Very disappointing to see on VT's website that there will not be an autograph signing after the game this year. It says we will be allowed on the field to take "selfies" after the game when the field is cleared. The reason stated was so the student athletes could meet with their families immediately after the game. This was the highlight of the spring game for my son and I the past 4 years. The autograph session was short and had a running clock. Not sure who made this decision, but I think the players could wait 30 minutes to meet their families to show support for the fan base.
However, my son follows Tyrod on instagram and you can get an autograph with him and Kam before the game. You have to go to Tyrod's website and sign up for tickets and they are free. Not sure how many are available though. Kam and Tyrod also have a boot camp for kid's 11 - 15 years old Friday evening on the practice field, but you have to pay for that one and it says only the kids can enter. Go Hokies!
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I think they are having a fan appreciation day in August and they will have a dedicated autograph session at that time.
You know, I'm kinda cool with this. I can deal.
The coaches and staff also want to be able to spend time with the large amounts of recruits coming up. They want the team around them also.
The best spring game in recent memory was the one that was cancelled and the coaches could recruit more. We ended up with a handful of good recruits (I want to say 6?), including Bucky, Moto, and Chuck Clark.
The best spring game in memory also tends to be the next one that hasn't happened yet. Just like the best season is "the one coming up this Fall." ;)
I have no problem with it either but at the same time appreciate anything done that involves the children. As adults, there are other opportunities, I.e., the welcome back picnic and the fan appreciation day. I know avid autograph seekers might be disappointed about tomorrow but that's how the football goes (end over end).
As a college student, I could only imagine how difficult it is for those athletes to take a course load and then have all the practices and other team related stuff in addition in regards to being able to have free time and not do schoolwork or be at practice or meetings. They probably don't get to see their parents much, so I'm sure it means a lot that they get to see them now, especially during a stressful part of the school year. Good move by Fuente, IMO, even if it rubs off poorly on some families.
As a former student athlete at a much smaller school, it IS difficult. I think that this was a smart decision by the coaching staff. It will endear the players to the staff even more. If there's a fan appreciation day (as there usually is) in the fall, get them then. The players are spending 8-10 hrs a day on football and do not get to see their families that often. I am in favor of this decision.
Thought I was getting clickbaited into this headline but it still worked
FTFY
But wait..... there's more!!!!!!
As I said on another thread, I am disappointed. It was the part of the experience my kids talked about long after the spring game, and they were very proud of the autographed shirts, footballs and jerseys accumulated over the years. To me part of what makes VT special is the family atmosphere, where all Hokies are family, and this was a very small part of what makes it that way. I want to win at football, and am okay if it run like a family business to win more instead of like the IVY League, but am not in favor of running it like a foreign corporation just to win more. You want fair weather fans, win and they will come. You want loyal fans, treat them like you need them. This is not a big deal to me, but that is why I am not in favor of it.Having seen what was done, with the open field and the players who wanted to stay hanging around instead of everyone going to the locker room and then having to come back on the field, I retract the above. It was well done and made for a good fan experience.
So, retract it then. Because it's still there (: