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(Original post 10/22/08 — repost 11/8/083

As many of you know, Karen, Paris and I were recently in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for six days.  I planned on taking a ton of pictures and video, but we got so wrapped up in the “enjoying” our company part that we didn’t really shoot much footage of any of them.  This is especially true with Kristin and Cameron (the two we should have shot most!).

I do have some video I’ll try to piece together, and Sami was busy firing away with his camera.  Maybe he’ll share?

In the meantime, I received a DVD in the mail today from USNA courtesy of the Parents’ fund.  It’s a video detailing the fun known as “Plebe Summer”.  This is a generic USNA piece…it is not the video I expect to receive soon that will feature more of Mark.  But!  At the very beginning of this Plebe Summer video, you’ll see footage of our young man humping that damn zodiac he thought was so funny (until he had to carry it, row it and carry it again).  He may appear a couple of more times as well, but any of you that have searched through thousands of photos (like I have) know that “they all start to look alike”…

This thing is 18 minutes long.  It’s “okay”…it’s not going to rock your world, but it does offer some insight into the USNA experience and Plebe Summer.  If you have a chunk of time and you’re in the mood to learn about the madness, hit the “play” button.

Enjoy –

I’m trying to get away from the need for a YouTube link. YouTube doesn’t play nice with videos over 10 minutes long, and I thought the quality was just so-so. Since I’m on a Mac, I picked Quicktime as my default video player. My website host also prefers Quicktime. For you Windows Mediaplayer freaks out there…sorry. You probably have Quicktime on your machines anyway. If not…it’s free to download.

Make sure the video loads a bit before you hit “play”.

We’re using flash video now courtesy of our friends at Bill Webb Studio (no relation…sorry).  We owe them our thanks!  And I owe them some money…

Wow.  Long title…

Okay!  If you have not read the prior post (the one just below this one), please give it a quick read.  You’ll have a much better chance of understanding what’s happening in this video if you’re armed with some background first.

This is a YouTube linked video. The quality is just so-so as a result. I have a high res version if anyone falls in love with it…which I doubt. I do not claim to be good at this.  I will try to get better.  Bear with me…

Here it is Friday already  — I’m so late with this update that it borders on silly.

Last week I was invited by a client to appear on his weekly radio show in New York — Sayegh Advice.  His last name (Sayegh) is pronounced “sage”…so now you get the play on words.  According to Oma (Karen’s Mom), I’m now a legitimate radio star.  I have yet to hear the results of the broadcast, but I can assure all of you that live radio is not as intimidating as you might think.  I don’t think I wet myself once…

So!  What’s a hard-working guy and proud Dad supposed to do with his time in the Great Northeast?  See the kiddies of course!  Kristin, Cameron and I had a chance to relax together, eat good food, and visit close friends.  We enjoyed dinner on the first night with Mary Kate (who was also kind enough to pick me up at the airport), and we also gorged ourselves on Night Two at Angelo’s with Sami, Jacquie, Jack and Cemile (Jack’s Nene and Sami’s Mom).

I had a camera with me, but I didn’t take many pictures.  I also shot a lot of video, but my videography skills are poor at best…I can’t even edit the footage to make it presentable.  But Sami did get one great shot of Kristin and Jack:

C’mon now…is that a great shot?  Damn right it is…

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were NY days, and then it was off to Annapolis on Saturday.  The plan was to see Navy play Rutgers (football) and then have dinner with Mark.

Everyone is familiar with the Marine Corps. motto, right?  Semper Fidelis — always faithful.  Well, Naval Academy parents have their own motto: Semper Gumby — always flexible.  A Mid’s parents can plan all they want, but if the Academy decides it wants to change things, things get changed.  In this case, the changes were for the better!

I was lucky enough to catch a ride to Annapolis with the great guy that runs Sami’s BMW Service Department (Craig).  Sami and Craig made sure we traveled in style in a big-ass 750i that gobbled up the miles without a hiccup.  On the way, we got a text message from Mark suggesting we have lunch.  Lunch?  Lunch wasn’t in the plan, but as it turned out, he had liberty from noon to two before the game.  Wonderful!  Craig set the cruise control on warp speed, and we barreled into Annapolis with several million other people attending 1st and 2nd class parents’ weekends, homecoming, 8 bazillion class reunions (including John McCain’s complete with Secret Service), and a Rutger’s fan contingent that covered the area in red.

We had a quick lunch before Mark had to bail in order to form up for the march on.

If you’ve never seen a march on, you should.  4,000 plus midshipmen hit the streets of Annapolis between the Yard and Memorial Stadium to march into the stadium and on to the field.  The locals turn out to toss candy and drinks to the Mids (who are not supposed to look like they’re catching them).  It’s a serious but fun parade and at this time of year, a sea of white uniforms.

The Mids form up on the field and do what they’re trained to do — look impressive.  Then…and this was so cool to a newcomer like me…the Mids all pivot as one to face the Visitor’s side of the field.  The Rutger’s fans may be supporting the “opposition”, but they’re Americans first and they know “cool” when they see it.  Everyone in those seats got their red-draped rear-ends up out of their seats and screamed their heads off as the Mids chanted “R-U-T-G-E-R-S….go Rutgers!”  Then, and again as one, the Mids all tipped their hats to the crowd in a professional manner…and the visiting crowd went bananas.

Cool, right?  It gets better.  The Mids pivot again as one and face the Navy side of the Stadium.  The place goes ape-shit.  This is a crowd that knows the drill, and in unison with the Mids (who are somehow much louder now than when they chanted the Rutgers cheer), the whole place erupts with “N-A-V-Y…GO NAVY…FIGHT!”  Directly beneath me, a freakin’ cannon goes off.  I kid you not.  The Mids who fire the damn thing are wearing ear plugs…couldn’t they warn the rest of us?  The Rutgers fans around me duck like they’re being bombed, and the stadium is a madhouse of screaming fans, flying cheerleaders, and blue and gold everywhere.  Two Osprey’s fly overhead for the flyover and blow every one’s minds as they stop, hover, and take off like UFO’s.  It is an incredible environment.

During the game, I roam around hoping to be able spend some time with Mark.  Normally, the Mids are restricted to “Brigade seating”, but because it was Parents’ weekend for two classes, the rules were a bit relaxed.  We ended up eating really messy food for a bit before he had to return to his seat about midway through the third quarter.

At halftime, I ran into Tony (our favorite pizza guy in Warwick!). Tony and I pulled a lot of hair out together during the Fall of 2007 while we both waited to hear if our sons earned their appointments.  Now we both get to smile and enjoy the experience (and what an experience it is…).

When Mark returned to his seat, I joined Craig and his Dad in their seats for the rest of the game.  Any of you that know Craig should become his best friend.  Those of you that don’t know Craig should call Orange County BMW and schedule your car for service…even if you drive a Nissan.  Craig’s seats are phenomenal!  We had a blast as Navy used the final two minutes to win a very tough game.  Yes!

When Navy Football emerges victorious, good things tend to happen.  First, as the game progressed, we learned that a plebe had bet the Commandant (Capt. Klunder) that Navy would win.  If it seems unusual that the Commandant would bet against his own team, please understand that plebes must bet the game if challenged by an upperclassman or officer, and the plebe must always take the Navy side of the bet.  In this case, the bet was made when Navy was down.  I don’t know what the plebe offered on her side of the bet, but the ‘Dant said “if you plebes can fire up the Brigade and help Navy win, I’ll grant you an overnight.”

Word spread like bird flu in China.  Plebes sit down in the front of the Brigade, and suddenly, it looked like somebody spiked their cokes with acid.  They went absolutely bat-shit trying to rally the Brigade into mass hysteria.  It worked!

The Navy side of the field was pandemonium, and Navy slowly worked it’s way back into position to ultimately and dramatically win the game!

But!  The bet stipulated that the overnight was to be awarded on Columbus Day weekend.  The ‘Dant decided the plebes deserved more, so he awarded the overnight on the spot!  Get out of Dodge, boys and girls!  Absolute insanity!

As a side note, I’ve since learned that the Commandant upheld his end of the bargain for Columbus Day as well…and then some.  Mark just told me that they’ll be awarded two nights of liberty for the long weekend!  Let me tell you…you have to be a plebe or a parent to really appreciate just how significant this is…

Okay…back to the football game…or the aftermath, anyway:

Mark and I grabbed a cab and hit one of his favorite dinner spots — Ruth’s Chris.  I’m wondering…have any of you ever seen a human being inhale about 12 ounces of steak?  This kid had a filet the size of a softball covered in crab meat…and it was gone in about six seconds.  He demolished an entire platter of au gratin potatoes, and he gnawed on onion rings while contemplating dessert (banana creme pie).  Wow.

Then…relaxation time.  We strolled over to DTA (Mid-speak for downtown Annapolis), we talked with a few friends of his (who were leaving town to do God knows what), we had more dessert (yes…more…a huge bowl of ice cream at his favorite place), we hit Bancroft Hall to grab a change of clothes, and then we crashed at my hotel.  Mids love “real beds” and Mark is no exception.

Unfortunately, there was no way to know that Mark would have a day of freedom on Sunday (normally Sunday liberty is restricted to the Yard), so I had a flight to catch.  Mark made arrangements with his wonderful sponsor family to spend the day kicking back at their place, and I flew back to Paradise.  All in all, it was a great surprise and a great weekend!

Now…as Columbus Day rolls near, Mark’s Mom, Susie, and Susie’s family will all be in Annapolis for the long weekend.  With two overnights scheduled, it’s sure to be a great time!

For us, we most likely won’t see Mark again until Christmas.  He’s coming off a week of mid term exams now, and he’ll be spending Thanksgiving in New Jersey.  Maybe if we’re lucky…

But we’re due back in New York in just a few short weeks!  Kristin and Cameron…get ready!

This past Saturday was a big day for Navy Cross Country!  The Varsity team traveled to our old stomping grounds to compete in the Fordham Invitational in the Bronx.  Navy’s team captain took third overall in the race, and Navy took five of the top 11 places to smash the 16 team field with a team score of 29.  (It’s like golf, folks, the lower score wins.)  Second place Quinnipiac scored 96 points.  Huge Navy win!

But if that was huge, the JV guys were humongous!  Navy’s younger men traveled to Ursinus College (Collegeville, PA) near another of our old stomping grounds!  In fact, Ursinus is right in Grammy and Herb’s backyard…so the proud grandparents showed up to say “hi” to their handsome grandson and take some pictures.  Let’s get to it!

That’s the start.  Eight teams competed, and the day was as hazy and humid as it looks in this photo.  100% humidity!  Tough, tough conditions.

Before we get to the results, let’s peek at some shots.  Grammy and Herb tried like crazy to tag-team this photo effort, but the camera didn’t cooperate.  Dead battery!  Damn!  For other XC families looking for a glimpse of your Mid, please look closely…

Hey!  That’s Midshipman Mark!

Anyone notice a pattern here?  The photos above are in sequence…finishers weren’t omitted (well…maybe two were…).  Navy took 10 of the top 12 places!  Huge!  Navy scores 15 points (a perfect score) while the second place team scored 69.  Competition crushed!

These Mids were so good that many of the spectators thought they were enlisted Navy personnel “sponsored” by the Navy.  When they learned the Mids were students, they complimented the talent on such a deep Varsity team…and then they found out the Varsity team was in New York.  Yeah…

This was Mark’s first collegiate level race and his first at five miles (8K).  He tells me he ran a great 5K (3.1 miles) — in fact, he ran a 5K PR (in the middle of a 5 mile race).  He says he started cramping up in mile 4 and had to back off a step.  He still finished strong, and he’s ready to run again this weekend at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis.

Okay!  A few more pix.  One Mid in particular asked Grammy to take his picture so he could send it to his family back home.  I hope he’s in here!

Is this handsome young man our guy?  Or is it one of these?

Mark, you look like you were on the wrong end of an argument.  Wow!

Congratulations guys!  Great race!

I’ve been waiting to post news from the Naval Academy front in the hopes that I’d have more news to share. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to report.

As most of you know, we monitor a ton of email lists made up of USNA parents. Over the past week or so, the theme in most emails is the same: limited or no contact with plebes. It’s worse than Plebe Summer!

Lots of parents are kicking and screaming, but the bottom line is simple — plebes are very, very busy. The academic year started on 8/20, “boards” need to be done, signature sheets completed, chow calls made, three formations a day, and ‘march on” practice for the upcoming Navy football home opener this weekend. (Yes, it takes practice to make 4,000 plus midshipmen look great when they march from the Yard into the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium). Add homework and cross country practice (in Mark’s case), and you’ve got a recipe for one hard-to-find kid.

Let’s take these in reverse order:

Mark is still running successfully with the cross country team. The coach is ruthless when it comes to performance and staying on the team. You either run well and come in strong every day, or your name shows up on “the list” in the morning — clean out your locker. A couple of weeks ago, Coach walked by Mark and said “Trunzo, right? Right…thought so…Trunzo, I want you to lose nine pounds.” Mark laughed when he related the story to me, but guess what? After last week’s practices, he lost seven pounds. Mark doesn’t have a whole lot of extra weight on him to lose…

He misses morning formation every day. Great, right? Well, he misses it to run the first of two daily cross country practices. He misses an evening formation too so he can run the afternoon practice. Sunday morning is sleep-in time for most midshipmen. Mark hits practice at 6:30 AM.

How ’bout this for a practice session? It’s a five mile “must” for upperclassmen, but plebes can bail anytime after three miles: first mile at 5:40 pace, second at 5:30, third at 5:20, fourth at 5:10, and fifth is a race for the finish. Let me help some of you out with this pace thing. A 5:40 mile pace (the slowest part of this practice) is just a little bit faster than any of us can run if we run as fast as we can down our driveways. Mark characterized the workout as “hard”. Yeah…no kidding. No wonder he lost seven pounds.

Academics are going well so far. Classes don’t seem to be Mark’s concern for now — it’s the other stuff. He’s even doing well on his “Pro” knowledge tests. “Pro” tests happen every Sunday when upperclass (mainly first and second class, i.e. seniors and juniors) quiz plebes on their military knowledge. Please don’t assume that because one student is testing another that this material isn’t seen as being important. It is — vitally so. The grades earned on Pro tests are a part of each student’s cumulative, overall grades which determine order of merit (class rank). Order of merit is the key to everything anyone wants in the Navy or Marine Corps. The higher your order of merit, the more likely you are to go where you want to go and do what you want to do.

Upperclass handle many of the training and testing responsibilities as a part of their own training. It’s an amazing system designed to develop leadership and management skills in each of these kids.

So, what’s a chow call? If you want to see silly, go to YouTube and search for “USNA Chow Call”. You’ll find a handful of videos showing chow call in action. It’s hard to put into words, but plebes are tasked with the job of announcing the menu in the hall outside of King Hall (the HUGE dining room for all mids). Announcing the menu isn’t so hard, right? Well, right…except it must be done at the top of your lungs and faster than an auctioneer. Oh, and be clear in your speech so everyone can understand you, okay? Oh, and do it every minute on the minute. Oh, and have an upperclassman circle you like a shark circling dinner so said upperclassman can “evaluate” your performance. Not fun.

What’s a signature sheet? In the most basic form, it is what it sounds like — a sheet of signatures. In this case, it’s a sheet with all of the Company upperclass signatures. Plebes need every “non-plebe” signature from their company. Easy, right? C’mon…

3rd class (i.e. sophomores) remember what it was like to be plebes. They sign the sheets right away. 1st and 2nd class extract payment. Most payment comes in the form of a task or a quiz-like Pro question. Some payment is a little more involved. Signature sheets are due Sunday, but this weekend is a long weekend, so many of the 1st and 2nd class will disappear (as is their right). So essentially, the signature sheet must be done by tomorrow (Friday). When I last spoke to Mark, he had 70 signatures to go. Hmmm…let’s hope he makes it.

And last on our list…what’s a “board”? “Boards” are Company area bulletin boards that do all the normal bulletin board stuff and then some. Most of the bonus material on these bulletin boards is motivational…or a tribute to the 1st class. Put on your cynical cap for a moment and ask yourself…”would these college seniors really make the freshman suck up to them in a huge way?” The answer is obviously “yes”.

Company boards are designed and maintained by small groups of plebes. Boards must be original, artistic, and perfect. For example, what’s the blue box with white stars on the US flag called? All of you answered “Union Jack”, and all of you are correct. Now, how far down the flag does the Union Jack go? No cheating…let’s rephrase the question: how many red and white stripes are made shorter by the placement of the Union Jack on the flag?

Mark’s group invested a lot of time and effort into designing a beautiful flag and placing it smack-dab in the middle of their board. The board sucked up to the upperclass in an approproate manner while also being motiviational and patriotic at the same time! Wonderful! Job well done!

Well…almost. The flag on his group’s board was drawn with a Union Jack occupying six stripes of corner space. In other words, six red and white stripes were made shorter on the flag. The correct answer to our earlier question is “seven”. Just how painful do you think it is to watch your entire board be torn down because of this oversight? And worse yet, how painful do you think it might be to be told that the board still must be done right and be done on time or “no liberty this weekend”. Remember those comments above about a long weekend? Plebes actually get Saturday and Sunday Town Liberty this weekend…but not if their boards aren’t done. Mark had a few choice words for this incident when we last spoke.

All in all, life at the Academy now is tougher than it was during Plebe Summer…more responsibility but also added “silliness”. Boards, signature sheets, chow calls…all of these things have a purpose. As outsiders looking in, and after a little thought, all of us know why plebes are forced to do something that otherwise seems stupid. Attention to detail, success under pressure…those are just two things that come to mind. But plebes don’t see it this way. To them, this is “dumb”, it’s “a pain”, and they “hate it”. I can’t say I blame them…

All of this adds up to a busy, harried and grumpy kid. I’m hoping to see him in the next couple of weeks, so maybe we can do something to take his mind off of “life” for awhile. I’ll keep you posted.

Just got off the phone with Mark…

Classes start tomorrow, so yesterday and today are spent mostly in briefing sessions.  It sounds like there are a ton of them.

Since Plebe Summer is over, the plebes are allowed to “walk themselves around”.  It’s the first time they’ve been able to do anything unescorted for over six weeks.  Mark laughs and says “it’s weird”.

HELL-o night was “pretty funny”.  Lots of yelling and screaming, lights out, loud music, strobe lights to further confuse things…if it weren’t the Academy, it might have been a rave.

He sounds good.  The phone call lasted all of three minutes.  He’s busy, and it was great to hear from him!

Plebe Parents’ Weekend was a success! We’re packing up now and heading to the airport. Cameron is in tow and ready to assault the skateparks and beaches of Southwest Florida.

Today is Paris’ birthday! Celebrating yesterday with all of the kids was huge for her — she absolutely adores her brothers and sister. And hey! Mark ate cake…

I’ve got a ton of pictures from the weekend. Most will never see the light of day at Mark’s request. “Dad, I don’t need anyone seeing any of this because I don’t want a hard time”, he suggests with a smile. I have a couple of him without his shoulder boards (he was making sure they were displayed “right”). When he heard the camera shutter, he looked at me with a firm smile and said “posting those will be a very bad idea. It looks like I’m out of uniform.”

So! I’ll be doing some reviewing before anything goes up. Stay tuned!

But! Remember those parents we love so much that take pictures for the rest of us to enjoy? One of them was making the rounds on Friday while families waited patiently for their first looks at their sons and daughters. Guess who she found? Check it out –

Karen’s shirt says “Lucky Mom” — she sure looks like one. That head in Mark’s stomach is Paris giving him a huge hug. Cameron is just over Mark’s right shoulder, and obviously Dad is watching Eurpoean soccer (score!). Mark seems to be enjoying the welcome.

This was one really happy moment out of many over a great weekend. The wonderful (and invisible!) Mom who took these photos has literally taken thousands over the summer, but this time she caught all of us. Her name is Nushi. She deserves a medal in our book. We never even knew she was there. Thanks Nushi!

More soon!

This is how the Squad Combat Course is described:

An important evolution during the summer, the Squad Combat Course involves a race between each of the eight squads in a company. Each squad mans a zodiac inflatable boat and they race for time down the Severn River and back.

So how’d the Wunderchild do? Can’t say that I have results, but I do have pictures…yeah baby!

So I’m guessing this photo was taken on the way to the event. BDU’s (Battle Dress Uniforms for you non-military types)…BDU’s on, game face intact. Marky-Mark is ready for business.

But then something happened on the way to Oz! What…did somebody start singing?

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream, merrily, merrily…what’s with all the laughter?

What’s so funny about the damn oar? I swear…his squad better have won this thing…

Because the party’s over now, baby! Where’s that laughter now, Marky-Mark? Feeling the heat?

Just how heavy is a zodiac anyway? Bet I find out this weekend…

Gotta love this kid, right? We sure do. I’m thinking even Kristin is looking forward to seeing him this weekend. Now that’s saying something…

Plebe Parents’ Weekend is on the way! Traditionally, this marks the end of Plebe Summer. Unfortunately, tradition won’t necessarily prevail this year. The plebes have a few days until the upper classmen “reform” (come back). Plebe Summer training will continue until then.

Then it’s HELL-o night. Upper class gets to say “hello” to all of the new plebes. New rooms, new company mates. All the friends plebes have made over the summer go to their regularly assigned companies. No more letter companies (Mark is currently Company ‘M’) — it’s all by the numbers now. Those in Mark’s platoon (23) will be assigned to 23rd company.

Which brings me to this very important question…

See this?

This, my friends, is the 23rd company seal. The question is…what is a Hellfish?

(I tried looking it up…)

More soon!

Plebe Parent Weekend in five days!

Mark had one last phone call tonight — I graciously suggested he call his Mom. I have not heard from her (again), so I’m assuming he’s okay. I know for a fact that he’s looking forward to Friday at 12:10 PM. Let Leave Time begin!

To celebrate the upcoming extravaganza, I’ve got some pictures.

Remember the early pictures of the O-Course? Karen’s favorite picture of Mark shows him engrossed in something, and then we had the high wire shot. What we didn’t have was the “oh shit” shot…but we have it now! C’mon…tell me…is this an “oh shit” look or what? First time at the O-Course:

Something has the attention of everyone.

How quickly things change! Here we are…a mere five weeks later. Plebe Summer is almost over. Those first experiences are a blur. I’ll bet you that when Mark sees the “oh shit” picture, he won’t even remember what had him looking. Because here’s how he attacks the O-Course today:

Yeah baby! Hitting it hard!

And finally, in anticipation of seeing Plebe Summer come to an end, Kristin suggested I include this next shot. It’s a traditional thing…every class has formed up and had their version memorialized. Check out Mark’s class:

Thanks Kristin! Great idea!

More Mark pix soon and then we’re done with USNA pix until PPW. Look for more from Kristin in the coming days!

Yesterday was the day! Phone call!

We monitor a ton of parents’ groups, so we were thrilled yesterday when reports started flying that plebes were being allowed up to 30 minutes for their calls (instead of the normally strict five). We were also thrilled that some of the calls were coming in early — up to two hours early. It was almost as if the detailers lost their minds.

For Mark’s company, some folks lost their minds for sure. Unfortunately, those folks weren’t detailers.

Mark’s call ended up coming in almost an hour late. He told me at the start that he’d have about ten minutes (a bonus, but not the 30 we were hearing about). When I mentioned longer phone calls to him, he confirmed that some companies were enjoying longer calls. His company would not because six plebes did the unthinkable — they left their lockers unlocked.

Some of you think I’m being sarcastic. I wish. Midshipmen have one area (and only one) that must be kept locked at all times — their personal locker. Nothing else gets locked, but the locker must be locked. It’s a mid’s only personal space. It’s also where they keep their rifles.

Six plebes left their rifles in an unsecured space. You can imagine how well this went over.

So the longer phone call was still long, but not as long as it could have been. I also got the feeling that the evening was going to be a long one for Mark’s company.

Despite all of this, he sounded fantastic! It was great to hear his voice! He reiterated that plebe summer “is not hard at all, it’s just really, really annoying.”

“The second set (of detailers) are much worse than the first,” he says. Second set uses all of their “gray space” (unscheduled time) to rate (quiz) the plebes on the bulkhead (in the hall). This new language rolls off his tongue, and he’s obviously not aware that the rest of us need a moment to translate.

Some testing results came in — he validated out of Calculus 1 and 2. He’ll start the year taking Calculus 3. He and I have disagreed on this point, but he knows better than I; this is the one area in life in which I would have encouraged him to take the easier path. He claims he needs to start in Calc 3 so he doesn’t lose his sanity to boredom. I wish I had those problems.

He’s looking forward to Parents’ weekend. He wants to “disappear”…he “feels like an animal in a zoo.” I imagine it’s tough being watched by detailers all of the time, being told what to do (or not do), and then being the subject of interested gazes and gawks as thousands of tourists visit the Academy each day. Those parents that we love that take pictures for the rest of us are just a few of the thousands that must descend upon the walkways and fields to get a glimpse of the plebes “in action”. In a perverse kind of way, the average visitor probably enjoys watching the detailers hound the plebes.

Mark did have a highlight in this past week. He ran in an intra-company track meet that he loved. One of those picture taking parents mentioned above posted over 1,400 pictures taken at the event, so I was ready for him when he brought it up. He had a blast (a good thing), but when I asked him why he ran so poorly he laughed and said “What?”

“You were in fourth in the first pictures I saw,” I said. “Then you were pulling up the rear. It was so bad I had to call Karen over to make sure it was you, Mark. WTF?”

Now he’s cracking up…so I continue. “Bad day, Mark? Forget how to run that race? I thought you were running with the Track team…”

Apparently the Naval Academy really does choose it’s students carefully. They want the best of the best academically and athletically. Mark was running in the “slow” heat (there were two heats) of the 800 meter run (half mile). The guys in front of him ran the race — an intra-company run for ha ha’s mind you — three seconds faster than he has ever run it in his life. In the middle of plebe summer. With no real race training.

“Dad, I went out fast knowing it was a mistake and just tried to hang on. It didn’t work.”

The evidence –

Having trouble finding him? That’s because he’s not in his usual position up front. He’s the inside guy (far right). That left arm flying about is a hint that things aren’t going to go well…

I have a picture of the finish. Unfortunately, it’s hard to find Mark in it because of the dust and dirt in the air that was kicked up by all the guys in front of him. I won’t share it with you…

(Mark will get the joke when he sees this on Parents’ weekend…)

But here’s our boy all tired and wasted –

Those of you that have seen Mark run know that this is not how he normally looks when he’s run hard and run well. No biggie…he was laughing on the phone when we talked about it, and I know he’ll laugh when he sees all of this. He had a good time, it was a welcome break, and that’s all that matters!

In what seems like a million years ago, Mark attended Summer Seminar at the Academy. Admission to Summer Seminar is just as difficult as admission to the Academy. According to the Academy, Summer Seminar is “a fast-paced, six-day experience for high achievers who have completed their junior year in high school. The Summer Seminar teaches you about life at the Naval Academy, where academics, athletics, and professional training play equally important roles in developing our nation’s leaders.”

On the day he came home from Summer Seminar, an obviously excited Dad asked Mark “So how was it?”

His response was telling and humble: “Dad, there are an awful lot of very talented young people in this country.”

Wow. All of these young people — the best of the best — are starting over again at zero. A few short weeks ago they were all on top of the world. Today they’re “nothing” (according to their detailers). They “rate” nothing. What you and I consider to be our “rights” they have to earn.

For us, hearing Mark laugh about all of this makes us proud! He’s got a fantastic attitude and outlook. We’d be proud of him if he called home begging to be rescued…”now Marky-Mark, it’ll be okay…you’ll see…”

Instead, he laughs, relates to zoo animals, and calls the whole experience “annoying”.

His phone call was fantastic! It made my day, it started our week off with a bang, and it has me looking forward to PPW!