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Athletics are a very important part of student life at the University of Virginia. Virginia is a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference and the quality of opponents is excellent regardless of the sport. Virginia also boasts some of the newest and nicest sporting complexes in all of college athletics. Unlike the majority of colleges, all sporting events are free to the student body with the use of their University issued ID card. For all sports except basketball, students do not have to get tickets for the event. They show up at the beginning of the game and swipe their ID card to gain admission. This aspect is very appealing and convenient because you do not have to decide whether or not you want to attend a game in advance. You can make the decision last minute, which is what occurs most frequently among students.

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Virginia had been viewed as primarily a basketball school because the product on the football field was not very good. The hiring of Al Groh from the New York Jets a few years ago has helped to change the prevailing attitude. He has led a successful resurgence to the program leading Virginia to five bowl games in six years. The recent expansion of the Atlantic Coast Conference to include perennial powers, Virginia Tech, University of Miami, and Boston College has only added to the excitement on the football field. The first home game in 2008 is against the University Of Southern California and should be one of the most exciting games in Virginia football history.

Every football game is well attended by students, alumni, and fans. The Virginia Cavaliers play their home games in Scott Stadium, which holds a little more than 60,000 people. The stadium is situated on the edge of campus, easily within walking distance, and is one of the nicest and most beautiful facilities in the nation. Tailgating is a large part of the football experience and takes place throughout campus well before kickoff.

There are a few traditions that are followed at Virginia football games. The majority of the student body dresses up for the game. Male students frequently wear blazers, shirts, and ties while female students wear sundresses. It may seem a little odd to some that people would dress up to attend a football game, but it is one of Virginia’s traditions. A few more southern schools, such as the University of Mississippi have this tradition as well. Furthermore, every time Virginia scores, the crowd joins hand in hand and collectively sings the Good Old Song, which is the school song. Regardless if you know the person sitting next to you or not, this tradition brings cohesion to the whole stadium and is a cool experience.

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Two years ago, Virginia stopped playing its home games in University Hall and moved into the state of the art John Paul Jones Arena. University hall was built in the late 1960’s and had become too small and outdated. The new arena holds approximately 15,000 people and is the nicest basketball facility in the nation. The arena has every amenity possible complete with enormous visual displays and sound system. All of the seats are closer to the court in the new stadium providing better visual lines of the action. The basketball experience is very similar to that of an NBA basketball game. There are some critics of the new stadium that suggest that the new arena does not truly represent college athletics because there is too much glamour and too many amenities. These people are in favor of the older stadiums in the Atlantic Coast Conference, such as Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Entrance to basketball games is a little different than any other sporting event at the University. The number of student seats in the John Paul Johns Arena is less than that for football games and other events. In order to gain admission to a game, students log into an online ticketing site to request tickets. For each home game, there is a designated period when the ticket site is open, which allows students to request tickets. If the number of students who requested tickets is less than the amount available for that game, the student has a ticket. For the more exciting games, such as Duke or the University of North Carolina, more students request tickets than are available. In this situation, there is a lottery drawing for students to get tickets. In any event, if you have been selected for a ticket, you print it off and show it at the gate for admission. The students have seating courtside on one side of the court as well as behind one of the baskets. Despite which seat you have, you have an excellent view of the entire court.

Regardless of how good the University of Virginia’s team is during a particular year, they play against the best competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Home basketball games against Duke, University of North Carolina, or University of Maryland are very exciting and a must see event.

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There are few college programs in either soccer or lacrosse that have the history that both programs have at the University of Virginia. The men’s soccer team dominated the early 90’s winning multiple NCAA championships. The team has made the NCAA tournament for a record 26 years in a row. The coaching staff recruits the best young talent in the nation to play at Virginia, which is quite evident after watching a few games. The soccer team plays their home games in Klöckner Stadium, which has proven to provide the cavaliers a home field advantage. It is one of the nicest and largest soccer facilities in the nation complete with both bleacher and hillside seating. Last year’s soccer team set the NCAA record for home attendance, which demonstrates the support that the University community has shown towards the team. As a result of the increasing number of fans watching the games, the University has decided to expand the seating of the stadium.

The lacrosse team is steep in tradition as well having won three NCAA national championships since 1999. This includes the magical season of 2006 in which the team went 17-0 and the only team to finish a season undefeated in NCAA lacrosse history. The lacrosse team plays its home games in Klöckner Stadium as well, which has proven to be a tough place for opponents to play. Lacrosse is the nation’s fastest growing sport and garners a lot of support among the student body. Regardless if you know the rules of the game or not, the lacrosse games are extremely exciting and well worth the time to watch. This year’s recruiting class was ranked number one in the nation and should help to continue the pride, and excellence of the Virginia program for years to come.

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The men’s baseball team has seen dramatic changes under head coach Brian O’Conner who took the helm five years ago and has turned the program into a national power. He has helped to turn around a baseball program that was not producing or succeeding in the touch Atlantic Coast Conference. His coaching and recruiting has enabled the team to have very successful seasons with multiple all-Americans. His teams have had multiple 40 win seasons and have hosted multiple NCAA regionals in post-season play. Currently, the team is ranked in the top 25 in all major polls and is set for another impressive season. This year’s home games include series against national powerhouses, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and the University of North Carolina.

The baseball team plays its home games at newly renovated Davenport Field. There are approximately 1,500 bleacher seats as well as hillside seating. During O’Conner’s tenure as head coach, the attendance records for home games were broken demonstrating the support of the community for the team. The University is in the process of planning on expanding the stadium to accommodate the demand for seats.

Like the men’s baseball team, the men’s tennis team has seen dramatic changes under head coach Brian Boland. In his seven years at the University of Virginia, he has turned the tennis program into a national contender. The team is currently ranked # 1 in the nation and also boasts the #1, 3, and 12th ranked singles players and #1, 17, and 25th ranked doubles team. The #1 ranked player, Somdev Devvarman is the reigning NCAA national singles champion.

The tennis team plays its home outdoor matches at the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center and its indoor matches at the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar’s Head Inn. The Snyder Tennis courts are located in the heart of campus and provide an excellent venue to watch tennis matches on a nice spring day. The Boyd Tinsley Courts were just built after renowned musician, Boyd Tinsley of Dave Mathew’s Band, donated the money for construction of a new facility. The indoor courts are some of the nicest in the country and will be holding major collegiate tennis tournaments in the near future. The Boyd Tinsley Tennis courts are located at the Boar’s Head Inn, which is a few miles off campus, but well worth the drive to watch quality tennis.

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