Student exchanges National Marquette Day ticket for Talisman of Kinich Ahau
Junior Todd Foley was scrolling through the Marquette ticket exchange Facebook group when he found the deal of the millennium. Foley could get a ticket to the National Marquette Day basketball game in exchange for retrieving the Talisman of Kinich Ahau.
"Tickets for this game are so expensive," Foley said while traversing dense jungle terrain. "I don't just have $60 lying around. So when I saw someone asking for the lost relic of an ancient society instead of money, I had to jump on that."
This golden opportunity came after weeks of checking the Facebook group for new deals. Foley feared that he would have to find a part-time job or even use his beer money to afford the ticket, but now he is only one archaic temple away from his goal.
"Honestly, I had never heard of this talisman before," Foley admitted as he scaled a stone ledge looking over a bottomless pit. "But when I saw Glenn's post, I thought my experience playing 'Tomb Raider' and 'Uncharted' made me plenty qualified for this job."
The original offer came from a man by the name of Glenn Schwimmer. When Foley messaged and agreed to help, Schwimmer arranged for a helicopter to pick him up at his Renee Row apartment. Seven hours later, Foley was dropped into the jungle of an undisclosed country.
"I didn't quite catch what country they dropped me off in, but I'm getting a Central America vibe. I got a solid BC in SPAN 2001, so I'm sure I'll be fine."
Foley journeyed on through winding corridors, avoiding dead-ends and traps along the way. He started finding gold coins scattered throughout the dungeons and keeping them.
"This is a very common layout for ancient temples," said Dr. Maria Lelli, a professor of Anthropology and Archeology at Marquette. "The more elaborate the traps, the more valuable the treasure is.
When Foley finally entered the treasure room, he grabbed the talisman and held the power of the sun god Kinich Ahau in his hand. "Tomorrow's game is going to make it all worth it," Foley said.
Experts predict that Foley will be puking in the Bradley Center bathroom before the first point, like he does every year.
Photos by Ian Schrank
