Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 9 No. 1 | August 2016

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As we conceptualized the show, I saw an
opportunity to expand upon another of my
beliefs. I believe a broadcast is better with
multiple voices. There are so many lively
people who are impactful to Tech athletics and
I wanted to try to involve as many as possible.
With that in mind, I am pleased to announce
that Andrew Allegretta will be expanding his
role within our broadcast team and serve
as host for that hour of the broadcast. He
provides us youth, but I wanted to go a bit
further and bring on a recent member of the
football program.
We found the perfect person in former Tech
receiver Willie Byrn, whom we will debut as a
pregame analyst for home games this season.
We also will incorporate student-athletes
from other sports who represent the Student
Hokie Club, as well as prominent area radio
and television personalities.
I also believe that live sound is better
than canned (recorded) sound. We will focus
more on the feel of the day and attempt to
capture the spirit of each particular game
with additional live segments. I hope you will
hear an upbeat pace, much like Fuente’s new
offense.
“There’s really not going to be a better time
to do things the way we want to do them than
now.” It’s a simple statement really, but it
stuck with me.
I thought about it in the context of my
personal life and realized it applied. Since my
arrival at Tech, I had been a bit conflicted.
All around me, I encountered healthy people
intent on bettering themselves. I have always
prided myself on being ambitious, but there
were areas of my life where I felt stuck. The
largest of these was smoking.
When I came to Blacksburg, I was
approaching 20 years as a smoker. The story
of how I began was cliché. I was simply trying
to be “cool” in high school. The continuation
included every excuse in the book—stress,
anxiety, addiction, habit, you name it.
In my role as a representative of this great
institution, I felt perpetually guilty about not
setting a better example. So I hid it and felt
guilty about that. I wanted to quit. There was
no doubt about that, but I didn’t know if I could
and then life pushed me in a way I could not
deny. I found encouragement in confidants at
Tech. My dad being diagnosed with multiple
myeloma was a booming wake up call. Then
I had that conversation with Fuente. We are
embarking on a thrilling chapter at Tech and
I needed to be an example of improvement if
I was going to be a leader in it.
“There’s really not going to be a better time
to do things the way we want to do them than
now.”
The way I wanted to be was tobacco-free
and so I did it. As we open the 2016 athletics
year, my second season, I am smoke-free for
the first time since 1996. I quit on Memorial
Day and have no plans of going back. It has
been a rejuvenating new beginning for me.
I offer that as we collectively prepare for
a new beginning. I am confident it will be a
rewarding one.
To all that lies ahead, Hokies! Thank you
for all your support!
Justin Fuente arrived in Blacksburg this past winter, but a new beginning for him kicks off
on Sept. 3 when he coaches in his first game as the Hokies’ head football coach.
Jon Laaser interviews Justin Fuente
to get his thoughts on a recent
preseason scrimmage.