Graves was awesome! I only went there once, UHall the rest. I think Graves was one of those as a kid you didnāt fully appreciate but looking back I have far better memories of the week there.
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Love this idea. A great opportunity to learn more about this community than just usernames and icons! With that said, hereās a bit about me.
For those that havenāt read the LRA blog, my name is Zach Carey and Iām a high school junior at a school outside of Philly. Iāve been a UVA fan since birth; my mom and uncle went to UVA, my grandfather taught at UVA for something like 42 years, and I grew up in Cville. Iāve moved around a lot, but during my time in Cville I was fortunate enough to connect with and form meaningful friendships with a number of people close to the UVA b-ball program. My time spent with those folks made it clear to me how grounded this program is and how phenomenally enjoyable it is to follow the ups and downs of this team. I think we can all agree that this is about more than basketball; that, in a way Bennett and co. act as a sort of moral compass as sports can act as a sort of manifestation for lifeās more cruel or beautiful, realities.
More recently, Iāve moved to Florida, and now PA, and am going through the college admissions process. A little over a year ago, my brother and I started the Brogdon fan page account on instagram, and have worked on covering Brogdon through that medium. Through connections of the BFP, I started writing for the LRA blog, and joined this LRA community. On top of that, Iāve gotten an internship with an outlet called Florida Lacrosse News as Iām looking at pursuing a career in print journalism.
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Good stuff! I really appreciate your contributions to LRA here and everything you do for the uva sports community! Very smart person right here. Youāre definitely going somewhere and have what it takes to make this hobby your career!
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Really glad we have you here! You are a great resource for this forum and add a lot of insight. Keep up the good work. We appreciate you!
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@brogdonfanpage You high school guys really impress me. I also had a misconception that you were in you mid 40s and a UVA graduate. Mind blownā¦your writing skills are really advanced. Keep up the good work!
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Thatās an awesome story. Iāve arguably learned more from your recruiting information than I have from anything else in sports in a long time. Itās great insights and I love getting a better understanding of a process that I just didnāt know much about.
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Totally agree with @Daniel_G had no idea you were a high schooler. You HS writers are super impressive. Keep it up contributing to boards like this translated into a career for me, you never know where it will lead you.
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Ha! The old brain has got some weird stuff crammed in there. I said to myself āCarey ā¦ that sounds familiar. I think he was a chemistry professor when I was at schoolā. Googled it and sure enough - Chemistry.
What made me laugh about remembering it is that I never took chemistry at UVa and I think I only had one science class altogether. Why would I have an association between that name and that class after 30 years?
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Really appreciate the praise, Iām doing what I can. Iāll definitely continue to contribute here, and yeah, the goal is to try and turn the experience I build here into a profession in the future.
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Ha, who knows, the brain remembers obscure things!
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Just wanted to bump up this topic just in case anyone else is ready/has time to share their own introduction here! I know Iām not alone in saying that this kind of thing makes LRA feel even more like a community 
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I plan on telling mine in the near future. Iām not as good with words as a lot of the guys on here are so overlook my literature. It may not be as interesting but it will definitely be different
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I will as well. this post is great idea. Trying to figure out how much to add without being too long hahah
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Of course, no rush at all. Donāt sell yourself short though! Different is good and interesting as well, no matter how itās expressed (Iām not a professional writer either). Itās all appreciated here
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haha you can write an entire essay as far as Iām concerned @DFresh11!
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@shaza_od Well said! This is a forum does have a special community feel to it. Thanks for bumping up the thread for others to share.
@Hoosthechamp There is zero pressure here my friend. Ive only been a member for a few months and Ive had many simple basketball related questions that the more knowledgeable have been very happy to answer without judgement. We all share the same passion here. So we all would love to hear your story and how you became a Hoos fan!
@DFresh11 Im definitely looking forward to your story!
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Iāll jump in. My first Virginia game in any sport was Feb 2, 1980. My dad had a colleague who was a Wake Forest fan and got us tickets for the basketball game in Winston Salem. Unfortunately the Hoos fell short that day 79-77. Lamp and Raker had big games, but my dad was talking up the freshman center. Ralph was sick and didnāt start, but he did play 15 minutes, scored 4 and had 6 rebounds. (By the way, thanks to whoever at virginiasports.com scanned the old hand-written box scores.)
We hung around outside the locker room after the game to get autographs. A few players signed my program (wish I still had it). Ralph came through after everyone else and was escorted straight to the bus. I was disappointed I didnāt get his autograph, but wow was he tall. UVA was my team and Sampson my favorite player from that day on. I didnāt know enough to be bummed when Virginia didnāt make the NCAAās that season. I thought winning the NIT was terrific (and it was).
Over the next few years I learned all about the exhilarating highs and crushing lows of being a Virginia fan. I attended UVA in the late 80s and early 90s when football, menās and womenās basketball, and soccer were all good and fun to watch. Lots of great memories cheering on the Hoos.
Iāve lived in Blacksburg the past few years. Trying to raise my kids right, taking the family to UVA games and buying apparel to wear around town. One thing I will say about living in enemy territory, once you get to know some of the coaches and their families as you inevitably do, you get a different perspective on winning and losing. But it sure is sweet to own the rivalry, haha.
Appreciate the cool life stories everyone has shared here. LRA is a super friendly place to talk UVA sports.
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I understand that. I dont think many would really understand how big UVA sports really is to me without some details but Iāll do the best I can
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Drop it in here. Youāre a part of the community and from I already know of you you havea great story that Iād like to learn more of
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Interesting life living in Blacksburg and being a UVA fan. Most of my life I was both a VT and a UVA fan growing up 45 min from Cāville and 1hr 45min from Blacksburg. I would usually just pull for what ever team had the best chance of making it further in the playoffs. In football that was always VT, and during and after the Vick years I would watch nearly every VT game on TV. However, kind of naturally my heart has been slowly gravitating over to the UVA side. Its been strange over that last few years. I really have very little desire to keep up with any VT sports. I didnt even notice that I had lost interest in them. This past UVA vs VT game I was even feeling some cruel happiness that Kihei won in such a heartbreaking fashion.
For me the main difference that has sold me on UVA is I can be a deeper fan. What I mean by that is Tony Bennett embodies principles that I can really look up to, respect, and apply in my own life. When he wins, his principles are winning. I love that about this team. Its great to win, but this team adds an extra dimension to winning that lots of other programs dont really radiate.
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