Midnight Madness Eckerd Edition- Triton TipOff

By April Minio on October 21, 2012

Triton TipOff… Eckerd’s unique spin on the much anticipated Midnight Madness that happens every fall to introduce to newly found men and women’s basketball players. This year Triton TipOff was definitely a night to remember.

Complete with performances from the EC Cheerleaders and EC Dance Co, fellow Eckerd students were able to participate in all the festivities with the team members. Starting at 8:00 pm tables were set up outside of the McArthur Gym, pilled high with all different types of food. Drinks were served, and this year a mini bar was opened up for those of age, hoping to satisfy everyone. Doors for Tip Off opened at 9:00 pm and all the event staff did a great job of keeping everyone outside until the right time, creating an element of surprise. Banners publisizing the basketball teams, cheerleaders, and dance team hung around the gym decorated in brightly colored paint and a little glitter. Balloons and streamers covered the bleachers sporting Eckerd’s colors, and a walkway was set up for the players. When their names were announced, each player emerged from the tent to a fifteen second rendition of their favorite song, throwing t-shirts into the stands as they jogged around the basketball court.

Eckerd Cheerleaders

Starting off the night the EC Cheerleaders performed with tumbling, cheer, stunting, and a lively dance ten feet away from the crowd. Being a cheerleader myself I can barely put into words how exciting this night was.

We arrived at the gym early to prep for our performance and watched as tons of people filled into gym wearing only black for the “blackout”. As our performance neared, we worked to get the crowd excited although they were pretty excited on their own. Once our performance was finished, we helped introduce the men and women’s basketball teams.

College students were able to participate in multiple relays giving them chances to win free prizes, such as t-shirts, free wings from a local restaurant and even a gift card to the Eckerd College Bookstore to help pay for books! Awesome right?! The mens basketball team hosted a slam-dunk showcase, and the women’s team interacted with the fans for a shooting contest.

Last but not least, the EC Dance Company performed their dance to the popular song “Starships”. Their dance lasted a few minutes and caught the crowd’s attention. Following the dance team’s performance, students and spectators were urged to make their way onto the court for the annual line dance with the players. Gangam Style was this years line dance, and as you may expect everyone was attempting to do the dance even if they didn’t have the slightest idea of what it consisted of.

Triton TipOff was definitely an amazing experience and if you didn’t have the chance to go you truly missed out! Keep an eye out on the Eckerd College website for pictures and videos of all the performances and action before and after!