Hurricane Force Invites Students To Meet B-Ball Stars
By Eric Kalis
Hurricane Sports Editor
Hurricane Force, a program created by Category 5 (the organization that promotes student participation at UM athletic events) and the new name for the Convocation Center student section, is giving students an opportunity to earn prizes and compete with some of Miami’s best student-athletes.
This Wednesday, all UM students are invited to participate in the first ever Hurricane Force Student Challenge at the Convocation Center from 6-8:30 p.m. This free event will feature a dribbling contest, free throw shooting competition, three-point shootout, and a slam-dunk contest against the men’s and women’s basketball players.
Students can sign up for the Hurricane Force Reward program while at Wednesday’s event, which was also created by Category 5. Upon signing up for the program, members will be given an official t-shirt and reward card. Each time a member attends a Hurricane basketball game, he or she will receive a stamp on their reward card. When a Force member reaches certain stamp levels, he or she can receive retail discounts, food products, merchandise, and even become eligible for several grand prizes including guaranteed tickets to the 2004-05 basketball season (the ‘Canes’ first season in the ACC), hotel stays, and round-trip airline tickets.
One of the originators of Hurricane Force program, Corey Schwartz, the Assistant Director of Marketing for Basketball, said that the program has been created to encourage more students to attend more Hurricane basketball games. “The Convocation Center holds only 7,000 people, with 1,000 reserved for students,” Schwartz said. “We want to create a student-dominated atmosphere at the games where our school spirit can be displayed. It [Hurricane Force] gives students an incentive with the rewards program and makes it a lot easier for students to attend Hurricane basketball games.”
There will be a table for members in the concourse of the Convocation Center where students can receive their stamps and receive reward prizes. In addition, students will be seated together during games in the east side of the stadium, an improvement from last year’s layout where fans were on opposite ends of the court. The student ticket policy will also be changed back to the “first come, first serve” policy formerly used when the ‘Canes played at the Miami Arena, and Hurricane Force members will be notified of upcoming games and other basketball events via email.
On Tuesday, November 4, the women’s volleyball team will be hosting Central Florida in the Convocation Center for the first time in school history. All students are encouraged to attend this the historic event.
For more information about the Hurricane Force, check out the Hurricane Force Student Challenge tomorrow from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Convocation Center or email sportsmarketing@miami.edu for further details.
