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Wahooster and his family are UVa fans rain or shine. |
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Henry Ivey’s roots as a Virginia fan go back to the Barry Parkhill days on the basketball court of University Hall. Hank and his wife Susie used to watch the Cavalier legend on a black and white television. “Wahooster” watched as Parkhill raised the profile of UVa basketball, taking the program from the doldrums of 16 straight losing seasons to winning seasons for all three of his varsity years.
“What I remember was that at 6’4″ Parkhill was one of those rare individuals who controlled the game. He had the ball in his hands most of the time when the Cavs were on offense and the plays would often end in a basket or assist by BP,” Ivey wrote in an emai. “He was tall enough to either shoot over his man or take him into the paint for a score. He made UVa an exciting team to watch and changed my entire concept of a point guard. I’ve been a Hoo fan ever since.”
The Parkhill years cemented Ivey’s love of the Cavaliers though he never attended the school, and the University of Virginia has become an important part of his family’s life and education in the years since. All three of his daughters along with a son-in-law are UVa graduates. All of the Iveys frequently attend games to watch their Hoos, including the grandchildren – baby Finn caught a souvenir foul ball with some help from his dad Kelly at a recent baseball game for the No. 1 Cavaliers.
As you can imagine, 30-plus years as a fan at countless Cavalier games as presented some weather challenges at times. That’s OK when you have a son-in-law to help you brave the elements. At the 2009 game, Wahooster and son-in-law chuck stuck it out at Scott Stadium as the Hoos lost to Georgia Tech 34-9 during a deluge. At least there was entertainment though!
“Most of the football games that we have attended have been blessed with typically wonderful fall central Virginia weather. We’ve have been to a few, however, that have challenged us with heat, cold and rain. One of the most memorable games was the Georgia Tech game a couple of years ago,” Ivey said via email. “Cousin Michael is a Georgia Tech grad and we frequently have a fair number of guests at that game. On this particular Saturday the weatherman’s forecast was for light rain, possibly getting a little heavier later in the afternoon. We came across Afton in the fog that morning and by game time it was starting to rain steadily. By halftime it was cats and dogs and you could see waterfalls pouring out of the stands. In their best college spirit, the young folks on the hill kept the dwindling crowd entertained with long slides all the way to the end zone. In spite of our UVa ponchos, we were soaked to the bone. But there was Chuck, smile on his face, ready to stay until the bitter end of a losing game. The only time I was more soaked was on the Lawn at the UVa graduation in 2005.”
Sticking it out through that downpour? Yep, that’s a diehard fan … and, not surprisingly, a member of TheSabre.com community. Let’s tackle FanWatch with Wahooster.
- Name: Henry (Hank) Ivey
- Sabre Username: Wahooster
- EDGE Member Since: 2005
- Age: 62
- Residence: The Noke (Roanoke)
- Occupation: Family Physician
- UVa Ties: Our daughters (Rebecca, Sara and Jessica) and son-in-law (Kelly) are all UVa grads. Our other son-in-law (Chuck) is also a great UVa fan and may be the only one who will sit with me through a football game in the pouring rain. They all had great experiences at UVa and have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives.
- Distinctions: I once came in second in a 5 mile race on the boardwalk at Virginia Beach. Unlike Roanoke, Virginia Beach is a great place for a nice flat run.
The FanWatch Fifteen
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Barry Parkhill won over a lot of fans, including Wahooster, during his career at UVa. |
1. What is your favorite Cavalier sport and why?
I have to say all of them. I am amazed by all that these young people accomplish. I first became a Cavalier fan when Susie and I lived in Richmond while I was attending medical school (MCV). Like most medical student families, we were relatively poor and watching ACC basketball on our black and white TV was one of our favorite forms of entertainment. Barry Parkhill was the star of a great UVa squad (1971-73) and I became a big fan. Since then, thanks in part to The Sabre, I have followed every UVa sport and attended many games in person (including a UVa ice hockey club game). Our most recent game was a family outing to a weekend baseball game against N.C. State.
2. Who is your favorite Cavalier athlete (past and/or present) and why?
This is a tough one. Barry Parkhill has to be at the top of the list, because he was the star of the team that first caught my attention and made me a lifelong UVa fan. There are not many athletes who have dominated and controlled a game the way that BP did. I still played pickup basketball games at that time and watching BP was a revelation to me.
Of course, I have closely followed the careers of the many Roanoke area players who played for UVa (Ronde and Tiki Barber, John St. Clair, Walt Derey, Shannon Taylor, Curtis Staples, J.R. Reynolds and Jared King to name a few).
3. Who is your favorite Cavalier coach (past and/or present) and why?
This one surprised even me – Al Groh. I became a huge football fan about the same time that Al Groh became head coach. I started reading the Sabre to get more information about UVa sports and the tremendous amount of information about football (including recruiting) was amazing to me. Attending football games in Charlottesville became a big family event with wonderful tailgates compliments of Mrs. Wahooster. Coach Groh came to Roanoke every year as part of the VAF tour and I really enjoyed his presentations. He was a great “off the cuff” speaker and told wonderful and personal stories about his experiences at UVa and the football program. I am still sad that his ultimate legacy is not one of great success, but he is a truly nice man and a great Hoo nonetheless.
4. What has been your most memorable Cavalier sports moment so far?
There have been so many great moments, but the one that immediately stands out is a football game that we were not even able to attend. Cousin Michael and his wife Barbara were getting married in Savannah on the weekend of the UVa-FSU game in 2005. No. 4 FSU had a terrific team and had creamed UVa the previous year in Tallahassee. UVa was the decided underdog. While disappointed that we could not attend the game, there was no way we would miss Michael and Barbara’s wedding. We were just hoping that we could catch the game somewhere in Savannah. There are many Hoos in our family and, after the wedding, we gathered in the hotel bar to watch the game. “That dadgum Biscuit” led the Hoos to a 26-21 upset victory that night and I will never forget the family gathered around the bar’s widescreen and entertaining the other folks in the bar with our loud cheers for UVa.
5. What is your Cavalier sports fantasy?
A few years ago I might have asked Barry Parkhill to join me in taking on Jeff Lamp and Ralph Sampson in a game of 2 on 2. On further reflection, substitute Ricky Stokes for Ralph.
6. What is your favorite thing about TheSabre.com? Or what is your best Sabre memory?
I love the articles on The Sabre (particularly those about current student-athletes), but my favorite feature is the give and take between the fans. UVa fans tend to be opinionated, smart, usually civil and always ready with a humorous quip or quote to add to the discussion. There are fans who are very knowledgeable about a particular sport (like JHoo and Cville13), ex-UVa athletes, fans who attended UVa, and just plain old folks (like me) who all have interesting things to add to a line of posts.
7. You’re the coach in this scenario: the Hoos just scored a touchdown to cut the lead to one (say 28-27) in the ACC Championship Game with less than one minute remaining in the game. Do you kick the extra point and overtime or do you go for two? Now, depending on your answer, picking from any Hoo in program history, who is your kicker or whose number are you calling to try to score the two points?
Go for two! Fake dive and pass to Big Money for the score (Heath Miller, of course, Susie’s all-time favorite Hoo).
8. You’re the coach Part 2: the Hoos are in a tie game in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament with less than 10 seconds to go and you have the ball coming out of a timeout. Who, again picking from any Hoo in program history, are you going to for the last shot?
Tie score. Inbound the ball to Jeff Jones and feed Ralph for the stuff.
9. If you were running the Scott Stadium sound system and HooVision, what music would you choose as the team entrance or as pump up the crowd music? Stumped for an answer, what are the most played songs on your iPod right now?
I love the UVa fight song. Pipe the band through the sound system. Turn it all the way up. Go Hoos Go!
10. A tailgating must have?
Susie is the Tailgate Queen. We have different menus for every game (everyone chips in their recipes). Grilled brats with all of the fixin’s are my all-time favorite.
11. Another food question potentially. What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite Charlottesville restaurant that serves it?
Having had someone in the family attending UVa over the past 15 years, we have dined at many great spots. Occasionally after a game we will meet at a restaurant to visit with the family and recount the exploits of our beloved Hoos. L’Etoile on Main Street is one of my favorite spots. Great food and a wonderful staff.
12. What’s one thing most people might be surprised to learn about you?
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Wahooster with his daughter and grandson, who caught his first souvenir UVa baseball (with a little help from his dad Kelly), at the N.C. State series. |
In view of my rabid support of the Hoos, most of my friends are surprised to find out that I did not attend UVa. My wife and I both went to Texas Christian as undergrads. We plan to follow the football team to Ft. Worth in the fall of 2012 to see the Hoos play TCU in their renovated stadium and enjoy some delicious Mexican food at Joe T. Garcias. It’s going to be a great trip.
13. Since it is almost summer, where’s your favorite spring or summer vacation spot?
Our favorite spot has to be Ormond Beach, Florida. Susie’s folks retired there many years ago and the Iveys have visited often since our children were young. Susie’s sister and my brother still live in the area as well. Great climate, nice beach, terrific seafood, small town atmosphere and a wonderful family to visit make it a perfect place for us to relax.
14. What was your first car and what do you remember about it?
It was a hand-me-down 1965 Plymouth Fury that we were so thankful to have. It stalled regularly at stop lights on commutes down Broad Street in Richmond.
15. Last question: What is one piece of advice you could give to current UVa students or young people in general?
I actually give this spiel to young patients who are having their pre-college physical: Make the most of your college years. There are so many great things taking place on a college campus. Take it all in. Enjoy the lectures, the guest speakers, the interest groups, the arts, the sports and the volunteer activities. Don’t miss a thing. And cherish the friendships that you make along the way – both faculty and students. They will last you a lifetime.
