Hear Us Shout & Roar: Recreation Centers and Opportunities

Hear Us Shout & Roar

Recreation Centers and Opportunities

by Wyatt Moorer

If organized sports aren't for you, no worries! UVA has a lot of resources for casual sporting and exercise. There are four main gyms on grounds: the Aquatic and Fitness Center, Slaughter Gym, Memorial Gym, and the North Grounds Gym. Each has state of the art exercise equipment and facilities. An interesting fact is that the AFC (Aquatic and Fitness Center, picture on left) has the largest hot tub east of the Mississippi River. Many of the gyms will have pick up basketball games, times to swim, etc.

Also, in terms of outdoors fitness, UVA has a lot of great running and hiking trails nearby. There's also several outdoor soccer fields, tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, basketball courts, and more. We also have several rivers, lakes, and quarries within driving distance. Finally, during the winter time, Wintergreen ski slopes are available to avid skiers and snowboarders.

For more information about some of these rec centers and resources, take a look this web page!

Hear Us Shout and Roar: UVA Intramural Sports

Hear Us Shout & Roar 

UVA Intramural Sports

by Wyatt Moorer

Intramurals are another great way to play sports while at UVA. Intramural leagues provide a casual, laid back setting to play sports with friends, dorm room hallmates, or even random acquaintances. There are intramurals in both the fall and spring. There are men's leagues, women's leagues, co-ed leagues, and leagues between different student organizations.
Most ever sport is offered ranging from flag football to basketball to ultimate frisbee to soccer. The intramural regular season typically is three games with elimination playoff games to follow. Intramurals are a popular option for students because they are not too much of a time commitment while still providing a great opportunity to get to play a sport you love or play a sport you have no experience in! 

For a more detailed list of all the intramural sports we have to offer, please feel free to look here

Hear Us Shout and Roar: UVA Club Sports

Hear Us Shout & Roar 

UVA Club Sports

by Wyatt Moorer

Besides varsity sports at UVA, another great way to maintain physical fitness through organized sports is Club Sports. Ranging from cross country to rugby to water polo, we have a wide array of Club Sports available for both guys and girls. Club Sports at UVA are extremely similar in terms of time commitment to sports in high school. They are a great way to continue a high school interest during your time at the university. 

One of my close high school friends, (rising second year Sarah Bowron), is on UVA's club tennis team. In describing her experience with Club Tennis, Sarah has often spoken about how much she has enjoyed playing a sport she is passionate about while at UVA. In that respect, Club Sports are a great way to get involved at a lesser time commitment than the varsity program. 

For a more detailed list of all the club sports we have to offer, please feel free to look here.

Hear Us Shout & Roar: The 2014-2015 Basketball Season

Hear Us Shout & Roar 

The 2014-2015 Basketball Season

by Wyatt Moorer

Basketball season is only 100 days away. Which means it’s time to start gathering all your Wahoo gear and prepare for another great basketball run. Basketball games are all free for students to attend at UVA. However, there is a lottery system by which students receive tickets. The more UVA sporting events you go to, the higher chance you will have of getting tickets to the games. Basketball games are easy to get to and always a great study break or chance to hang out with friends while cheering for the Hoos.

Our basketball team was exceptional in the 2013-2014 season. We were the regular season ACC champs and the ACC tournament champs. We advanced into the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament where we fell short in a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State. Wahoo fans have confidence that we can continue our basketball success in the 2014-2015 season.

Hear Us Shout & Roar: Wahoowa! UVa Baseball

Hear Us Shout & Roar

Wahoowa! UVa Baseball

by Wyatt Moorer

Nothing is better on a warm spring day than a UVA baseball game. Like all other varsity sports, regular season admission to UVA baseball games are free, making them a popular entertainment option for students. Students are not the only people who frequent the baseball games. Many from Charlottesville and the state of Virginia will travel in to see the Hoos play. 

Our baseball team is not only fun to watch, they are good; very good. Throughout a majority of the year, our baseball team was ranked number one in the nation. Now the team is headed to Omaha for the College World Series among a total of eight schools to have made it this far. The UVA baseball team has made it to the College World Series three times in the past six years, illustrating the program’s dominance over time. To get to the College World Series this year, UVA had to beat Maryland in the Super Regional round. Maryland won the first game, but even then, most Hoo fans were calm knowing UVA could win the next two games to advance. UVA did just that, having impressive showings in their next two victories against Maryland winning 7-3 and 11-2 respectively.

UVA will face Ole Miss on Sunday June 15^th in their first game of the College World Series. To follow all UVA baseball action simply keep up with the team on their website or on twitter.

Be sure not to miss the experience!

UVA Baseball Twitter: Click Here

Hear Us Shout & Roar: My First UVA Football Game

Hear Us Shout & Roar

My First UVA Football Game

by Wyatt Moorer

Growing up I went to nearly every Alabama football home game that I could. Naturally, coming to Virginia I was initially apprehensive about our football team 'cause, to me, nothing could live up to the fanfare and excitement that an Alabama football game had. Turns out, this expectation was largely proven correct. Don’t get me wrong, UVA’s football games have their own creative traditions and features, but over the years I had grown too spoiled to Roll Tide and in all honesty – to winning.

That being said, UVA’s football team has its own advantages. The mood of the student body does not change with a win or a loss. We can fill the hill in our Sunday best and the good old song after every score is great (even if we do not sing it often). But what makes UVA’s football more entertaining than Alabama is that winning is not expected. That makes every win that much more enjoyable and exhilarating. Take for instance, the first game of the 2013 football season, UVA vs. BYU. It was my first ever UVA football game and I was excited to see what the atmosphere was like. Learning the new chants, hand motions, and traditions was a bit of an adjustment, but I slowly got a hold of them. Then to add to the excitement, there was a close to two-hour rain delay. The game was close throughout, but at the very end UVA was able to pull out a late touchdown to win the game. Rain drenched and belting the good old song was by far one of the best experiences of my first year at UVA.

Be sure not to miss the experience!

2014 Football Schedule: Click Here

Introducing: Wyatt Moorer

Introducing: Wyatt Moorer

2014 Office of Admission Summer Intern Bio

Year: Second
Hometown: Birmingham, Alabama
School: College of Arts and Sciences
Major(s): History & Politics
Blog: Hear Us Shout & Roar

Hey y'all, I am Wyatt Moorer. I am a first year (rising second year) from Birmingham, AL. I am currently studying history and politics. I am really excited to be able to stay in Charlottesville over the summer. I will be talking a bit in my blog about athletics at UVA and different experiences with those. I’m really excited to get to talk about sports at UVA as well as athletic traditions that we have. 

Favorite UVA memory...

My favorite memory would have to be when a group of friends and I got up at 5 in the morning to go on a sunrise hike of Old Rag trail close to UVA grounds. The hike was not all that challenging but worth it for the great view we got to see at the top. It was great to have a casual environment to talk with everyone and to get a first hand experience of some of the Charlottesville area's great outdoors. 

More information and blog posts...

Wyatt's Admission Survey

Coming soon!

Wyatt's Blog Posts

1. 5/29/2014: My First UVA Football Game
2. 6/12/2014: Wahoowa! UVa Baseball
3. 6/26/2014: The 2014-2015 Basketball Season
4. 7/10/2014: UVA Club Sports
5. 7/24/2014: UVA Intramural Sports
6. 8/7/2014: Recreation Centers and Opportunities
7. 8/13/2014: #WeAreAllUVA: Socioeconomic Diversity (filling in for Hawa Ahmed)
8. 8/21/2014: UVA Football Preview