That could mean dreaming up a new programming language with the Computer Science Club, gnawing on baguettes with the French Club or joining a group of crazed fans who paint themselves blue and cheer themselves hoarse at Xavier basketball games.
They’re called the X-treme Fans, and they’re in a league of their own. Before you try this at home, consider this beginner’s guide to painting yourself blue. (It’s harder than you think, and a few wrong decisions can lead to long-lasting results.)
- Make a friend or, better yet, several. They will come in handy for two reasons. First, they will make you feel slightly less ridiculous when you expose yourself in front of 10,000 people at the Cintas Center. Embarrassment loves company. Second, you’ll need a friend to paint between your shoulder blades.
- Go to a craft store and ask for a jug of cobalt blue acrylic paint. Tell them you’re building a diorama of the ocean. Pay in cash. There’s nothing subversive about buying blue paint, but it’s always more fun to be covert.
- Pack the paint in a backpack and arrive at the Cintas Center two hours before the game. Go in through the loading dock entrance. Address the guard by name and with a fist bump.
- Go upstairs to the family restroom on the concourse level where there are sinks, mirrors and enough space to throw some paint around. Try not to traumatize the little children who are just warming to the idea of growing up in this world and have no idea why a seemingly normal person would subject themselves to this.
- Customize your paint job. Like every superhero, X-treme fans need their own signature detail. White skulls, snowmen, Xs and other letters of the alphabet have already been used. Get creative and set yourself apart.
- Take your place in the front row of the Cintas Center’s student section. High five the Musketeers as they take the court.
- Scream, shout, stomp, praise, lament and lambast for the duration of the game. You may not have a voice at the end, but you will have a sense of accomplishment.
- Go home and take a shower. Dry off, and then take another one. Don’t expect the paint to come off at once, and the shower tiles will need a good scrub before they are restored to their original color. Your underwear will have blue streaks. Share this information selectively.
- Start planning for the next home game. There are only 16 or so. Make them count.
At Xavier, like-minded people have a way of finding each other and doing things outside of the classroom.
That could mean dreaming up a new programming language with the Computer Science Club, gnawing on baguettes with the French Club or joining a group of crazed fans who paint themselves blue and cheer themselves hoarse at Xavier basketball games.
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