Our recent column Finding the Joy brought good response from the readership. Normally, people do all their talking on the message boards, but we received a couple of in-depth emails, as well, and wanted to pass them on.

Note that by printing these letters, we do not endorse the opinions expressed herein, nor do we necessarily disagree with them. Writers gave permission to use their real names in association with their letters.

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The article on joy, bad analogy aside, is pretty good!

You forgot to mention something which hasn't happened at VT but is also a symptom of having "boosters" with undefeated national championship expectations: NCAA violations. The added pressure of a high profile team perennially in the top 10 comes in the form of a "do anything to reach the goal" attitude by some alumni, and in sad cases by some coaching staffs and athletic directors. You only have to look at Michigan's "fab five" incident or the violations in the SEC to understand that.

On the other hand, what happens to recruiting if your team is not "up and coming" or "storied"? How does a football team from a university that is NOT located in a deep recruit pool keep getting really good players? Frank Beamer seems to have solved that problem partly by staying in-state and finding ways of recognizing and developing talent that isn't necessarily the kind that gets the high national recruiting ranking. That's what got the Hokies into national prominence. With a focus on the national championship, a lot of fans (but not coaches) seem to want to abandon that strategy to go after those "big name recruits." I think that's an attitude that could fail in the long term. VT is NOT situated in South Florida and will likely never have the kind of recruiting base that some schools enjoy. Again, a change in expectation can lead to more problems for fans AND staff if someone isn't grounded in reality.

The question as I see it is to balance the desire for a national championship with a realistic analysis of the current situation. VT is not a "middle of the pack" team, but a solid program on the edges of the national spotlight in a very strong if underrated conference. If we strive to stay at the top of the conference and just on the edge of the national spotlight, the combination of scheduling and recruiting LUCK will bring opportunities for a national championship. If we fans and if the coaches focus only on the national championship, then one might turn a blind eye to questionable or risky practices. A solid foundation means that when you jump for the top and you miss, it's not a long fall. If you try to jump for the top from a rickety foundation, you can really hurt yourself and even plunge right out of sight. It's almost the same as the idea of having a player "play within themselves" but it's a team and a university "playing within itself."

Realistically, VT has a chance to be a Penn State. How many national championships does Penn State have? (two all in the 80's and they played for a third) How many Big Ten championships do they have? (one, I believe) If you measure a program by those standards, too many will come up short. But is that the right measure? What Penn State really has is a winning tradition based on a savvy coach who finds ways to stay above .500, in contention in their conference, and on the national scene. Who wouldn't want to have a Penn State-like tradition? Let's look for a long term goal of having a winning season and being in the hunt for the Big East title. Let the national championship be a bonus ending to a season, but let's enjoy the ride.

Otherwise, you'll overlook pulling for a team that got a victory where few OOC opponents have! And you won't appreciate beating a recent SEC champion team. You won't marvel at beating a team with a current and future NFL star quarterback. You won't savor as much the drubbing of an in-state rival.

People also have to realize is that looking at the flaws in your team is NOT being hyper-critical. Being pro-VT does not mean being blind to anything other than orange and maroon. It means pulling for your team whatever the circumstances. But pulling for your team should not mean you have to ignore faults. That's just as likely to lead to NCAA violations or having you sound like a rube when discussing football with fans of other teams. It's the same as allowing for critical thought in being an American rather than blindly accepting anyone who wears or displays a flag as patriotic.

Strike a balance: focus on the current game AND the long haul, but let the season play itself out. That way you'll show the right spirit and you won't be taken for a ride either.

David M. Bott

Will,

What a great article.  It points out all the complexities of achieving greatness.

You point out rightly that rooting for the Hokies has now become a chore.  It reminds me that achieving greatness is, in large part, just good old fashion hard work.  It boggles my mind to think of what these athletes put themselves through day after day in comparison to my beer swilling days of a BS in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering.  But why shouldn�t greatness require hard work � from the fans and the players and the coaching staff and the VT administration and � you get the point.  There is a reason why there are only so many programs like Miami, Michigan, and Nebraska. They sweat everything, everyday.

You also point out that most of those who achieve greatness do not necessarily start out with that target.  The people who achieve greatness are those that are focused on performing their job as best they can.  Due to this focus on the day to day (or that chop block) and the rare circumstances of chance, greatness is almost thrust upon most.  But if the focus on the day to day and the constant drive for excellence are not ALWAYS present, the circumstances of chance fall ineffectively upon the unprepared and greatness is not achieved.  When we have the combination of great players on both sides of the ball, sustained great play by these athletes, great play calling by the coaches, and the occasional luck (remember the WVU game with Michael Vick?), we will achieve greatness.

So, I think greatness is worth the day to day, game after game, drive that allows the great program to take full advantage of what is thrown their way and turn it into that greatest of CFB achievements, the National Championship.  And I, as a fan, am willing to root my heart out and experience the highs and lows of that dedication to ensure the expectation of Hokie football is always greatness.  This, of course, needs to be tempered in the spirit of sportsmanship and good fun, but I think this particular program has made the decision to cross the line and demand excellence.

I actually think the "hard work" as a fan is required to really enjoy any success of the program.  The first VT bowl game I attended was the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship.   During the entire time I was there, I had a sense of guilt that I was basking in the lime-light with the team without having been through all the trials and tribulations of the Beamer years.  I had jumped on the bandwagon.  Unlike my brother, and so many other fans there, I had not been a loyal fan over the years and thus I did not enjoy those moments nearly as much as I could have.  I promised myself I would not let that happen again.  So now I am the proud attendee of two Gator bowls and a season ticket holder.  I am going to do the "hard work" (as hard as it gets for a fan!) so that I can fully enjoy the National Championship when we earn it.

Best regards,
Richard G. Semmes

Note from Will Stewart: I think that "Finding the Joy" was more of a rambling collection of thoughts, as opposed to a coherent column with a central point. Many readers agreed with a lot of the thoughts in it, but I was also ripped for being "pessimistic" and setting goals too low.

Along those lines, one point of clarification: I think the VT football program, including its players, coaches, and administrators, should set the national championship as a goal. But if you as a fan judge the success of a VT football season on whether or not the Hokies play for or win a national championship, I think you're going to judge a lot of seasons as failures -- because it's extremely difficult to make it to the championship game, much less win it -- and it will diminish your enjoyment of Hokie football quite a bit.

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