James Di Virgilio
James Di Virgilio, born in Baltimore, spent most of his youth in Florida between Sarasota and Miami. Now, he has been a Gainesville resident for 16 years.
Growing up, Di Virgilio played sports and found ways to stay active. His main competitive sports were soccer and baseball, but he was never limited to those two. He would also participate in various other activities such as football and basketball. He found joy in being active and loved challenging himself, he said.
After graduating from UF, he moved to Jacksonville and found a soccer league. Eventually, James found himself back in the swamp and became a faculty member in Florida. Upon returning, he ran into a minor block trying to find something to participate in competitively with sports.
"I felt like Gainesville was underserved in adult sports leagues and it was tough finding something on my own here, but thankfully I eventually came across Adam from Westside Baptist Church," Di Virgilio said.
Di Virgilio has always been an athlete at heart and said if he wasn't able to play he'd be in a much sadder mental state.
“I don’t think that because you’ve been an athlete for the majority of your life you need to stop just because you’ve finished school. There are no age limits when it comes to sports and you can still compete or play recreationally even if you’re no longer ‘young.
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Like many others, Di Virgilio never gave up on the passion he has for sports and despite Gainesville not having the biggest community surrounding adult sports, he eventually found Westside Baptist Church.
Westside Baptist Church is the perfect place for Di Virgilio, he said. He joined a group of like-minded individuals to participate in flag football and basketball. He enjoys the feeling of being part of a community and having others share his passion for sports.
