Beat Army, sir!

25th Company, Plebe summer 1984

Army Navy game.  One of my favorite sporting events of all time.  Even as you read this, the energy and craziness are building at both academies in preparation for the game on December 8^th. 

     When I was inducted into the Naval Academy in 1984, my uncle described it as entering a place where they “took away all of your God-given rights and gave them back to you one at a time as privileges.”  Here we are about a month into Plebe Summer. (Freshmen are called plebes, a short version of plebeian  referring to our lowly state.) I'm behind the camera, somehow off slacking in my room while my company mates are working in the sun...

that same group under the influence of the game

     Plebe year is all about conforming, following orders and learning. Every once in a while, they unleash the beasts and it gets really crazy.  This is the same group during the week before the Army Navy game.  The feet in the middle belong to our midshipman company commander who is about to get his head stuck in the toilet.  Glad I was behind the camera again.  Notice all the upperclassmen rooting the plebes on.

     This week was always one of my favorite of the whole year.  I love pranks and they abounded.  Unfortunately, though my love of pranks is great, it is not matched up with a good poker face.  I got away with a few dirty tricks, but most were quickly uncovered. Retaliation was swift to follow.

payback is hard to clean up

   Thinking about it now, I don't think there was a can of shaving cream or baby powder left in Annapolis during the run up to the game.
     My favorite teacher plebe year had to be in Chemistry.  He came into class and asked us if it was hot in here.  He said the Army got him so mad he was hot, then proceeded to strip off the top half of his uniform revealing a Beat Army tshirt. I also got A's on a Chemistry quiz for  all of my classmates by going down to the front and leading a cheer.

best ransom note ever!

      Some of the tricks were a little gentler.  Almost every year my stuffed animals either committed suicide or were placed in compromising positions.  At right is my all time favorite ransom note.
       As you may have figured out, I was a cheerleader.  This lovely action shot below of a punt in the 1984 game is graced by two cheerleaders in the upper right.  I'm the one in the skirt.

In the last 10 years, the Navy has been on a winning streak.  Given the picture below, I'm thinking we are safe again...

BEAT ARMY!