The average height on the court at Moby Arena Wednesday night was tremendously smaller than that of the regular line-up. A sea of 4’2″ tall kids replaced what would normally be a showcase of athletes standing at a minimum of six feet tall.

At this year’s annual Ram Jam event, elementary students with smiles plastered across their faces ran from one booth to the next: from getting their photograph with CAM the Ram, to getting an autograph from the women’s basketball team, to getting a lesson in serving from the volleyball team.

Everything a young Ram fan could ever wish for was right in front of their eyes.

A 13-year-old Fort Collins resident named David wasn’t the least bit shy to show his enthusiasm for this event and CSU athletics as a whole. “I love sports, its just my favorite thing ever and I want to come to CSU someday,” he said.

In addition to the sheer joy that this event brings to Fort Collins community members, the CSU athletes enjoyed hosting this event equally as much.

Cheerleaders Shayne Henry, Katie Martin and Molly Snidack handed out posters to kids for autographs and couldn’t help but feel that the enthusiasm was contagious.

“The kids are by far our favorite part of this event. Just to see how much fun they’re having and seeing how enthusiastic they are about the event is great,” they said together.

Football players Pierre Copeland and Trae Moxley were unanimous in how much they enjoyed giving back to this group of dedicated Ram fans.

“We’re just here to be with the fans, talk to them, thank them for their support and get them ready for next season,” Copeland said.

“I like how the kids come off as a little shy at first until they start doing the games we have set up for them,” Moxley added. “Once they do that, they get really excited and into it.”

Aside from the interaction with the kids at the event, the slam dunk contest put on by the men’s basketball team was definitely one of the highlights of the evening. With alley-oop dunks and windmill slams from the free throw line, the competition was fierce.

However, what sealed the deal was when men’s basketball guard Carlton Hurst soared over women’s basketball guard A.J. Newton, stuffing the ball in the basket without hesitation, clearly declaring himself as the winner of the evening.

Whether they were teaching a 10-year-old how to throw a spiral or getting crossed over by a kid that only comes up to their height of their knee, the 15th annual Ram Jam event was a success for everyone in Moby.

Collegian Reporter Hannah Cornish can be reached at sports@collegian.com com and on Twitter at @HMCornish.

Breakout:

Winner of 3-point contest: AJ Newton

Winner of slam dunk contest: Carlton Hurst