Insanity doesn't take vacations

Heart pounding. Sweat streaming. The exhilaration of the moment is tempered only by the fear of failure. Fourth quarter. Can't give up. Fourth quarter. When the whistle blows the body is thrust into action, no time to think, and unadulterated athletic ability takes control.

A friend looks down at his stopwatch, looks back at the tent and slowly shakes his head. Too slow. Crushing defeat, searing disappointment. Luckily it's only July, and everybody has some facet of their Crazy game which needs tweaking. That's why, of course, they created the off-season.

Little publicized and rarely celebrated, the grueling off-season training program of the Cameron Crazies is a testament to their dedication and love for the game. Some outsiders might say they take their role as "Sixth Man" a bit too seriously, but to judge a Crazy you must first be a Crazy. And those people who mock these super-fans haven't spent hours perfecting menacing scowls and body paint application in their bathroom mirrors. Those people have not felt the cool cavernous safety of tent #1 after a long sprint from the kitchen on a 90-degree summer day. Those people have not practiced free throw distractions on their little brother's life-sized Sponge Bob Squarepants stuffed animal in front of the driveway hoop. Those people are not Crazies, and they just don't understand.

What other people don't understand is the cause for the disappointing cheer season last winter. Star sharpshooter J.J. Redick extended his own personal challenge to the fans after what he called a "rebuilding year" for the Cameron Crazies. "We graduated a very experienced and battle-tested class of Crazies in 2002. Our crowds last season at times seemed overwhelmed by the high school-to-college jump. You could hear a lot of rookie mistakes. The big stage intimidates some of the younger fans, and if you hesitate for a second out there, that cheer will blow right by you."

The problem ironically seems intertwined with the success of the team and its fans over the years. Some whispers around campus indicate that maybe a shadow of complacency crept over the student section in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Had the Crazies become so accustomed to their overwhelming domination of other student crowds on the national level that they began to take their cheering prowess for granted? Did the two-a-day practices and all-night cheer tutoring fade into the stuff of Crazy lore?

A stepping-up of off-season fitness and mental preparation will hopefully pay huge dividends for the group when the regular season arrives. "When you hear that tent check called, your body must already be conditioned to finding and reaching that tent. That comes from those days in the backyard working against the clock, working against the sun, working against that little voice inside that tells you there will always be somebody faster, somebody crazier. It's those summer days; it's that practice tent; those Bagel Bites with the crumbled sausage on top that your mom makes you 'cause you worked so hard--that make you a Crazy."

These confident words cannot, however, eliminate the growing sense of urgency amidst the most loyal of basketball aficionados. It is clear that this year a return of focus to the basics will be a big part of the rigorous summer and fall training season. Tent checks, cheers, blue and white paint. Listening intently to the radio for summer hit singles with words that could be twisted around to make fun of UNC. Savvy surfers of the Internet scour will the web for gossip or police reports concerning opposing players. Ex-girlfriends will be interviewed, high school friends harassed. Dirt must be dug and organized neatly into chant-able lines to unnerve opposing players.

So while you relax in your hammock sipping lemonade during the summer, or attend your frivolous parties and social functions, remember that there are people out there busting their butts to make sure that the "Sixth Man" is in shape for that first home game. A group that has been dedicated to the cause since the first time they spread Gerber's blueberry baby food on their face and followed the "Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell" mobile above their crib, voiceless lips mouthing the beloved phrase and chubby baby hands clapping to keep the beat.

This group of people may take their cheering a little bit too seriously. They may not be in touch with what most people would call "reality." They may not "own a toothbrush." But that's why they may just be the best sports fans in the world. The meticulous off-season training and dedication to cheering is all part of their plan to get back to the top.