More than 600 hundred campers file into Catlett Music Center on a Thursday night in July for Tips and Traditions, an event that gets Camp Crimson small groups together to compete in an events and learn Sooner traditions such as chants and songs.

Forrest Bennett, Camp Crimson’s master of ceremony and political science senior, welcomed the campers to the session and introduced Matt Nash. Nash talked about the Crimson Hammer, a crimson stick with a Sooner Schooner hat on the end, which would be awarded to the small group that was energetic and best demonstrated the “camp spirit.”

With the mention of the Crimson Hammer came cheers of campers set on claiming the prize.

“I feel like I’m at a Bieber concert with all the cheering,” Bennett said.

Next, a video of highlights from the 2010-2011 athletics seasons played before an assortment of Sooner athletes, as well as Sherri Coale, head coach of women’s basketball, who spoke to the campers about the Sooner Nation program.

Coale encouraged students to attend sporting events and be involved with the teams by showing up to games and immersing themselves.

“Nobody cares about the University of Oklahoma like the students who go to this campus every day,” Coale said.

The Pride of Oklahoma and OU cheerleaders introduced campers to chants, songs and traditions of the university, including Fight for OKU and the OU Chant.

The Union Programming Board held a game show, with tank tops as prizes. Games included Cash Cab: Safe Ride Edition and Camp Crimson Jeopardy.

At the end of the session, small-group Monett was awarded the Crimson Hammer, which will be awarded to two more small-groups during camp.

Lance Miller, from Keller, Texas, and a member of the Monett group, said he decided to attend camp to meet new people, make new friends and get to know the campus; and so far he said he has had a blast, calling it the “best camp” he has ever attended.

“It kind of gave us all insight on some traditions, chants and things like that, to kind of get familiar with them,” Miller said.

Catherine Garmon, From Vernon, Texas, said there are not many people from the town that attend OU, so she thought camp would be a great way to meet people, get involved and learn about the OU spirit.

Garmon, who is in the small-group Whitehand, has enjoyed the experience so far.

“It has been great to learn all of the traditions and the chants that not being Sooner born or Sooner bred, you don’t necessarily grow up with or know,” Garmon said.