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GREENSBORO — Far from the thousands of cheering fans, the repetitive smacks of the basketball hitting the hardwood and the other attractions at the Greensboro Coliseum this weekend, another heated competition got under way Friday afternoon.

UNC, LSU, Duke and Texas? Not around these parts. Let them battle it out on the road to the Final Four.

These gladiators were just happy to be on the road at all. Seriously.

Their prize? A week at camp.

For what many parents call “the best deal” in town, cars began lining up at 4 p.m. Friday to register for Bur-Mil Park’s summer camp program. Registration wasn’t set to begin until 6:30 a.m. today.

“It’s a great camp — an absolutely great camp,” said David Miller, who claimed the No. 1 spot in the parental all-nighter, as he stood beside his Ford Explorer at the park’s gate.

“Most of the kids will get in the program and keep coming back,’’ Miller said. “It’s really well-run.”

Among the Bur-Mil faithful, Miller, a.k.a. “That Guy,’’ is part of the fun of camping out and the reason parents begin lining up earlier every year.

“Every year, it gets worse and worse,” said Kim Southern, No. 3 in line. “We all blame 'that guy.’ Somebody will see him parked out here, and the phone tree will get going from there (for people to start lining up.)”

And the 60 spots per week, from June 16 to Aug. 21, are very hard to come by. For $110 per week, campers ages 5 to 12 get to experience a multitude of activities, including golfing, swimming, tennis, hiking, karate, lessons at the wildlife center, field trips, two snacks a day and more .

Other camps can cost upward of $150 per week per child and only include half the number of activities, many parents said.

“We don’t just plop the kids down in front of a TV,” said Morgan Nicholson, assistant park manager at Bur-Mil.

“I think the quality of our staff also draws people in. We have many repeat customers, and each year the line gets bigger and bigger. It’s quite a shebang.”

And it’s quite the waiting game. The backs of many vans and SUVs were lined with sleeping bags and equipped with portable DVD players to pass the time.

Veterans in line say fold-up chairs and good company are a must.

It also doesn’t hurt to have the pizza delivery guy on speed dial.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com