Silent Night

So, my college did a thing. Actually, we've been doing it for thirty years; a pretty cool thing, in fact. If I have my facts straight, ESPN has actually named it as a top-ten college sports traditions in America, and they send guys to film it each year, which is pretty cool. My residence floor usually gets special notice by the camera people, cause we're crazy.

What is the thing? It's called Silent Night, a Taylor tradition where, for the basketball game played at home during the weekend before finals, practically EVERY student on campus shows up to spectate, most in full costume . . . and no one says anything. Nope; for ten points, it's completely silent. No clapping, no cheering, no drama. BUT YOU SHOULD SEE THAT TENTH POINT. Craziness ensues, with students mobbing the courts and everyone screaming and they actually pause the game for us. Eventually we return to the sidelines, but we don't stop screaming before the end of the game, at which time we all file over to the dining commons for Christmas cookies and karaoke, and President Habecker's wife reads us the story of Christ's birth.

Here's a cbs sports article about Silent Night: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24869579/taylor-universitys-silent-night-gives-us-another-memorable-moment.
In the videos, you might notice a swarm of yellow-and-black clad figures buzzing the court . . . that's my floor. Naw, we're not firemen; we're supposed to be bees. We're fun like that.

Anyway, it's a pretty cool tradition. Along with the craziness, this year a group of students also held up signs saying #blacklivesmatter, in recognition of all that's going on in Ferguson. I'm proud of my school for using the publicity to present a stance on things, and also to enjoy themselves and enjoy the insanity.

And here's a longer video of last year's Silent Night