section is not made up of big guys," Venit said. "We were like two speed bumps [and made] a bigger wave than the devil is used to."
Others remember that game as February 22's 86-63 win against Maryland.
It was also at the Maryland win, the one in which "undergraduates were dressed as Smurfs," that Venit, Kovacs and their group of three other graduate students were offered an entry in the Craziest College Hoops Fan contest by the Duke athletic department.
The results of the contest designed by screensavers.com's Mark Hughes were determined by which image was downloaded the most for computer wallpaper.
Of the 4,000 downloads, the "Viking guy and friends" beat out Blue Devil twins "Nina and Brianne" for the top spot and monetary prize of either one-cent for every download or $1,000. The rest of the top-five included the Husky Pep Band of UConn, a Big East fan with "Boston College" on the right side of his painted head and "University of Pittsburgh" on the left side, and a Syracuse painted face.
"It was March Madness and one of the things that comes through is obviously the madness," Hughes said about the competition. "We're a visual website, so we decided to tie it into the Final Four."
While computer wallpaper is a new venue for the group of Cameron Crazies, they are used to appearing on ESPN's Sportscenter or on broadcasts of Duke basketball games.
Venit's viking helmet actually originated from his lack of television exposure during his time as an undergraduate at Duke from 1994 to 1998. His mother, who used to watch the games on TV, could not see him, so he pulled the viking hat out of an old Halloween costume to make himself more visible.
"Even my grandmother can see me now," Venit laughed.
Britt Fisher, another member of the group, wears a male cheerleader uniform that he actually used during his short stint as a Duke cheerleader as an undergraduate. Fisher, who graduated last year, was a male cheerleader in its short revival during the football's 1999 fall season.
Kevin Kesseler, who is known for his bald head, has created his look as a tribute to his mother, who has cancer.
The group, which has included about eight to ten guys, has developed from a common interest not in basketball necessarily, but in drinking, according to Venit.
"The question of 'Who will bring the drinks' has motivated us to get our act together," Venit said.
Ben Torbert, an engineering graduate student known as "Throatybeard," joined with Venit when the two, who were familiar during their time as Duke undergraduates, met again as graduate students.
"[Biology majors] want to go hiking and look at trees instead of going to basketball games," Venit said. "No one wanted to be out there as early as I was. I was left out in the cold--literally at times."
Venit, despite his level of involvement at the graduate level, was not an full-fledged Cameron Crazy during his time as an undergraduate biology student. Instead, he described himself as a "second-tier Crazy," making all the games he could, but not painting his body and wearing a distinctive outfit.
During his time as a graduate student, however, Venit has led cheers and coordinated with the undergraduate student section to create the atmosphere that Cameron Indoor Stadium is known for. Toward the end of this season, he had employed the use of a whiteboard to communicate with the undergraduate section, although he admits his spelling is not very good.
As Venit prepares for his dissertation, he may have to limit his time as one of Cameron's top Crazies. Eyeing a possible career in academics, Venit may be spending time past his own schooling in the Gothic Wonderland.
To secure tickets past their time as Duke students, Venit joked that one way to possibly spend the prize money from screensavers.com's contest would be to fund two years as Iron Dukes for the five core graduate Crazies. However, Venit, who has seen several games from the seats above the student section, said it is not the same.
"It's really cool [upstairs], but I think I would miss the participation," Venit said.
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