Aside from a brief visit in high school, Greg Walter has never set foot on the University of Virginia’s Grounds. He hasn’t been to Scott Stadium on a football Saturday. He’s never swayed to the “Good Old Song” after a touchdown.
Yet, Walter, a 51-year-old father of two, went into his family’s box of Halloween costumes this summer, pulled out a swashbuckler hat and a wooden katana sword and recorded himself mimicking the motions of UVA’s famed mascot in the living room of his Ohio home.
“My first time being a Cavalier,” Walter said. “It was fun.”
“The Ride” debuted Aug. 31 to a rousing ovation at Scott Stadium ahead of the Cavaliers’ season-opening game against Richmond. (Photo by Matt Riley, University Communications)
The tiniest of details matter when you’re tasked with creating a rebooted version of an old tradition. Walter is the owner and creative director of 2Tall Animation, the production company behind the 50 seconds of nostalgia that now plays before the start of each home UVA football game.
After a long hiatus, an animated Cavalier has returned to vanquishing Virginia opponents’ mascots on the videoboard at Scott Stadium. “The Adventures of Cavman,” a longtime staple of the game day experience, officially has a spinoff series.
“The Ride” debuted on Aug. 31 ahead of UVA’s season opener against the University of Richmond Spiders.
[♪ Music with dramatic drumbeat ♪]
[Words presented as a poem in dramatic fashion]
The legendary tales are shared old and new,
Of that iconic hero in the orange and the blue.
With confidence and swagger, a smirk and a jape,
[Bird swooping sound]
A feathered cap and a billowing cape, they’re fearless and bold steadfast in their might.
[Horse galloping sounds]
A Wahoo never backs down from a fight.
Horse neigh]
[Salute by Lionel Fabert plays]
Let’s go!
[Deep, dramatic voice returns to end the poem]
Take heed to all, both far and near,
Of the conquering ride of the Virginia Cavalier!
“When (UVA) approached us, the basic brief was that this ‘Cavman’ thing had existed for a long time and was a fan favorite,” Walter said. “They wanted to bring it back, but they wanted do something different than before.”
“The Adventures of Cavman” featured the tales of an animated UVA mascot riding through Charlottesville and onto Grounds, where he courageously defeated his adversary. The series ran from 2001 to 2015, ending with the beginning of the coach Bronco Mendenhall era. It made a brief return during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
The in-house production – a brainchild of Ann Holland, the wife of former UVA athletics director and men’s basketball coach Terry Holland – was appointment viewing for Wahoo fans.
Eric Ward, UVA’s assistant athletics director for marketing, who grew up a season ticketholder, remembers always leaving his family’s tailgate at a certain time to be in his seat for the latest adventure.
“It was something unique,” Ward said. “You always wanted to see what Cavman did in the videos.”
[♪ Music playing, upbeat and orchestral. ♪]
[Grinding sounds as Cavman sharpens his sabre.]
[Warning sound.]
[Noise of people playing football on the Lawn.]
[A collision sound in the game.]
[Goats bleating.]
[Horse neighs.]
[Horse galloping.]
[Car honks.]
[Person cheers, oh yeah.]
[Goat bleats.]
[Cavman growls under his breath.]
[Goat hooves scratch on the ground.]
[Cavman growls louder as he charges.]
[♪ Music gets louder, noise of fit and hooves running on the Lawn. ♪]
[Cavman growls, goat bleats.]
[Kicking sound, goat bleats and noise of large thing hitting the ground.]
[Goat bleats.]
[Cavman yells as spinning and throwing the University of North Carolina mascot.]
[Goat bleating noise. It appears to be scared as it is a higher pitch.]
[Sound of bowling pins being knocked down as the UNC mascot hits a gazebo and knocks it down.]
[Horse neighs.]
[Horse gallops.]
[Cheering from UVA cheerleaders.]
[Music ends.]
With the addition of the new 6,700-square-foot Ramon W. Breeden Jr. Videoboard and accompanying audio system for the 2024 season, Ward collaborated with other members of the athletics department to reimagine and modernize the entire football introductory sequence. That 25-minute period, starting when the teams leave the field after their final warmup session and ending when they run through the tunnel, is now a connected presentation with updated hype videos, starting lineup announcements and a performance from the Cavalier Marching Band.
It all leads to the climactic “Ride,” which aligns with the emergence of the real-life Cavalier on horseback, Julie Caruccio, leading the team onto the field to the tune of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
