On Saturday students flooded Scott Stadium to watch the Cavalier football team beat the University of North Carolina, but there was a subtler contest taking place in the stands. The two sides of this secondary struggle were clearly distinguishable by their differing outfits, yet they weren't representing opposing schools. As the cameras panned the student section, the underlying question was clear: What is the best way to show school spirit?
The first home game of the year showed the student body has not yet decided whether it prefers dressing up or being part of Coach Al Groh's "sea of orange." While many students want to continue the well-known tradition of cheering on the team in collared shirts and ties or sundresses, others have heeded Groh's request to show a united front.
First-year College student Nyssa Thongthai was one of many students sporting an orange University T-shirt and was surprised more students weren't doing the same.
"I think not wearing orange is not supportive of the University," Thongthai said. "I expected everyone to be wearing orange, but they were getting dressed up for a football game. That was surprising."
Thongthai said she agrees with Groh's decision that wearing orange helps support the team.
"We all look the same and intimidate the other side," she said. "It's like we're all together, you know? It's better if we all look the same."
Looking the same, however, didn't necessarily have to mean wearing orange.
"I don't know why they picked orange," Thongthai said. "If it was me, I would pick blue. But I guess since they picked orange, we should go with it."
First-year College students Erica Decarme and Rimi Marwaha went all out with orange T-shirts, blue and orange pom poms, University visors and other accessories, but their decision to wear orange wasn't straight forward.
"I wore orange because I don't have a sundress," Decarme admitted.
"I have a sundress but I was feeling lazy this morning, and it's pretty hot out," Marwaha said. "I didn't feel like wearing it in the heat."
Although they both chose to wear orange, Marwaha said she wasn't opposed to others dressing up.
"Guys tend to wear collared shirts on a daily basis anyway, but the ties are nice," she said.
She did, however, see advantages to everyone wearing orange.
"I think it's great to have spirit, so I guess if everyone looks the same it's great, because we look more like a group, I guess," she said. "It just brings all of us together."
Second-year College students Pat Boland and John Ruffino also chose orange shirts for Saturday's game.
"I didn't really want to wear a nice tie or anything," Boland said. "It isn't good football attire."
"Ditto," Ruffino replied.
Although they chose to dress casually, they said they appreciated girls wearing sundresses.
"It's nice," Boland said.
"I think it's nice, yeah," Ruffino agreed.
"It's sharp," Boland continued. "I don't mind people dressing up and wearing ties. It's a nice tradition, but I like being more casual."
Boland also said he thought wearing orange intimidates the other team.
"Look at it -- it's awesome," he said, gesturing toward the stadium. "It's orange with just a little blue section. I was impressed almost everyone in the student section was wearing orange."
First-year College students Grace Chung and Megan Dunning were not members of the orange-wearing component of the student section. Instead, they decided to dress up.
"I hate orange," Chung announced. "It's my least favorite color, so I'm not going to wear it."
Dunning was less staunchly opposed to orange.
"We're actually in the same suite, and this morning we had a huge controversy about what to wear," Dunning said. "I was wearing orange, but we all decided to dress up, so I changed."
Dunning said she will probably wear orange for future games, but Chung insisted she won't.
"I'll wear navy blue," Chung said.
"You should wear orange," Dunning told her.
"I hate orange," Chung repeated.
"You should still wear it."
"Maybe if someone forces me."
Although she plans to wear orange to a game at some point, Dunning said she doubts the dressing up tradition will die.
"Ever since I heard of U.Va., people have dressed up for football games, so I don't think it's a tradition that will go away," she said.
Instead, Dunning said orange dresses might prove a reasonable compromise.
"That would be a good idea, but I have never seen an orange dress in a store," she said.
"It's a good idea if you like orange," Chung said. "Or maybe a light orange ... or a burnt orange."
Second-year College student Ben Savage also chose dressing up over wearing an orange T-shirt, but he said there are plenty of other potential choices as well.
"You could go without a shirt, you could go as a clown, you could wear one of those wigs," Savage said. "I decided to wear this because that's what I wore last year."
Savage may have opted for the traditional collared shirt and tie, but he created his own unique version of the standard -- he paired his khaki pants and blue and orange tie with a maroon collared shirt.
"I guess I kind of wanted to differentiate myself," he explained. "I wanted to think outside the blue, orange and white box. It brings some different spirit to the game."
Savage said he usually dresses up for the games, but he isn't opposed to wearing orange.
"I just wanted to dress up for this one because it's the first game," he said. "We'll see, maybe I'll mix it up next time."
Although many girls mentioned that they felt badly about guys wearing collared shirts and ties in the heat, Savage said he didn't really mind it.
"It gets pretty hot, but not enough to deter me," he said. "I think you have more fun when you feel like you're part of something bigger, even if it's uncomfortable."
He further extended that opinion to sundresses.
"I think they're awesome," he said. "Not complaining at all. I think for girls it might be more important to look good than for guys, so it's more important for them to dress up. Personally, I'd rather they dress up than [wear T-shirts]."
Regardless of what students chose to wear, they still cheered together as their team beat UNC. The winner of the fashion debate, however, remains to be seen.
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