Question #1 -- What are three compelling reasons a person who hates soccer should re-consider their stance on the sport?
What a leadoff! Alright, here goes:
1. American soccer is superior to European soccer. I know, I know. Let me clarify: A lot of reasons why many American sports fans abhor soccer are due to the perceived wussiness in the way the top club/international teams play the game. The Spanish, Italians, Brazilians, and 98% of the Champions League teams are all comprised of extremely skilled players with a knack for taking dives, exaggerating injuries, and whining incessantly. American players largely play a different game: physical, heady soccer with a focus on endurance and fewer cringe-inducing flops.
I would challenge anyone who’s watched a few World Cup matches and been disappointed to check out a NCAA or MLS team they could see themselves supporting.
2. It’s a basic, tough, and beautiful sport. Nothing incorporates the accessibility, stamina, and skill the way soccer does. There’s a reason most kids grow up playing it at some point, it’s a simple concept to grasp – kick ball in net, can’t use your hands. I won’t sit here and get into a “which sport’s athletes are the best overall athletes” argument (yet), but let’s get one thing straight – soccer players run way, way, way more than any other sport (outside of marathons, of course) and gameplay rarely stops. Aside from a set piece or injury, you’ve got one break for the entire game. No pausing between plays, waiting between pitches, calling timeouts before possessions, and an extremely limited number of substitutions. Every position runs, everyone defends, everyone scores, and no one ever stops. In terms of skill, the masters of the sport should be held in the same regard as the Kobe Bryants and the Peyton Mannings of the world. Just google “Messi highlights” and watch – without prejudice – and I guarantee you’ll be amazed.
(Thank you, magical embedding wizard)
There’s a reason it’s called the beautiful game, or “joga bonita” for our Dutch readers. Which brings me to my final point:
3. It is the universal equalizer of sport. Everyone plays it (except maybe Virginia Tech, I’m not sure they have a team). Part of this stems from the accessibility I touched on. Anyone can play soccer, you just need some space and something to kick. It’s the only sport that transcends every race, culture, continent, and class. “Nay” you might say, “I’m pretty sure everyone runs.” You’d be wrong though – off the top of my racist head, a list of peoples who hate running (apart from soccer): Italians, Argentinians, the Irish, the Inuit, the Chinese (of Cantonese descent), Egyptians, and short people.
Gosh darnit, folks, its 2011. Globalization has been upon us for a while now. We should always celebrate what makes America great, and what makes it special, but “not liking soccer” is a pretty weak-ass tradition to hold onto.
Question #1a -- What are three compelling reasons to haul your ass out to Klockner to take in a UVA soccer game (or is it called a "match")?
1. We’re really effin good at it. Next to IU, the Hoos have the most decorated men’s soccer program in the NCAA – six NCAA titles, ten ACC titles, and numerous All-Americans.
2. Any sport is more fun to watch in person, soccer is no exception. Usually the stands are packed, the student section is raucous (we even have our own songs, admit it, you love singing), and the security is much more lax than football games…so some liquid enthusiasm should be easy enough to enjoy.
3. It’s UVA. All the fun of supporting your school’s other football team, but with fewer crowds, cheaper tickets and food, more games to enjoy, and completely devoid of Hokies. Oh, and we actually win a lot.
Questions #2 -- Please list and explain your top five Virginia Football memories.
#5 Miami 2007. Watching the last game in the Orange Bowl with a bunch of friends in Charlottesville- Hoos march down the field to score on the first possession of the game. The following exchange takes place:
Me: See, I told you we’re going to win
Friend Caleb: Yeah! You think? How much are we going to win by?
Me: I dunno…48
{Everyone Laughs}
[Four Asskicking Quarters later]
Friend Caleb: You’re a witch.
[Final Score: 48-0]
#4 Maryland 2008. We’ve been pretty bad for a while now – so let’s go over just how bad this team looked leading into this game: UVA started the ’08 season with a 52-7 loss at Scott to the Trojans of USC and followed it up with an uninspiring 16 pt defeat of Mike London’s Spiders in which the offense continued to look outmatched – shout out to Vic Hall’s defensive TD in that one. Topping off the first 3 games was a 31-3 colossal embarrassment at Duke. How nauseating is it that we’ve been owned recently by Duke in football? Well this was the start. It may have been the low point for me in UVA football history – not losing to Tech four dozen times in a row, not Western Michigan, not William and Mary, this was it.
Anyway, the next week, Maryland came in ready to walk all over us and simply got dominated from the beginning. I hate Maryland more than anything, so sitting back and watching this one from the bowl endzone was both surprising and delightful. Bad team. Meaningless game. Crushed Maryland 31-0.
#3 VPI 2003. Only Tech win I’ve seen in person (how garbage is that??). I was a first year. Beamer sucks. Bryan Randal sucks. Hokie fans suck.
#2 FSU 2005. This game had it all for me: Pregame smack talk from FSU students, watching from the front row of the student section, night game, unbelievable plays from Biscuit, Stupar, etc…Historical significance and reflection from the ’95 game. Rushing the field, laughing at Xavier Lee. Bigtime upset.
#1 VPI 1998. While I wasn’t in Blacksburg for this game, it’s still going to rank as my favorite football memory. I was in 8th grade and solidly entrenched in my UVa fandom – but more importantly- actively followed and recognized the strategy and such of the sport. Anyway, my family and I were watching this in my grandmother’s living room and by halftime, I was my usual despondent self as we were losing substantially. So disgusted by the game was my mother, that she decided we would leave the television and take out our frustration on the pineneedles in the yard, thus changing the mojo for the second half. While raking debris might be tedious and monotonous, it’s much better than watching us lose to Tech. With a radio propped in a nearby window, we successfully changed the karma of the afternoon, prompting Hawkins to make “The Catch” the Hoos to turn the game around.
Thank you, TheSabre
Question #3 -- Is Sean Singletary the best point guard in UVA history? Explain.
Yes. Without question. Jeff Lamp was a SG, right? Then yes.
Basically this comes down to Sean vs John Crotty, with Cory Alexander and Buzzy Wilkinson on the outside looking in. I might be a little chronologically biased, as I was blessed enough to watch Sean’s career in person as an adult – not a 5 year old. Singletary is hands down, the most impressive basketball player I’ve ever seen. As a competitor, no one comes close. Sure he’s not the best athlete or most talented, but I’ll put his competitive nature up against MJ’s. Obviously you can point to his shot to beat Duke, or his point barrage at Gonzaga as amazing efforts in his career, but my favorite Sean moment was against ODU. In what turned out to be Sean’s second to last game as a Hoo, UVA played it’s go-to Leitao-coached game, finding itself trailing a far inferior CAA team in the first round of the CBI. Sure enough, ODU took control in the last minute and looked to cap off a terrible ending to one of UVA’s most brilliant players. Sean simply wouldn’t let it happen. With about 30 seconds or so left, and UVA down 3, Sean received the inbounds pass, ran up the court, gets a screen to the top of the key and drains it. The ODU point guard marched up the court, only to have Sean smack the ball away and sprint to the hoop for the lead. A couple free throws sealed it, but after that 15 second span, the entire arena was stunned. The plethora of ODU fans couldn’t believe the team blew it, though really they were powerless to prevent it. Even more shocked were the UVA fans, who had completely resigned themselves to accepting the loss and bidding farewell to our 4-year starter. I really can’t do justice to the moment in words, but if you were one of the 700 people there that day, you can appreciate it with me.
Oh hey, I found it on Youtube
Back to the argument, objectively, Sean’s got Crotty in points, FGs, FTs, steals (and it’s not even close there). Crotty has 96 more assists. Statistically Sean wins anyway.
Question #4 -- Point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, center and 6th man; name the Virginia Basketball All-Pierce Team. Explain why you made each choice you made.
1-Singletary- see above
2-Jeff Lamp- while I’d love to see JR Reynolds paired with his backcourt mate, Lamp is clearly the best option at SG.
3- Bryant Stith- All-time scoring leader, check.
4- Can I play Wally Walker at the 4? I’m going to. We’re going small on my team. Clutch player. ACC Champion.
5- Ralph. One of the greatest players in the history of NCAA ball. No brainer. Plus, shores up the paint for my small lineup. Great coaching is all about balance.
Question #5 -- Pick one: Virginia Football in the BCS!
BCS. It’s the biggest turnaround at this point, biggest stage, and in the most important sport. Plus it means we’ll have won the ACC (no ACC team has ever been an at-large in the BCS I think) and beat the Hokies in their one sport. Plus, I guarantee Tony will lead us to an Elite Eight, so if I’m dreaming, I’m going for the hardest to reach.
Question #6 -- If you were in charge of scheduling for UVA football, please list the seven home-and-home series you'd seek out and tell us why you made those choices.
1. William and Mary. I want to beat them every year for the rest of the time they field a team. In-state team, hopefully a warm-up game that will still provide a challange, still counts towards bowl eligibility.
2. Navy. Local, Academic Institution. Good competition, but hopefully a W usually. A game for the DC/MD recruits to see. George Welsh ties.
3. Penn State. I loved this series last decade. Great competition, we recruit a lot of PA guys, storied traditional program.
4. Hawaii. An excuse to go to Hawaii.
5. Vanderbilt. Academic Institution, power conference. Should usually be a W.
6. Georgia. A region that we recruit pretty well in, this would help get us more exposure, plus provide a yearly test against a beatable-but-good power conference team.
7. Syracuse. I really dislike Syracuse and most of the Big East, but I’d rather play them than Pitt or WVU. Carries over the Lax rivalry and the battle for the color orange.
Question #7 -- Why is lacrosse cool, and why (specifically) is UVA lacrosse cool?
What kind of question is this? Why is anything cool? Because I say so. It’s fast-paced, high-scoring, and they hit each other with big sticks. For every complaint against the “culture” of lacrosse, I can point to something comparable in the popular sports, so they don’t hold much weight to me.
UVA lacrosse is cool because we spend our time beating Maryland, UNC, Duke (er…everyone once and a while), and winning national championships. Plus, Klockner is a fabulous place to watch a game. Also, Tech doesn’t even field a team – exclusivity is the birthplace of coolness.
Question #8 -- What do you think has been missing from Wahooze in the past that you would like to deliver as a staff writer?
I’d like to provide some quick/consistent recap/analysis for each game for our readers, to compliment the in-depth analysis we rock out with. I should also be able to provide a lot of humor, curse words, and grammatical errors.
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