Perhaps the best part of University football games is that even those students with a less-than-confident grasp on the details of the sport can enjoy themselves, especially when rallied by the University cheerleading team. As the students join in another rousing chorus of "the Good Ol' Song," their cheers are bolstered by the dynamic "Flagman" sprinting across the end zone, proudly brandishing the University flag.
Third-year College student Alex Johnson became Flagman after he was chosen as captain of the cheerleading team this year. He knew immediately that the position of Flagman was worth fighting for.
"I was like, 'I want the flag!'" Johnson said.
Johnson became involved in cheerleading his first year after two girls convinced him to join the squad at the Student Activities Fair. In high school, Johnson was involved in track and soccer, but he is quick to differentiate the work and effort of the cliché high school male cheerleader with that of the University's team.
"It's something different that I really, really enjoy, but it's definitely a commitment," Johnson said. "I think people are finally starting to understand the effort that goes into it."
In fact, the members of the team are expected to attend practice three times a week throughout the school year, in addition to daily conditioning workouts. The game schedule is especially challenging in November because the basketball season starts to overlap with football. During the summer, the team is expected to attend several week-long training sessions and an official camp in August. The squad also runs tryouts for outstanding high school athletes.
In addition to cheerleading, Johnson maintains a busy academic schedule as a double major in sociology and foreign affairs and said he hopes to run his own business in the near future, perhaps living near his brother in Northern Virginia.
Johnson modestly neglects to mention the mass attention he has received from students across Grounds. In fact, there are at least four groups on the facebook that praise Flagman, including, "We Salute You, Mr. UVA Flag Waver Man" and "The Flagman at Football Games is a Beast."
"I'm really humble about this entire situation," Johnson said. "All I'm doing is running the flag and having fun doing it. It's the people who enjoy it that make it fun for me."
Johnson attributes this publicity to the legacy of Matt Cook, a University alumnus and former member of the cheerleading team who served as Flagman for two years before Johnson took over the role.
He also credits Cook for helping him develop the proper flag technique.
"The main thing is getting it out in front of you, locking your arms and just running," Johnson said, adding that this is not easily accomplished when the wind kicks up.
The pole alone weighs about 10 pounds, but when the flag is up high enough to catch the air, it can weigh up to 25 pounds. Johnson is required to run this flag out with the band in the beginning of the game. He also sprints it across the end zone every time Virginia scores a touchdown.
While he said he never hopes the score will stay low, Johnson admitted, "After the first few times, it can be exhausting -- like at the Duke game, by the end, I was getting really tired!"
Poor weather conditions also raise traction concerns as Johnson sprints across the field.
Although he has never tripped, Johnson said, "It's one of my biggest fears, and there have been guys that have tripped and fallen in the past."
Johnson did have a close call in Maryland when the school's overly aggressive cheerleading team began to rile University fans and cheerleaders.
"Maryland cheerleaders kept running into the lines of Virginia cheerleaders every time Maryland scored a touchdown, and we were all getting really mad," Johnson said. "So, I decided to run all the way down to their student section and wave my flag down there. Then, on the way back, I almost tripped on some media wires but caught my balance in time."
Johnson said now his coach always yells, "Don't trip!" as a joke before he runs out.
Despite the pressures, Johnson insisted the crowd is always able to renew his spirits. Even with all the noise in the stadium, he said he can often pick out familiar voices that call down to him, a feeling he described as "the biggest rush in the world."
In response to comments on his speed across the field, Johnson said, "I honestly have no clue how fast I'm running because it's all the adrenaline of the crowd. Man, it seriously wouldn't be any fun if the crowd wasn't into it. You guys do a great job."
When asked if he ever missed the opportunity to tailgate before football games, Johnson said he simply couldn't give up not being on the field.
"You can't match it," he said. "The involvement you feel in the game is entirely different when you're on the field"
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