University of North Carolina Athletics
Busy Weekend in Chapel Hill for Di Nardo Family
October 3, 2014 | Field Hockey
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - This is a busy sports weekend on the UNC campus, and that's especially true for Jimmy and Kathy Di Nardo.
Their daughter Casey is a junior on the top-ranked UNC field hockey team, which will host No. 3 Virginia on Friday at 6 p.m. at Francis E. Henry Stadium. Their son Derek is a senior on the Virginia Tech football team, which will take on the Tar Heels on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at Kenan Stadium.
"Jimmy and I are so excited to have both our son and daughter playing their games in the same town for the first time," Kathy says. "We are on the road a lot and try to get to both of their games in the same weekend in different towns."
But this weekend, their respective playing fields are only a short walk apart. For Casey, it will be the first time she's seen her brother, projected as a starter at linebacker for the Hokies, play this season. "My senior year in high school we went to almost every game," she says. "Last year I got to go to one game, but I haven't seen him since he's been getting crucial minutes. He's a starter now and I'm pumped I get to see him in action."
Based on his team's schedule, Derek won't be able to attend the field hockey game, but Casey expects the usual pregame text of support. The second and third of four Di Nardo kids, the two keep in close touch and Casey says she's learned lots from her older brother. She still remembers one lesson from high school, when she would sometimes serve as the water girl for her brother's football team. "I'll never forget one game he had bloody knuckles, blood all over his knees and he came to the sidelines and I mouthed to him, 'Are you OK?" Casey remembers. "And he was like, 'Case, I'm fine, are you for real? This is nothing.' And that kind of taught me to be tougher. That's just him."
For Jimmy, who played football at William & Mary, and Kathy Di Nardo, rooting for two teams on the same campus this weekend will be unusual but very welcome. "We are usually cheering "Go Heels" when in Chapel Hill so it's strange to be cheering "Go Hokies" in a sea of Carolina blue while wearing our orange and maroon," Kathy says. "It feels like you are betraying one of their schools cheering for Carolina on Friday and then Virginia Tech on Saturday, but the cool thing is that they both cheer for each other to do well. We could not be more proud of their commitment and loyalty to their teams and their schools. It has been a blast supporting such great athletic programs!"
