A Bridge Over Troubled Waters
Some of you know that Karyn and I lived for about ten years in Charlottesville, VA. Among other claims to fame, Charlottesville is home to the University of Virginia. Anyone who has ever been around those parts knows that there are few rivalries as deep and (at times) vicious as the one between the UVa “Hoos” and the Virginia Tech “Hokies.” Our family became an unusual bridge across that rivalry when our oldest daughter enrolled at Tech while Karyn was first a grad student and then an instructor at UVa. But today, a much deeper and more meaningful bridge was formed.
One of the landmarks of the UVa grounds (Hoos never say “campus”!) is Beta Bridge. Connecting frat house row to the central grounds, the span has been the center of a long-standing tradition. Many times throughout the year (sometimes several tims in a single week) the bridge’s western cement guard rail is painted in gaudy colors, usually announcing a special event or cause. It can be anything from a birthday to a major concert.
But today Beta Bridge carried a message (and colors) no one in C’ville ever would have dreamed they would see:
HT: our friend Beth in Charlottesville
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April 17th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Could you explain what “hoos” are? I’ve heard “hokies” explained on the news. But “hoos” sounds too much like something Don Imus might call someone.
April 17th, 2007 at 6:44 pm
Oh my goodness, Joel, let me educate you…..
Hoos (derivative of wah-hoo-wah)
Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry. So you can get the whole story.
April 17th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
I knew there had to be a logical explanation. Gotta luv Wiki.
April 17th, 2007 at 11:42 pm
[...] Follow the link for Yahoo’s full slideshow full of touching photo’s, as they morn we all morn with them. My friend Mark Traphagen offers a moving story of how old college rivals find each other in the midst of griev…. [...]
April 19th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
It’s nice to see support from longtime rivalries, but aren’t the rivalries trivial to begin with?
April 19th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
Well, in the larger scheme of thing, of course they are, Eric. But they are also a part of the fun of the college years. I probably wouldn’t be the first to propose that sports serve as as “war substitutes” in cultures where warfare is not the normal course of affairs for young men. I think its possible that on some level, sports rivalries act as a harmless “vent” for our fallen tendency to want to kick somebody’s butt on a regular basis. Because of that, however, sometimes such rivalries can go too far.
Most people we knew at UVa saw the rivalry as all fun and games, but every so often you’d run across someone who genuinely hated the Hokies. To such a person to have Hokie colors on Beta Bridge would be tantamount to blasphemy.
April 19th, 2007 at 4:19 pm
MAY THE GOOD LORD PROTECT> WE ARE PRAYINGGOR A NATIONAL REVIVAL TURNING O GOD IN THESE DIFFICULT TIMES FOR HUNDRED AN THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE>
April 19th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
MAY GOD BE WITH YOU
MAY HIS PRESCENCE BE FELT
MAY THIS STIR UP A REVIVAL OF TURNINGTO HIM FORHELP
April 26th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
I, the well in bred wahoo (mother, father, husband, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-lay), was deeply touched by the painting of Beta-bridge which claimed the lives of too many, including my master’s research advisor, Kevin Granata. I doubt that Hoo-Hokie relations will ever be the same.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Amy!
Great to hear from you. Glad I was able to share this with you.