‘Some Zag spirit’: Gonzaga reimagines ‘Tent City’ to give students a long-awaited taste of the Kennel

Gonzaga University’s Kennel Club Board expected immediate interest in the idea they’d been working on since January: a pandemic-friendly way to recreate the classic game-watching experience fans and students have been missing for over a year.

But filled up in two minutes? Even they were surprised.

“Honestly, we were enamored – we were expecting it to fill up, but not that fast,” said Crissy Lubke, the student organization’s communications director, referencing a tweet from the Kennel Club account that allowed students to register for the game-day event on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“It was awesome to see the people participating. ”

A twist on the Kennel Club’s traditional on-campus pregame “Tent City” event dubbed “Tent City: The Remix,” this year’s watch party was borne of a desire for some sort of communal game-day experience for a Zags-obsessed student body deprived of one for over a year.

And just like that, 210 students – spaced out in 35 “tents” comprised of groups of six – took to GU’s Foley Lawn Saturday to watch the mens’ opening-round NCAA blowout win over Norfolk St., a possibility Lubke admitted didn’t seem plausible in throes of the pandemic back in the fall.

It was a tough blow for a group that was ramping up its on-campus events to great enthusiasm among the student body, something they could’ve capitalized on given the Zags’ trajectory toward historic greatness on the court.

But with Washington moving into the less restrictive Phase 3 of the state’s coronavirus reopening plan, there are little victories to be had for GU students who want to watch the big ones with company – specifically, an outdoor watch party.

Working in step with the Spokane Regional Health District, which Lubke said are their “new best friends,” some compromises had to be made.

“This whole year, it’s felt just kind of like thing after thing,” said GU senior Mackenzie Craig. “We’ve had hope for being able to make those experiences happen, but we didn’t expect to be able to go to any games or anything. So as soon as I heard … it was just so exciting.

“So we just hopped right on it. We were all sitting around our laptops, hovering with all our Zag IDs.”

There were no actual tents, per se, just spaced group seating on the grass based on students’ living arrangements, but the students seemed to appreciate the nod. Celebrations erupting throughout the game were evidence enough.

And as GU put the finishing touches on a 98-55 win over the Spartans, excitement was the prevailing emotion – Lubke said anything is possible for future games, even if the logistics are still unclear, to cater to the students’ dedication to the team.

It’s been two years, after all.

“I think it’s very tied-in to the Gonzaga spirit of everyone being eager and wanting to participate in anything Tent City-related,” said senior Meghan Mahoney. “Everyone wants some sort of camaraderie and some Zag spirit.”