As fall sports ramp up and fans fill the stands unrestricted for the first time since March of 2020, we want to answer some of the most commonly asked questions about attending Virginia sporting events and supporting the Cavaliers — both in and out of the stadium.
How do I attend a Virginia Athletics game, meet or match?
As students, we all get the opportunity to attend home competitions — for free — for any of Virginia’s 28 sports. So, all you need to attend a Virginia Athletics game, meet or match is your student ID that you are issued at the beginning of your first year. With this in hand, you can head to any of the following locations — which can easily be located using Google Maps — to catch an in-person event.
On-Grounds Facilities
Aquatic and Fitness Center — Swim and Dive
Davenport Field at Disharoon Park — Baseball
John Paul Jones Arena — Basketball
Klöckner Stadium — Soccer and Lacrosse
Lannigan Field — Track and Field
Memorial Gymnasium — Wrestling and Volleyball
Palmer Park — Softball
Scott Stadium — Football
Turf Field — Field Hockey
Off-Grounds Facilities
Birdwood Golf Course – Golf
Virginia Tennis Facility at the Boar’s Head Resort — Indoor and Outdoor Tennis
McArthur Squash Center at Boar’s Head Sports Club — Squash
Rivanna Reservoir Boathouse — Rowing
Panorama Farms — Cross Country
What are Sabre Points?
Sabre Points are like a currency for Virginia Athletics. By attending home games for the Cavaliers, you will receive either one or five Sabre Points. Every home game is worth at least one Sabre Point, but some games are specially classified — making attendance worth five Sabre Points. All of your Sabre Points will be tallied and used to receive additional lottery entries to get men’s basketball tickets for games played at John Paul Jones Arena. Bottom line — the more home games you attend, the better your chances are of getting tickets to men’s basketball games.
For each game that you attend, you will need to ensure your Sabre Points hit your account by doing one of two things, depending on which sport you’re watching. When you attend a men’s soccer game, a women’s soccer game or a football game, you will scan your student ID at the gates and receive Sabre Points that way. For other sports like volleyball, field hockey or swim and dive, you will need to input your student ID number — which is found above the barcode on the back of your student ID — into a spreadsheet at the marketing tables found near the gates. Then, they will be manually entered onto your account by Virginia Athletics.
How do I get men’s basketball student tickets?
Unlike other Virginia sporting events pre-pandemic, Virginia men’s basketball student tickets operate on a lottery system due to the limited capacity of John Paul Jones Arena and high demand for seats. A couple of weeks before each home game, when the demand for tickets exceeds the supply, Virginia Athletics opens a ticket lottery through the SHOTS Ticketing System. Each student that enters the lottery through SHOTS receives a number of entries equivalent to the number of Sabre Points they have plus an initial lottery entry. All students selected to receive a ticket are then ordered by the number of Sabre Points from highest to lowest and given a group number ranging from one to eight. Students in Group 1 are allowed to enter the arena 90 minutes before the game, with every subsequent group allowed to enter the arena in five-minute decrements.
Where can I buy U.Va. gear in Charlottesville?
With Virginia receiving $3.5 million annually from Nike, there is certainly no shortage of Cavalier merchandise in Charlottesville. The University Bookstore is often the most popular place for students and visitors to purchase Virginia gear, and it is located on Emmet Street above the Central Grounds Garage in the heart of the University. Unlike many other college bookstores — which contract with Barnes and Noble and other corporate bookstores — the University Bookstore is a non-profit owned and operated by the University and all proceeds from the bookstore go towards University programs such as Access U.Va., which supports first-generation and low-income students at the University. Off Grounds, students often frequent Mincer’s, a Corner staple since 1948 that started as a humidor selling cigars, cigarettes and other tobacco products. Mincer’s is particularly notable for its wide selection of Nike apparel printed exclusively in house.
What the heck is a Wahoo?
While Virginia’s athletic teams are officially called the “Cavaliers,” the moniker “Wahoos” was birthed years before. In the 1890s, Virginia and now Division III program Washington and Lee were blood rivals, with no love lost between the fans and students of both schools. During a baseball game between the Cavaliers and Generals, Washington and Lee fans called Virginia fans and players “wahoos,” presumably due to their rowdy nature. In the years since, Cavalier fans have worn the nickname as a badge of honor and made it part of the rallying cry “Wahoowa,” which can be heard around Charlottesville on Virginia game days.
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