University of Virginia issued the following announcement on Sept. 23
Radiologic technologists Samantha Shoemaker, left, and Taylor Burton volunteer their time for every UVA home football game. (Photo by Jaimee Council)
As many University of Virginia football fans know by now, the “4th Side” is a concept that refers to members of the team who are not playing in the game, but who bring heightened excitement and energy to the sidelines every play. Fans – and especially the UVA student section – can serve in the same role, pumping up the team, filling the stadium with cheers and even changing the outcome of the game with their support.
Coworkers Samantha Shoemaker and Taylor Burton take their role as 4th Side members seriously. They were especially active last season, when most other fans couldn’t come to the games due to the pandemic and the team needed as much encouragement as possible.
You see, Shoemaker and Burton take their support a step further. While many Hoos in the stands are exchanging high-fives or singing the “Good Old Song” after a touchdown, Shoemaker and Burton are often in the bowels of Scott Stadium, tending to injured players. For the last nine and five years, respectively, Shoemaker and Burton – who work as diagnostic radiologic technologists in UVA’s Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging – have volunteered to take X-rays for every UVA home football game.
“Most people wonder why we volunteer our time, since we are often away from our families and miss functions and other events to be there with the team,” Shoemaker said. “They ask, ‘Why do it?’
“My answer every time is that we get to take part in the care of our athletes and be part of the team that gets them back in the game. We get to combine our passion for sports and our jobs to be a part of something bigger. It is definitely worth it.”
Shoemaker and Burton are usually among the first people to arrive at the stadium and the last to leave.
A lifelong UVA fan, Shoemaker grew up in Broadway, Virginia, before attending Blue Ridge Community College and the Rockingham Memorial School of Radiologic Technology, graduating in 2006.
Original source can be found here.
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