I groggily awoke the day after Halloween for a trip down south into the Tidewater section of Virginia to see two new stadiums. A few sprinkles graced the windshield early, even reaching a point to where I had to use the wipers. This is news given our region saw the driest month in recorded history. By the time I reached Delaware, the sun was back out and in Norfolk, it was a balmy 82 degrees. With a nice breeze, conditions were perfect to explore the city and I did that for awhile by going on the Cannonball Trail. Even though this isn’t well advertised, it’s a great way to explore Norfolk and I enjoyed the couple hours I spent around downtown. Mermaid Statues dot the city and Waterside / the walkways along the Elizabeth River are scenic. I finished in the Freemason Historic District, where beautiful homes line the Cobblestone walkways. That’s where I ate dinner as the satisfying steak at the Freemason Abbey Restaurant would’ve been better than anything I would have had at the Scope Arena just a few blocks away.
My first memory of the Scope is of course when DX invaded in 1998. Ah, the days of the Attitude Era. Now a more appropriate one would be these highlights from the Hampton Roads Admirals 1991 Championship Season. It certainly gives all the feels. This building hasn’t changed much since either of those times. Lots of concrete as it supports the domed roof and the outside looks bigger than what is inside. There is so much empty space in the surrounding plaza and the small circular concourse contradicts the expanse on the outside. Renovations would be welcomed. Heavy doors then lead to the interior of the building and it is honestly terrible for hockey. The circular seating bowl fans upward in the middle and further back seems so far from the action as each row gets more distanced than normal.
The atmosphere was decent despite the somewhat small crowd. They were quite vocal for goals and key moments, even if they couldn’t see things ahead of time (ref arm raised for penalty…developing 2-on-1). The game had a little bit of everything. Things began with Worcester taking 3 penalties in the 1st period and that led to a widely disproportionate shot count (18-5). I quickly came away with a strong dislike for the visitors as in that period I watched them: fake getting hit with a high stick, sucker punch an Admiral and taunt kids by pounding on the glass after a goal. Despite having the run of play, Norfolk went to the 1st intermission tied and they were even down 2-1 after the 2nd (shots at that point: 35-15). The final period was a fantastic back and forth affair with goals up and down the ice. Regulation finished 5-5 and then in Overtime, Anthony Repaci scored on an odd-man rush as the Railers won. 21 different players got on the scoresheet in this game.
The next day was much cooler, but still good to be outside. I got up early to cross the tunnel into Hampton, VA. I explored downtown a few years ago before seeing the Peninsula Pilots, so this time I went over to Fort Monroe. I know the thought….a fort, how boring. This one is definitely not as it is much more than an old stone structure. The spit of land is a living space and inside the moat that protects the actual fort are several historic buildings, areas and a museum. President Obama designated it a National Monument in 2011 and I really enjoyed my morning here.
The Hampton University football game kicked off at 1 PM, but I got to campus around 11 AM to explore a bit. That was a difficult task because access can be convoluted and parking for the game is distanced from campus features I wanted to see. In fact, the Black lot in the corner of campus is terrible as they direct you all the way to the back, despite rows and rows of open spaces that stayed open through the game. Once I reached the historic stadium (opened in 1928), I saw it sitting next to another long-standing area: a cemetery. That’s right, the distinguished headstones of the Hampton Cemetery is certainly a visual for this stadium. Inside, sightlines for the game are poor as I could never find a good spot to watch as the small crowd enabled me to move around, trying to find a better spot. One thing that did not disappoint: the Hampton Force. This was my first time seeing an HBCU Marching Band and they were fantastic. I especially loved the march to the stands at the beginning of each half as I found myself more attracted to that than the football.
Speaking of the game, Villanova came into this one ranked, but it was Hampton that took it to them on the opening drive. They went 75 yards in 9 plays (mostly on the ground) to take a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats slowly got going and despite a generally inefficient offense, ‘Nova built a 20-7 lead midway through the 3rd Quarter. Hampton then had the biggest play of the game: a 48-yard pass, which accounted for 2/3rds of their yards in the air on the day. They scored and it was 20-14. The Pirates would have 3 cracks at tying the game in the 4th Quarter and they couldn’t get past Villanova’s 45-yard line. Inept clock management also cost Hampton one more shot and ‘Nova squeaked by 20-14.
The detailed reviews for Armstrong Stadium and the Norfolk Scope have both been posted. Check them out!
Stadium and Arena Visits 
