The 6-year-old discovered the term when she pieced together the big "D" and the picture of a fence the University of Central Florida knight was flashing from one end of the basketball court in the Reynolds Center.
She and more than 200 other kids from Emerson Elementary School watched the first game of the women's Conference USA Tournament in Tulsa this week.
As the women of Marshall University and the University of Central Florida battled it out on the court, the children cheered for any successful shot or impressive rebound, no matter which team gained the advantage.
"It's just fun for these kids to be on the campus," said Jackie Willis, a second-grade teacher at the school.
The students made up the majority of the audience at the first game Monday.
The women's tournament will continue until Friday at the University of Tulsa, and the men's tournament will run Wednesday through Saturday at the BOK Center downtown.
The children at Monday's game were quick to learn each team's cheers and particularly enjoyed dancing to the music blasted during timeouts.
"I like to be here to watch everybody have a great time," said Nolan Walters, 8. "And I like the cheerleaders."
Willis, a TU season ticket holder, said the field trip gave the students a chance to get out of the classroom and experience a college environment.
"Some of these kids don't have a lot of experiences," she
said.Clarence Glover attended the game with his daughter, Camryn, 6, who also attends Emerson.
She liked to watch the cheerleaders, but is a basketball fan, too, she said.
Her dad, a coach, said he wants to show his daughter what she can grow up to do.
"I'm here to give her some support," Glover said. "She might be interested in this someday."
The cheer squads for each team appeared to have at least as much fun as the children. They walked into the stands to teach the students cheers and chants, encouraging them to make noise after every big play.
Josh Berry, a Marshall cheerleader, said he tries to make games interactive and particularly enjoys getting children revved up.
"We're trying to make this experience as much fun for them as it is for us," he said.
More cheering also gives a boost to the players, who thrive on the momentum, Berry said.
"The more fans we have, the better our chances are," he said.
C-USA TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Men When: Wednesday-Saturday Where: BOK Center Tickets: All-session tickets (11 games, six sessions): $302, $172, $82, $67. Singlesession tickets: $50, $35, $15, $12. Tickets are available at the BOK Center box office, at tulsaworld.com/bok or at (866) 726-5287. Schedule Wednesday’s opening round: Afternoon session (noon, 2:30 p.m.), evening session (6, 8:30 p.m.) Thursday’s quarterfinals: Afternoon session (noon, 2:30 p.m.), evening session (6:30, 9 p.m.) Friday’s semifinals: 3 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday’s title game: 10:30 a.m. Women When: through Friday Where: Reynolds Center Tickets: General admission seating for all games. All-session tickets: $50. Single-session tickets: $10. Tickets are available at the University of Tulsa ticket office, 631-4688. Admission to women’s games is free to anyone who holds a C-USA men’s all-session tournament ticket. Schedule Tuesday’s quarterfinals: Afternoon session (noon, 2:30 p.m.), evening session (6, 8:30 p.m.) Wednesday’s semifinals: 5 and 7:30 p.m. Friday’s title game: 12:30 p.m.Shannon Muchmore 581-8378
shannon.muchmore@tulsaworld.com
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