Four fans. 13 games. 4,834 miles. One amazing amount of dedication to Virginia football.
Meet second-years Hampton Conly, Lee Puckett, Dave Weiss and Christina Stegner. All are passionate football fans dedicated to furthering the cause of Virginia football and having a great time doing it.
Thus, the four friends undertook the quest of attending every Virginia football game in the 2003 season. Collectively, the four of them missed only three games last year -- Puckett and Weiss both missed the N.C. State game, and Conly wasn't able to attend the Tire Bowl due to a death in his family. That they fared so well is a testament to their camaraderie, dedication and ability to peer pressure each other into ambitious plans.
"I e-mailed [Christina last summer] and asked her if she wanted to travel to all the games, but I wasn't too sure about Western Michigan because it's so far away," Puckett said. "And I immediately get a response from [Dave]. He had heard and wrote back, 'You're not going to go to Western Michigan? What kind of fan are you?'"
And so their journey began. Among the highlights of their travels included parading down Franklin St. in Chapel Hill chanting "Go 'Hoos" in the aftermath of Virginia's 38-13 romp over UNC, the pride factor of attending the Western Michigan game (and hanging out with a drunk Mac McDonald on the airplane home) and a favorable evening spent in a Columbia hotel shared with a South Carolina sorority whose house was being renovated.
The road, however, was not always easy. And sometimes home was a struggle, too.
"For the Georgia Tech game here at home, my friend had a birthday party the night before, and it was a noon kickoff," Conly said. "I went to bed plastered and didn't set my alarm. Lee called me at 11:40 and said, 'You're not at the game!'"
The previous week's Thursday night contest at Maryland presented a question of priorities for our protagonists. Both Conly and Puckett had an important midterm the next morning and, in hindsight, recognize they should have chosen an alternative method of producing body heat on the frigid evening rather than kicking back a few brews.
Through it all, the foursome made some fun memories and is ready to attack the 2004 season with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and with greater numbers. Conly and Puckett said that their new club initiative, the stHOOdent Body, was born while sitting in UNC's Keenan Stadium and enjoying the atmosphere. The stHOOdent Body is a group dedicated to increasing student support of Virginia football especially through organizing bus trips to road games. They hope to make their first splash at this Saturday's spring football game in order to begin organizing plans and membership for next year. Their website (www.uvasb.com) boasts, "Passion is our major. Scott Stadium is our classroom. Groh is our professor." With that mantra in mind, the crew is optimistic for another good Cavalier season.
"We wish there was more fervor about U.Va. football, and that's what this is about," vice president of membership Puckett said. "This is giving people structure where they know how to get there and to give them a much cheaper option."
The stHOOdent Body looks to garner enough backing to fill two buses for each road game and hopes to become a fixture at Virginia for years to come. In order to support their cause, the stHOOdent Body board members have been soliciting aid from the Athletic Department, the Virginia Athletics Foundation and outside donors.
As most of the increased interest in Cavalier football has taken off since Al Groh took over as head coach, it was only appropriate that the first man they approached for both moral and financial support was Groh himself. President Conly and Puckett said that he was particularly complimentary and supportive of their endeavor to increase football fan fervor at Virginia, and Groh made a rather inspiring impression on Conly and Puckett, too.
"I wanted to go out in a war for that man after he got done talking for five minutes -- 'Yeah! Go 'Hoos!" Puckett said.
Truly the respect and gratitude Groh has for them is mutual, as these ambitious second years have only the highest hopes for their coach.
"Groh said something about George Welsh creating Virginia football, but I think Groh's going to perfect it," Conly said.
If nothing else, the stHOOdent Body is looking to perfect the task of being a football fanatic.
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