Pauley Pavilion was filled with students doing the 8-clap as the Spirit Squad encouraged Bruin pride on Wednesday night, even though the UCLA basketball team was nowhere in sight.
The commotion was due to the UCLA Rally Committee’s first annual Pauley Pavilion Lock-In.
Approximately 400 students crowded the student section of the arena with pillows and sleeping bags at their feet, ready to spend the night on the basketball court.
The Lock-In was inspired by UC Berkeley’s Rally Committee lock-in in Haas Pavilion, said Meggan McGrath, first vice chair of the UCLA Rally Committee.
“Berkeley’s lock-in is a bonding event exclusively for Berkeley’s rally committee,” McGrath said. “We wanted to take our lock-in to a new level and open it up as a bonding experience for the entire student body.”
The Lock-In allowed students who would otherwise sleep on the concrete outside Pauley in order to get priority seating numbers for basketball games to camp indoors. It was free for all students to attend.
“The main goal of the Lock-In was to unify all students around UCLA athletics and school spirit,” McGrath said.
The doors of Gate 10 opened at 10 p.m. and students began playing basketball on the main court, drinking Red Bull and playing video games.
The night officially began with a spirited rally put on by the Rally Committee and the Spirit Squad at 11 p.m.. Pauley Pavilion echoed with the sound of the fight song as men’s assistant basketball coach Scott Garson gave a speech about the then upcoming basketball game against Washington.
“The most important fans are the students,” Garson said. “Your support really encourages our team.”
Upon entering Pauley Pavilion for the Lock-In, students received a schedule of the activities for the night and a raffle ticket in order to win prizes. Activities included a four-on-four basketball tournament, a trick shot contest, a 3-point contest, indoor soccer, videogames and music provided by a DJ.
Students gained free entry and only had to bring sleeping bags, pillows and toiletries to spend the night. Free Dominos pizza and chili from The Stand were available to students and Red Bull donated free drinks for the night.
Red Bull also held a paper airplane contest in which six students had the opportunity to win a trip to an indoor skydiving facility. Participants created paper airplanes that were judged by longest distance traveled, longest airtime and aerobatics.
The Red Bull Paper Wings contest is a worldwide event that will send 15 people from the United States to Austria for the paper airplane finals in May; students could have also qualified for this unique experience from the contest in Pauley.
“I’ve always wanted to camp out for a basketball game but I’ve never wanted to sleep outside. It’s cool to be indoors and have things to do. I probably never would have camped out if it weren’t for the Lock-In,” said Megan Rose, a third-year communication studies student.
“In all my years at UCLA, I’ve never seen anything like this. It could be a great tradition. Only UCLA sports could unite the Rally Committee, the Spirit Squad and the student body like this,” said Salomon Hossein, a third-year political science student, during the rally.
While football season offers fans many opportunities to show their Bruin pride and unity through tailgating and activities of Blue and Gold Week, basketball season has fewer events that are specifically organized to involve fans.
“The Lock-In is an opportunity for the student body to support the basketball team,” McGrath said. “It’s an exciting event. Students have the opportunity to see the players play on the same court that they slept on the night before.”
The event allowed students to take a break from academic studies for a night in order to participate in a fun, school-spirited event.
“UCLA is about more than academics,” said Mollie Vehling, Spirit Squad and Rally Committee adviser. “Students are lucky to have an opportunity to make the most of their time at UCLA by participating in exciting school-spirited activities like the Lock-In.”
Mike Sabes, chairman of the Rally Committee, worked to revive the Rally Committee and bring it back to life this year, Vehling said.
“It’s important for UCLA students to be more involved and school-spirited,” Vehling said. “The history of UCLA spirit and tradition is a great thing, and this is a memorable event for current students.”