HOKIES DIG TOURNAMENT WIN

Playing in front of the new video scoreboards at Cassell Coliseum, the Virginia Tech volleyball team opened the 2013 season by winning three of four matches and claiming the championship of the Hokie Invitational played Aug. 30-31.

The Student-Athlete Experience

“Thank you, Hokie Club members! Your support and encouragement has made my experience at Virginia Tech one of a kind! I am so very blessed to be a Hokie!”

-Megan Beckwith | r-Junior, Volleyball

“Special thanks to the Hokie Club for all of their support! I have had an amazing experience at Virginia Tech!”

-Jordan Fish | Junior, Volleyball

The Donor File

Shane Caudill

Hokie Club Level: Golden Hokie

Hokie Club member since: 2000

Currently Resides: Richmond, VA

What year did you graduate? 1997

Family: Sara Caudill (wife)

Q&A

Q: Being a member of the Hokie Club and supporting Virginia Tech athletics is important to me and my family because…

A: We enjoy giving back. We enjoy knowing that our support, no matter how large or small, makes a difference. Athletics is very often a major factor on people’s perception of your school. I don’t think there is any doubt that our athletics success has greatly enhanced, in a positive manner, the overall perception of Virginia Tech. What has been built at Virginia Tech is very special. I’m proud to say we have played a part in that success.

Q: Do you have a specific moment when you realized that you were a fan of Virginia Tech athletics and knew, without a doubt, that you were a Hokie?

Q: Do you have any game-day or tailgating traditions or superstitions? If so, what are they?

A: I think our best tradition is a more recent event that we started for our football tailgates. One game per year is designated as the chili cook-off tailgate. My dad and my wife, Sara, each cook up a pot of chili, and everyone at our tailgate and neighboring tailgates gets to vote for the best chili. We have a trophy that goes home with the winner. Last year, Sara and my dad even had additional competition, as we had one of our tailgating buddies enter a third pot into the contest. So far, the trophy has gone home with Sara each year. There is a lot of good-natured ribbing between the competitors, and everyone has a blast trying out and tasting some great chili recipes.

Q: When you drive into Blacksburg for a game, are there any “must-do” things for you and your family?

A: The first thing I always want to do is race to our tailgate spot as quickly as possible and get set up! So our biggest “must-do” item is getting to Blacksburg as early as we can to start tailgating. We haven’t won all the games we’ve been to over the years, but we’ve never lost a tailgate.

Q: Virginia Tech has had a lot of successful teams and wins over the years. Do you have a favorite team / season or game that stands out the most?

A: I’m lucky to have started at Virginia Tech in the fall of 1993, the very first year of the Beamer Bowl era. So I’m going to cheat a little and list several of my favorite years and games – the 1993 team and the game at UVa and the Independence Bowl win over Indiana; the 1995 team and the games versus Miami, at UVa, and the Sugar Bowl win over Texas; the 1999 team, Michael Vick and that great defense; the 2004 team, led by Bryan Randall, winning our first ACC Championship; the 2010 team and defeating FSU for the title in the ACC Championship Game. Hopefully, the 2013 team will have some magic in store for us this year.

Q: My all-time favorite Virginia Tech football player is (player’s name) and my favorite memory of him is …

A: There have been so many over the years … Tyrod Taylor, Bryan Randall, Corey Moore, Maurice DeShazo, Lee Suggs, the entire secondary from the 1995 team, Ox [Ken Oxendine], Macho [Harris], Danny Coale, Michael Vick, David Wilson, Cornell Brown. But my favorite is probably Jim Druckenmiller. He was the quarterback while I was a student at Virginia Tech, and the 1995 comeback win against UVa and the Sugar Bowl win over Texas are games that I will never forget. Honorable mention goes to Jermaine Holmes for “the catch” against UVa in 1995. I will never forget that play as long as I live.

Q: My all-time favorite Virginia Tech student-athlete from another sport is (player’s name) and my favorite memory of (player’s name) is …

A: Again, I have so many favorites that it is hard to choose. I’m going to pick a coach instead. I’m a huge fan of wrestling coach Kevin Dresser. I’ve been lucky to hear him speak on several occasions, both in Blacksburg and in Richmond, and I just like what this guy is all about. He rebuilt the wrestling program from the ground up and has made them a force. He’s passionate about his sport and Virginia Tech, and I’m glad that we have him on our side.

The Hokie Club New Members and Upgrading Members

The following represents Annual Fund donors (gifts from $100 to $10,000 annually) who have either joined as new Hokie Club members or have upgraded their Hokie Club memberships from January through mid-August of 2013. We want to celebrate these commitments of helping improve Virginia Tech athletics by recognizing them and by saying “Thank You!”

New Members

UPGRADING MEMBERS

We are pleased to welcome these new members into the Hokie Club. We are also excited that so many of our existing Hokie Club members have upgraded their memberships. Annual Fund donations are key to our success and we would like to thank these members for their support of Virginia Tech athletics!

More from this issue:

1. 01. From the Hokie Club
2. 02. News & Notes
3. 03. Despite loss, Hokies get …
4. 04. Misdirection, options key…
5. 05. Tech student-athletes mak…
6. 06. Weaver touches on array o…
7. 07. Bigger - And Better
8. 08. Benedict A Rare Breed
9. 09. New Chaplain Joins Tech Team
10. 10. Offseason change of addre…
11. 11. Hokies in the NFL
12. 12. Former Tech receiver Myro…
13. 13. Familiar Face Returns to …
14. 14. Expecting Great Things
15. 15. Renfro a Keeper for Tech