Army West Point Athletics
Black Knight Blog - October 2009
October 01, 2009 | General
The Black Knight Blog is an initiative provided by the Office of Athletic Communications to offer Army fans an even more in-depth look into the everyday happenings here at West Point. The intent of this blog is to keep readers informed with a light, personal touch that will further enhance the fan experience. Please enjoy and send any comments, questions or concerns to tracy.nelson@usma.edu. We welcome your feedback!
Click below to ready blogs from past months:
August 2009
September 2009
Thursday, Oct. 29
Morning BKB readers. Ryan Yanoshak joining you on Thursday of this “quiet week.” We are midst of a week when football has a bye and there were no events Monday through Thursday. It’s pretty rare when that happens and is a good chance to attend the World Series (see Volk, T.) look back at bowl success (Coach, The) and leave the office at a reasonable hour.
While there are no events until tomorrow, there is plenty going on. The Army wrestling team, under the direction of veteran head coach Chuck Barbee, will hold its Black and Gold Scrimmage on Monday night at 7 p.m., a competition to determine who will represent the Black Knights early this season. Check back to the site later for a full list of the Monday’s matchups.
The hockey team continues its early season road schedule, traveling this weekend for games at Colgate (Friday at 7:30) and RPI (Saturday, 7 p.m.) before returning to conference play next weekend at RIT. The Black Knights play again at Tate Rink on Nov. 13 against AIC. May I recommend hockey Friday, then football at home the next day against VMI? If you are going to Tate, I highly recommend the rink-side seats. The high tables are at the end of the ice behind the goal Army defends twice during a game and comes with the hospitality package. Not sure where else you can spend $25, see hockey at its highest levels, eat and be part of a great game-day atmosphere. My game notes are up now, previewing this weekend’s game and can give you some insight into these outstanding young men.
We continue to add to the auction site. On the page now are a variety of experiences, ACU helmets, game-used balls, autographed balls and much more. Check it out here.
Men’s basketball media day is today in Baltimore so keep an eye on the site for Gun-Boat’s story from the ESPN Zone about where the Black Knights were predicted to finish.
Some football news forthcoming today as well it looks like, yet another reason to check back to goARMYsports.com.
Thank you to all our Twitter followers. We are now over 1,000. If you don’t have an account, it’s free by going to twitter.com. It is a great way to follow Army Athletics.
That’s it for me. Go Army!
Hello faithful Black Knight Blog readers. Tim Volkmann coming to you on a rainy Wednesday afternoon at West Point.
In spite of the gray, gloomy day, I still insist that it is still baseball season. As I got ready to come to work this morning, I got a twinge of excitement as I looped my New York Yankee tie around my neck in anticipation of tonight's World Series Game-1 showdown with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In only a couple short hours, I'll be making the trek south to the "House That Jeter Built" to take in Game 1 and it doesn't get much better. Hard to believe it has been over six months since the season opener at the new Yankee Stadium when, coincidentally, the same two pitchers taking the ball tonight - Cliff Lee (who started the season with the Indians) and CC Sabathia -- faced off. This time it's the lid-lifter of the best-of-seven, winner-take-all series with the Commissioner's Trophy awaiting the victor. Let's get it on!!
Hopefully the weather cooperates. Right now, light rain and 50 degrees is the forecast. Not perfect but who cares. It might be too cold for Jay-Z and Alecia Keys to perform, but it won't keep this guy from being there.
Yesterday, I sat in a meeting with Mady to continue planning for the 2010 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships that West Point will be hosting this April. Two officials from the NCAA were on post to check out the facilities and meet all the people that will be involved with hosting the national championship event.
The championship is scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, April 15-17, in Christl Arena so keep an eye on the gymnastics page in the coming months for updates on the meet as well as how the Black Knights are doing. I can only imagine that having the meet on your home turf might add even more incentive to qualify for our guys, so I'm sure coach Doug Van Everen and the guys will be raring to go.
It is also looking more and more like our women's volleyball squad has a pretty good shot at being the top seed and host for the Patriot League Tournament next month. While it is still relatively early to make any definite plans, coach Alma Kovaci and her squad remain undefeated in the conference and sit solidly in the driver's seat for a hosting rights. Army will take on Holy Cross this Saturday at Gillis Field House starting at 7:00 p.m. in the only match of the weekend, before setting out for a crucial road trip next weekend at American and Navy that will go a long way in telling the team's postseason fortunes. Stay Tuned!!
One more quick note - if you are around West Point, be sure and say hello to our new assistant swimming & diving coach Nadia Staubitz. Head coach Mickey Wender is excited to have her join the staff and is looking forward to working with her. You can see Nadia and all the Black Knights in action next Saturday when visiting Connecticut invades Crandall Pool for a meet scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m. with the first diving event starting at noon.
That's all I've got today. I have to start my mental preparation for the game tonight, so I am going to sign off. And by mental preparation, I mean deciding whether I want nachos or pizza tonight before the game....maybe both? Why not, it's the World series.
Have a great rest-of-the-day everybody -- Go Army (and New York)...Beat Philly!
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Today's blog is by Mady Salvani. As you probably know, Army played Rutgers in football Friday evening. I give a lot of credit to the Army fans as they sat out in rain for most of the game, but at least it wasn't a cold rain.
Prior to the game, I was at Black Knights Alley to take photos of the various sports teams as well as members of the Cherry Bowl. It was 25 years ago (1984) that the football team played in the first-ever bowl game.
My young co-workers were babies back in 1984. I wasn't even young back then, but I was able to be part of the history-making season.
Michie Stadium didn't have the polished look of today nor was there the state-of-art press box. The old press box was cold and drafty and tight. I remember when there was talk of a bowl bid by reporters. It was great because we had all kinds of representative of bowl committees coming to the press box. They would give us their cards, and we all excited collecting them as to where we would be going - I had visions of warm weather.
Army was in the old press box then - nothing like today's with heat and room to work. It was a drafty press box that had a wind tunnel when you opened the back door. That was where I sat typing the play-by-play compared to today's computerized version that spits out the stats the minute the quarter was over. I typed on mimeograph sheets and they had to be run before being passed out in the press box.
That year Army had the first night game at West Point with Air Force and if I remember correctly a lot of fans were upset with Army for taking away the day game. Lights had to be brought into Michie Stadium, but the bottom line was that the game was played before a national audience on ESPN with the Black Knights winning 24-12 to close out its season at Michie with a perfect 5-0 mark.
In the football programs, Joe Dineen was busy explaining to fans how the wishbone worked. I would try to watch the quarterback with the ball but many times thought Nate Sassaman still had it when he had already handed it off. Nine out of ten times I followed the wrong player. One of my favorites to watch was Doug Black, the fullback. Whenever Army needed short yardage, he always came through.
The following week I was able to go to the Army-BC game and spot for Bob Outer for the Army radio network. It was one of the most memorable games I ever saw in the battle of quarterbacks - Doug Flutie for BC and Sassman (who had cracked ribs) of Army. Flutie became the NCAAs all-time career passing yardage leader leading the Eagles to a 45-31 victory.
That year Army participated in two bowl games. The first was predetermined when they flew to Tokyo, Japan to take on Montana in the Mirage Bowl. It was the middle of the night our time (played Saturday in Japan, Friday EST), and I had to come into the office to listen to the game on radio so I could do the Army "A" line. I had a tail light that had burned out and was pulled over by the MPs turning the corner by our building. I talked my way out of trouble by explaining about having to listen to the game.
It was exciting as Army's 45-31 victory set school marks for total offense (679), yards rushing (628), first downs (36), field goals, season (15) while four backs rushed for over 100 yards, Black, Sassaman, Clarence Jones and Jarvis Hollingsworth, tying an NCAA record.
But the best part was that it was the sixth win of the season, guaranteeing Army its first winning season since 1977, and clinched a first-ever postseason bowl game in being involved to participate in the inaugural Cherry Bowl on Dec. 22 against Michigan State in the Pontiac Silverdome. Army athletic director Carl Ullrich accepted the invitation on Saturday, Nov. 24 when Frank "Muddy" Waters, chairman of the Cherry Bowl's selection commit, extended the invitation.
The Cherry Bowl folks had a Cherry Bowl Jamboree at the Hotel Thayer where I got to taste all kinds of concoctions with cherries and ice cream covered by hot fudge (my favorite). They even gave us recipe books with all the things you could make with cherries. Unfortunately, I am not a very good cook, I burn everything, but for me, ice cream and cherries was real easy to whip up.
Army went on to defeat Navy, 28-11, at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Then it was onto to the Cherry Bowl. I was so excited to be at a bowl game I called everyone I knew (most of the folks I know I work with) to remind them to watch the game. It was tremendous. I was able to watch the game instead of having to type the play-by-play. Army shocked Michigan State as well as the reporters who took the Black Knights too lightly. On the ride home, the Superintendent played Santa Claus for the little kids on the plan handing out giant size snicker bars (one of my favorites). It was truly a season to remember.
Monday, Oct. 26
Happy Monday everyone! It’s the start of a new work week and a pretty easy one here at West Point. It’s the bye week for football, which means a little bit less of a workload for many of the people here in ODIA. I wish the same for all of you. Tracy Nelson at the keys for today’s blog and here we go …
With football playing on Friday night last week, my entire weekend was thrown off track. All weekend I was a day off in my head. Looking back on it though, it was a great weekend of work for me with the volleyball team picking up two more wins! They continue to amaze me every match. They fight like crazy and have really made my fall work season a more than enjoyable one. The hottest team at West Point this fall, volleyball owns a 21-3 record and is the only undefeated team during Patriot League play at 9-0. With three weekends of league matches remaining, the Black Knights are certainly in the driver’s seat to host the 2009 Patriot League Tournament at West Point, which would be a first and extremely exciting for this young club! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for hosting the Nov. 21-22 tournament here at Gillis Field House!
I had planned to have a lazy Sunday watching football on the couch, but then Shak mentioned that he could use some assistance at hockey on Sunday so I happily obliged. Little did I know what was in store …
I preface this story by mentioning that at the start of the summer, ODIA Building 639 enjoyed its own little soap opera. With every passing day, we watched a family of five cats – a mom and four kittens – make a home just outside of our parking lot. From day one, I fell in love with this little white one with the prettiest blue eyes. After a few weeks of Mady feeding them and Volk attempting to capture, we finally got all four of the kittens. Two went to Mr. Anderson, our athletic director, and his family, one to Volk and, of course, I took home the infamous Whitey to my house! Life has been good ever since.
Then Sunday came around. I am ready to head to the coffee shop (Shak is a much happier worker with an ungodly amount of caffeine in his system) and then over to Tate Rink. I notice that Whitey is missing …
I live here on post, which is a very woodsy area to begin with, so I figured that she was gone for good. I call Shak and tell him that I’m a horrible mother, but I can’t come to hockey until she is found and back home safe and sound. Mady came over and we began scouring the neighborhood. After a little over an hour, I was done. I thought for sure it was a lost cause. Then all of the sudden, I hear a tiny little cry coming from a bush in the backyard. Whitey! I knew it was her. Sure enough, there she was right in the thick of the branches. Then the games began … she ran all around, up the trees, down the trees, around the yard. She was clearly scared, but having a great time nevertheless. Again, another hour passes by and I think she eventually just gave up. I was able to swiftly scoop her up and take her home!
I promptly headed to hockey right in time for the middle of the second period. Mercyhurst scored two goals while I was there, so perhaps I should have stayed home! The Black Knights dropped a 4-1 decision, unfortunately, but it was good time anyway. Hockey at West Point is always a great time!
I returned home to Whitey and we watched the Yankee game together and all is right in the world again.
Now that I’ve gone off on that tangent for long enough, we just got out of our daily office meeting. Volleyball rookie Ariana Mankus was selected as our AAA Athlete of the Week (stay tuned for an ITT Knight Vision interview later this afternoon). I’m also pretty confident that she’ll get the same honors from the Patriot League later this afternoon – stay tuned to www.goARMYsports.com for confirmation.
It’s a pretty light week here at West Point. With only a dozen or so competitions on the calendar, three of them will take place on the banks of the Hudson. A battle of unbeatens highlights Friday night’s schedule as the sprint football team welcomes rival Navy to Shea Stadium at 7 p.m. Looking ahead to Saturday, the volleyball team will also put its undefeated record on the line when the Black Knights host Holy Cross at 5 p.m. at Gillis. The women’s soccer team also faces Holy Cross at 7 p.m. at Clinton Field.
Wednesday, Oct. 21
My first order of business is to apologize for completely whiffing on my last turn through the rotation. I made the mistake of deleting the reminder on my calendar the day before and just plain forgot about it the next day. While I might have the body type of an elephant, the memory - not so much.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for those of us who work with the men's basketball team here at West Point. We announced the hiring of a new coach, former Cornell assistant Zach Spiker, 13 days before the start of practice, held an introductory press conference and now I'm working on preparing materials for next week's Patriot League Media Day down in Baltimore. (On a quick side note, we will not be printing a media guide this year. I will still produce all the information, but it will all be posted on-line instead of printed.) I can only imagine how Zach feels having to jump right in to get to know the team, plan practices and get up to speed on recruiting. I can tell you that he is definitely doing everything he can to achieve each of those goals. He has mentioned to several people that he is trying to eat as many meals with his new players as he can, including a couple of Monday Night Football viewings with some of the guys. I was able to witness his multi-tasking ability firsthand the other day when we drove out for Zach's appearance on Time Warner Channel 6's show Sportswire. On both the 40-minute ride to and from Middletown, he was on the phone with his connections talking recruiting as well as watching practice tape from the day before on his laptop.
From what I've seen of practice, it should be a pretty interesting season for the Black Knights. We have a lot of senior-laden talent coming back with a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see how the new boss evaluates his team's strenghts and weaknesses to formulate his plan for the season. Zach has said on numerous occasions since taking the job that he does not have one set system that he will employ. He wants to utilize his players talents to do whatever they can to be successful. That might mean different styles of play from year to year depending on the players in the program. The first few days have been a lot of fundamental work and getting some things on film for him to evaluate. I don't think he would appreciate me talking too much about what goes on behind closed doors in the gym, but I will give you hoops fans this one little nugget that could have a large impact on the season, especially on the offensive end.
I don't know if he was just having a good day, but in about a 15-minute span of 4-on-4 drills and some scrimmaging, I saw Marcus Nelson match his season total from a year ago in three-pointers made. There was one particular rally where on three straight trips down the floor with his group, the reigning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, drilled a triple. If Marcus, already the team's best finisher around the rim, can add a perimeter game to his repertoire, opponents will be in some trouble. Obviously, he'll have to prove that I didn't happen to walk in while he was in a zone, but another shooter in the mix will do nothing but help as Zach and the staff try to add some offense.
One other basketball note to watch out for, the aforementioned conference media day will be held next Thursday. In addition to the media getting a chance to visit with all the coaches and some players, the preseason poll and preseason All-Patriot League teams will be announced. We'll have full write-up on the web, as well as an ITT Knight Vision feature on the day.
That will do it for me today. With the short football week, we're all trying to cram a couple of days worth of work into an abbreviated time frame. Then again, I guess that's not such a bad tradeoff for my first Saturday off since August. (small violin playing in the background).
Have a great day, and as always ...
GO ARMY!!
Monday, Oct. 19
I was going to write today’s BK Blog on a typewriter while listening to a Marc Broussard 45 as a tribute to Tim and The Coach (see Thursday’s and Friday’s entries) but can’t figure out how to connect the typewriter to the Internet and my iPhone doesn’t play records. And Marc Broussard might be the only music Volk plays that I like (hence the loudness of my music, to drown out his). Most of his choices make me want to throw a dictionary though his computer.
Ryan Yanoshak joining you on this lovely Monday a.m. A bit of a late start this morning because of frost on the windows. A good sign for those who no longer wish to cut their grass for sure.
While it’s only Monday, I am looking forward to this weekend for the triple-header of hockey and football.
Friday’s night’s football game against Rutgers is set for 8 p.m. and it should be a great night for football. Between Black Knights Alley, the Black Knight Walk and all of the other pre-game festivities, there is no better place to be on gameday than West Point. Keep checking back to the site this week for game notes, quotes from Tuesday’s press conference, a game preview and much more.
Looking for a great way watch the action on Friday night? Check out our experiences on the auction site. They all close today so click this link and act now. We have something for everyone: a tee-taker experience, on-field credentials, tickets in the Supe’s Loge and much more. Bidding ends today so we can ship credentials, parking passes and tickets in plenty of time.
The hockey team finally gets to wear its white jerseys this weekend with rival Mercyhurst in town for the rare Saturday-Sunday series. Saturday’s game is set for 7:05 p.m. while Sunday’s will begin at 2:05 p.m. The first 500 paid fans each night through the turnstiles will receive a print of the team photo and selected members of the team will be available for autographs after each game. If you haven’t seen a game at Tate Rink, I highly encourage you: it’s affordable, high-energy and great hockey. And to our loyal season ticket holders: Thank you for your continued support. To our loyal readers outside of the Hudson Valley, there will be plenty of ways to follow the action. Check back later this week for game notes and more information.
BK Musings: How about the volleyball team? The weekend sweep against Navy and American, raising money for Dig Pink and atop the league standings … The women’s soccer team finally played at home again and good things happened … Sprint football gets it done in the Allegiance Bowl … Hockey player Chris Spracklen has a new diary entry going up later today.
Friday, Oct. 16
Hello Black Knight Blog fans ... Tim Volkmann coming to you on a gloomy Friday here in the Hudson Valley ... the abrupt end to warm
weather has me feeling a bit gloomy and terse ... not really sure what to write about today so bear with my ramblings ... just heard there is some food next door left over from an early morning fiesta at the Army "A" Club ... rumor of some peach French toast has my tum tum growling a bit ... it looks like Shak is going to pick up a new set of wheels at some point this weekend ... Mady has voted against him getting rid of his big blue truck, wondering who is going to help her now when she needs to move ... this coming from a person who has lived in the same house here in Highland Falls since Robert E. Lee was a cadet ... just noticed I had some vanilla frosting and some chocolate sprinkles on my tie from the brownies Tracy brought in this morning ... looks like I missed my mouth ... can ties be washed or do they have to be dry cleaned ... the men's soccer team is back in action at home tomorrow for the first time in a month ... Bucknell is coming to town for a 1:00 p.m. kick-off and leads the Patriot League in scoring ... here are my thoughts on the "Balloon Boy" fiasco from yesterday: his name really is 'Falcon' and his parents were on a television show called 'Wife Swap' and believe in aliens. There is no possible way the whole thing was a hoax ... after I work soccer tomorrow, I'll be heading down to Gillis Field House to do statistics for the women's volleyball team's showdown with Navy at 7:00 p.m. ... I'm trying to figure out if I have a pink shirt and tie combination to wear for the "Dig Pink" event for Breast Cancer awareness that is going on in conjunction with the evening ... Dallas provided everyone with some unintentional comic relief yesterday when he forgot how desk chairs work ... and by forgetting I mean he missed the chair and ended up on the floor ... his new nickname might be 'Trip" but the jury is still out ... when I left the office last night, Gunny was Mapquesting directions to "Ishkabibble's" in Philadelphia ... looks like the boys might be making a quick stop off to grab a cheese steak on their way to the Temple game tomorrow ... Bob introduced us to that fine eating establishment last year the day before the Army/Navy game ... who needs all those tourist-trappy joints like 'Pat's' or 'Geno's' when you can go to a true, local hole-in-the-wall type joint like that ... cheese fries were other-worldly ... the word terse, according to the on-line dictionary I just used is an adjective "using few words in a blunt and direct method of speaking" ... everyone reading this has to use 'terse' in a sentence today ... the Buffalo Bills are dead to me ... it is still baseball season anyways ... not sure if the Yankees are going to be able to get a game in tonight because of the wonderful weather forecasted for the Bronx ... the song "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos just came on behind me on Shak's computer ... that song always makes me think of the movie "Goodfellas" ... "Now go home and get your shine box" ... the swimming & diving teams will be competing at the Syracuse Invitational today and tomorrow against the Orange as well as Marist ... had a phone conversation with my little sister, who turns 13 at the end of the month, last night and said she is officially the last person in school that doesn't have a cell phone ... I keep telling her I didn't have one until I was 25 but she huffed and handed me off to my dad ... when was the last time you actually looked something up in a real dictionary? ... my girlfriend and I are heading to "The Concert Hall" in NYC tonight for a show ... if you haven't already heard his stuff, Marc Broussard is awesome. You should check him out ... Go Army ... Beat Navy.
Thursday, Oct. 15
Bringing you today's blog is Mady Salvani, and today it feels more like winter than fall. For those on you on the West Coast, it is snowing in Middletown, N.Y., (about 45 minutes from West Point) with 1-3 inches expected. Hard to believe as nine years ago today I was at my godson's wedding and it was a hot, hot fall day. And they talk about the warming trend.
In additions to our regular duties, we are all involved in working on brochures. My young co-workers don't realize what it was like in the good old days (no I don't want them back).
You had to get your copy to the printer at least six to eight weeks prior to your opener in order to have it back before the start of the season. Many times you missed the deadline because of equipment breakdown or waiting for coaches to give you rosters and talk about the upcoming season.
The brochure was type-set on a special machine and all your copy had to be retyped. Sometimes you would send the previous year's copy and could just make pen and ink changes in the record sections and you hoped the same printer won the bid, otherwise you lost more time because they had to start from scratch. Today you just send files and they would incorporate them.
With the age of the digital prints, you can lay out your brochure and just drop in whatever photos you wanted on the various pages. Plates had to be made and you could not think about asking to have anything fancy done (like a silhouette) because the answer always was, "well we can do that but it will take time and set you back about three weeks." They always said that and I always had to say no.
Most times when you started the brochure, the coaches were not sure who would be on the roster. No different now but today's turnaround time can handle that better because you do everything in-house from typing your copy to laying out the pages and dropping in the photos.
The printer hired sometime to do the layout and typeset all your stats and various pages. Unless you had a typesetter who liked to be creative with layouts, you were given usually two types or choices ... A or B and there wasn't much difference.
You could send the copy by piece mail (through the Post Office or the Pony Express because both took forever for the printer to receive). Hopefully the printer did not win too many bids to do guides, because if so yours was put at the bottom of the pile and you were sunk. One year I gave them the women's basketball guide in October and was told I would have by November. In December I was begging them as we were headed to Alaska (prior to Christmas) and I needed to have some guides. I was given half a box and had to wait until sometime in January for the rest of the shipment.
After sending the printer a majority of the book you hoped you would get a good typesetter. Not only did you have to worry about your own typing errors when you submitted the book, but the typesetter's as well. One place in Pennsylvania had this lady Marge who must have caused the printer a fortune in phone calls. She would call on every little thing, which was good, but it went like this ... "I see you said Pam Pearson had nine rebounds in the game at Holy Cross. Did you want the number written out? Sometimes you could have five calls from over a 10 minute span. You could imagine how long it took to get the bios done.
After you received the copy back (through the mail) or blue line as it is still called, you would proof and send it with back with changes marked in red. If it was the printer's typing error no problem, but if it was yours you would be penalized with charges. I knew someone who made $2,000 worth of changes (he never realized he couldn't make all the changes he did after he sent in his copy) for a brochure that cost about $1,500.
So you can see it was a long, hard process. Today it is much easier (for my co-workers not me) and you can do everything in-house except print it. I'm lucky that Tracy, Shak, Tim, Gunning and Dallas help me with my brochures because if I had to put on line what I can put together in In-Design, you would be shocked.
On another note, we have a lot going on at home this weekend. Cross country takes on Navy at the Golf Course and I will be out there taking photos and hopefully driving a cart (I lost my cart license the last Army-Navy game when I tipped it over going down a hill sideways), along with great matches in volleyball with American Friday and Navy Saturday. Men's and women's soccer have a doubleheader at Clinton field with the men hosting Bucknell at 1 and the women taking on Lafayette at 7 p.m. Rifle makes its home debut Friday vs. NC State along with a home match Sunday vs. Nebraska.
Wednesday, Oct. 14
Good morning/afternoon all! Tracy Nelson at the keyboard today bringing you today’s Black Knight Blog on a sunny, but cold Wednesday here at West Point. Fall is definitely in the air and there is no better time to be on the banks of the Hudson than when leaves are morphing into their fiery fall colors. It makes for a great backdrop for any of our outdoor sports teams for sure!
I apologize for the tardiness of today’s blog. I usually like to knock them out first thing in the morning, but I had a few other loose ends to tie up first. As a matter of fact, I just got out of a meeting with head women’s basketball coach Dave Magarity. If there is anything that I’ve learned in my three years as the women’s hoops contact here at Army is that he can talk … and talk … and talk some more! It’s a dream for reporters. You ask him one question and he’s already answered your next four in the first 10 minutes.
I thought I would spend part of today’s blog running through what coach Magarity and I chit-chatted about. It’s hard to believe, but the first “official” day of practice for both basketball teams is just two days away on Friday, Oct. 16. The women will take the court that night, officially kicking-off the 2009-10 season at Christl Arena. For those of you who are not aware, this Army gig is not coach Magarity’s first rodeo. He is actually one of the most veteran and well-respected coaches around college basketball – men or women. Magarity spent 18 years as the head men’s coach at nearby Marist and he’s entering his 27th as a collegiate head coach. He and I talked at length about how this will be a year of rebuilding for the Black Knights. There are no seniors on the roster and seven freshmen who have obviously not played a lick of college ball.
After losing two of the top three scorers in program history – Cara Enright ’08 and Alex McGuire ’09 – over the last two seasons, these will be the new-look Black Knights for sure. You can’t ignore the tremendous contributions of 2009 graduates Megan Evans and Courtney Wright in the post either. This year’s roster is a bit thin at the forward position, which will likely leave Magarity to play smaller and rely more on a perimeter oriented offense. The bulk of the pressure will lie on the hands of juniors F Erin Anthony and G Nalini Hawkins. Magarity, however, was quick to point out that if you have a single standout in the post and at point guard that makes for a pretty solid foundation from which to build a team.
The Black Knights are coming off a 19-12 effort last season in which they made it to the semifinal round of the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since winning the title in 2005-06. Nobody expected Army to win that season either, but the inspirational mentoring of the late Maggie Dixon led that to happen. Expectations are not too lofty this year either, but Magarity likes avoiding the role of playing with a target on his back. He and his staff of daughter and associate head coach Maureen Magarity, along with newly acquired assistants Shandrika Lee-Gerch and Erin Mills, have their work cut out for them. Magarity stressed that preseason workouts focused heavily on teaching and the development of players from the ground up.
With fall in the air and basketball right around the corner – the women open on Nov. 15 against Wagner at home – it would be nice to give you a taste of what’s going on up in Christl Arena these days.
Other than women’s hoops, I’m staying pretty busy with the volleyball team. The Black Knights are off and running with a 17-3 mark and are the only unbeaten remaining in the Patriot League at 5-0. This weekend should be a real test for head coach Alma Kovaci’s club. Army hosts eight-time defending champion American on Friday night and service-academy rival Navy on Saturday. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. Saturday night, the team will support Dig Pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match – which means I’ll be digging through my closet on Saturday afternoon!
While I’m thinking about basketball being just around the corner, I have to mention the fact that hockey has already started. Can you believe that? Time flies around here. The Black Knights opened the season with a pair of tough losses – albeit to a pair of teams that are receiving votes in the national polls – and return to the ice at Merrimack this weekend.
Both soccer teams are in action this Saturday, so if you’re looking to take in some fall foliage action that would be the ideal time! The men kick-off the doubleheader with a 1 p.m. showdown against Bucknell while the women take on Lafayette at 7 p.m. at Clinton Field.
I would be remised if I didn’t congratulate head coach Rich Ellerson and the football team for their outstanding win last Saturday over Vanderbilt. A great crowd at Michie Stadium – nearly 35,000 – was treated to an OT thriller in which kicker Alex Carlton punched the game-winning field of the upright for a 17-16 Army win. Back at .500 (3-3), things here at West Point are buzzing again. Army heads to Temple for a Saturday afternoon kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field. For those unable to make the trip, the video (accompanied by Temple audio) will be offered via ITT Knight Vision. Click here to read extensive Army-Temple notes courtesy of the Gun Boat.
Well, it’s now about 12:30 and my tummy is growling. Time for me to sign off and grab a bite. Enjoy the week everyone and be sure to check back in tomorrow for thoughts from the lovely Mady Salvani.
GO ARMY! BEAT TEMPLE! BEAT EVERYONE!
Mark Garrison's, be sure to check in every Wednesday afternoon for a sneak peek into what it means to be an athlete here at the U.S. Military Academy.
*SPOILER ALERT*If you want to wait until Wednesday afternoon to find out who the next Spotlight will be, go ahead and skip to the next section. Tomorrow's Spotlight is none other than volleyball senior captain Rachel Dunn.
If you skipped to this section to maintain the suspense, my hat is off to you. Although many would have jumped the gun, there's certainly something to be said for waiting until the official release. Good things come to those who wait - at least that's what my parents used to tell me.
Speaking of my parents, they came to visit this weekend for the first time since I've been on board, and were treated a great Army/Vanderbilt football game. Not only did the underdog Black Knights post an overtime win over the Commodores, but the weather was perfect. Michie Stadium has an absolutely spectacular view of the foliage in the Hudson River valley in the fall, and if you haven't checked it out yet you are really missing something. I'm glad they got to see such a good game and I'm also very grateful to them for making the trip down from Rochester to visit. Thanks Mom & Dad!
That's all I've got for now, stay tuned to goARMYsports.com throughout the week, as we'll have the latest news on football, golf, men's & women's soccer, men's tennis, rifle, volleyball, cross country, sprint football, and hockey, who will all be in action this week.
Go ARMY!
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Another day, another exciting slate of events filling the planner.
Good afternoon loyal Black Knight Blog followers. Bob Beretta with you for the first time in what seems like weeks, steering today’s edition of the BK Blog. Well, it only seems like it’s been weeks, because it has been since I missed my last entry last month. I believe I was traveling around the great Midwest, but the keeper of the fines jar, better known as Judge Shak, will hear none of it. My deal is that I keep a running tab and will ask the good Judge to shoot me an invoice at the end of the year for all my office faux pas. Probably up to double digits already this fall, I’m sure.
As Shak wrote yesterday, it was a double-shot of press conferences yesterday at Randall Hall with our normal weekly Rich Ellerson presser, followed by the introductory press conference for new men’s basketball head coach Zach Spiker. For Army fans yearning for positive news, take a few minutes and check out the transcripts from both conferences. Rest assured those two programs are in very good hands.
If you haven’t had a chance to learn much about Coach Spiker, he is without question a fast-rising star in the coaching industry. I was fortunate enough to be involved in the interview process a couple weeks back and Zach was an absolute find. When Mr. Anderson states that Zach clearly emerged from the pack, he certainly is spot-on. That’s quite a statement considering the candidate pool to which we spoke. It was an impressive group of current assistants and head coaches. And we couldn’t be more pleased to have reached an agreement with Zach.
He’s got quite a challenge taking over the program less than two weeks before the season officially begins, but we’re certain he will hit the court running and have the young men firing on all cylinders in short order.
Big weekend planned with CBS College Sports Network enjoying its Military Appreciation Day on Saturday. For what is believed to be the first time in history, one national outlet will carry Army, Navy and Air Force football games in succession and CBSC is treating the event with great care. CBSC has been airing service academy programming throughout the week and announced just this morning that it will air a special 30-minute documentary on Friday night at 7 p.m. CBSC’s cameras were here at West Point earlier this fall and followed senior wide receiver Alejandro Villanueva for a couple of days, attending classes, meetings and other events to provide viewers with an inside look at a normal day “inside the gates.” CBSC followed a player from Navy and another from Air Force in the same manner making for what promises to be a riveting show. I believe CBSC will re-air on Friday night at 11 p.m. with additional showing slated for throughout the fall.
CBSC will also broadcast a special one-hour pregame show on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. in honor of the day and some very special guests are planned for Saturday’s broadcast. So as you can see, CBS has dedicated a great deal of resources to our new relationship, which should excite Army fans a great deal. If you can’t make it out to Michie this weekend, be sure to tune in to CBS College Sports Network. Looks like they have things covered end zone-to-end zone. Oh yeah, I almost forgot there’s a game being played as well as Army hosts Vanderbilt, beginning at noon. A big crowd is expected so if you’re planning on attending the game, be sure to arrive at West Point early. Remember, the first 5,000 fans entering Michie Stadium Saturday will receive a Felix “Doc” Blanchard bobblehead as the Army Athletic Association officially retires Doc’s legendary uniform number 35 at halftime. You’ll definitely want to get your hands on one of those as we offer the latest in our legendary Army bobblehead series. Pete Dawkins last year; Joe Steffy this year. Can Glenn Davis and Earl “Red” Blaik be far behind? Don’t want to give away any state secrets for next year ...
Well, that’s all for now ... gotta run to another meeting. Keep your eyes peeled for some big announcements the next couple of weeks. We’re close to announcing the 2010 football schedule and soon we’ll release our ITT Knight Vision schedule for this winter.
Until next time, be well and GO ARMY!!!
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Good morning loyal Black Knight Blog readers. All kinds of double doses for you this morning. Ryan Yanoshak, with another buck in the pot thanks to Volk’s lateness, joining you on a gorgeous Tuesday morning.
So not only two relatively new blog entries, we also have a pair of press conferences for you, a pair of hockey games and just for fun, some wrestling and golf as well.
Volk touched on Zach Spiker’s press conference today. We will formally introduce the new men’s basketball coach today during a 3 p.m. press conference in Randall Hall Auditorium. Our basketball guru Gun-Boat has nothing but great things to say about Zach, his passion for this job, his extensive resume and his desire to send out this senior class as Patriot League champions. Check back this afternoon, around the time you are leaving work, for a full recap from the press conference.
Prior to Zach’s introductory news conference, football coach Rich Ellerson will hold his weekly presser. Coach never likes to look back so expect the majority of time to be spent discussing Vanderbilt and Army’s foray back into the vaunted SEC.
Hard to believe it but hockey season starts this weekend. Yes, this Friday, Army will don the black jerseys at the Mutual of Omaha Icebreakers Tournament against host University of Nebraska-Omaha at 8:05 p.m. The first official practice was Saturday during the well-attended Black and Gold scrimmage and now head coach Brian Riley and his talented, tireless staff of Rob Haberbusch and Trevor Large face the task of creating lines and taking the first step for a successful 2009-10 season. Check back to the site later this week for a game preview and ideally, an on-line version of the media guide.
If you need a taste of hockey, junior forward Chris Spracklen has taken over the diary reins and has posted his first entry. ‘Spracks’ has big shoes to fill, following in the footsteps of previous authors Chase Podsiad, Mark Tilch and Matt Hickey but assures me he is up for the challenge.
Interim golf coach Major Chad Bagley has done a great job with the cadet-athletes, including a win against Navy and is with the team at Andrews Air Force Base at the Service Academy Championships. Monday’s second round was halted due to darkness with the final group on No. 18 tee. If all goes as planned, Army will be in second place with 18 holes to play this morning. There is no host school for this event but we will do our best to bring you complete results as they become available.
Monday also marked the first official day of practice for the wrestling squad. Veteran mentor Chuck Barbee and his assistants Ryan Wilman and Rafael Vega officially kicked off the 2009-10 season. The squad begins its season Nov. 7 at the Clarion Open.
That’s it for me. Go Army, beat par!
Monday, Oct. 5
Hello Black Knight Blog readers. Tim Volkmann coming to you pretty late on a Monday afternoon. My apologies for being a bit tardy with today's entry. (Looks like a owe another buck.)
I'm sure it is Tuesday for most of you reading this, and you are getting a double-shot of Black Knight Blog this morning along with Shak's regularly scheduled entry.
Mondays before home football games are usually a bit hectic for me as I put the finishing touches on our award-winning Army Football Game Day program that is distributed at Michie Stadium for all our games. Out of the 216 pages that you read every week, all but 17 of them are what we call "static" pages that don't change all season and are pre-printed at the beginning of the season.
The remaining 17 "change" pages are what I put together and send to the printer to include with the rest of the book. I am able to layout most of the pages in the days leading up to my Monday deadline, but there are a couple pages that I have to wait to update until after our preceding game on Saturday. I update our overall team and individual statistics, pirate a bunch of tidbits from Gunny's game notes, give it a quick edit and away it goes.
If you didn't have a chance to grab last week's Tulane program, Dallas wrote a great feature on quarterback Carson Williams, while Tracy penned a great feature on women's volleyball player Maureen Bannon. Thanks to both of them for all their help with the features.
Coming up this week is a hockey preview ala Shak, and Mady's Doc Blanchard feature that she wrote about in yesterday's blog. I also wrote a feature on senior wide receiver Damion Hunter so be sure and pick up a copy of the program on your way into the Vanderbilt game this Saturday so you have something to read before the noon kickoff.
I'm sure a lot of you saw the release over the weekend that Army hired Zach Spiker as its new men's basketball coach. Make sure you tune in tomorrow (or later today if it is already Tuesday) to ITT Knight Vision at 3:00 p.m. for a live webcast of the event welcoming Zach into the Army fold.
I believe I met Zach about seven or eight years ago when he was an assistant at Winthrop. I went to graduate school at Springfield College with Zach's undergraduate roommate from Ithaca College, and I believe Zach came up for a visit at one point or another. Like I was talking about with Gunny on Saturday, I guess it is a sign that we are getting old when people we went to school with are getting head coaching jobs.
I have heard nothing but great things about Zach all weekend, so despite the fact that he went to Ithaca, this Cortland graduate is looking forward to watching the Black Knights under Coach Spiker during the coming season.
In another sign that time is moving way to fast around here, Mickey Wender and the swimming & diving squads kick off the 2009-10 campaign this Friday afternoon against Stony Brook and Marist. The diving events will start at 4:00 p.m. followed by the swimming events at 5:00 p.m. over at Crandall Pool so come on out and cheer on the Black Knights in their season opener.
That's all folks - have a great evening (or morning, depending upon when you are reading this).
Go Army - Beat Vanderbilt, Stony Brook and Marist
Friday, Oct. 2
Everyone in the office is reminding me that today is my day to Blog, so I guess you probably realized that if there is anyone who goofs up it is me - Mady Salvani.
I am not one to talk about weather because I hardly ever notice it, but the last few nights have been cold and the sky has taken on its fall look. I passed the West Point Reservoir, which is right next to Michie Stadium, on my in this morning and you could see the steam coming off the water. If I had a camera with me, that photo would be on today's blog.
I am busy doing research on Doc Blanchard and when I go back into the football annals I can feel him come alive. From everything I have read about the Touchdown Twins, Blanchard (Mr. Inside) and Glenn Davis (Mr. Outside), makes me yearn to be able to go back in time and watch them dominate on the gridiron.
However, in order to go back in time there would be a lot of concessions. I would not be able to watch them play unless I attended their games. The home games at Michie would be okay, but the luxury press box I watch today's games from would not be around. In its place would be a wooden structure with no heat and little protection from rain and no drinks. I would not have the high power binoculars I use now and the field conditions could be messy with players tearing it up compared to running around on today's Superturf that can handle anything. I image the clothing over 60 years ago would be heavy to wear and weigh me down - but it would be warm.
However, the drive to the Stadium might not be too bad as there wouldn't be as much traffic (at least I hope so), but then again would I be traveling on a gravel road instead of the supper highways of today. On the other hand would the seats be comfortable (recline) with a nice radio, forget the CD, and most importantly would I have heat. What kind of tires would I have - would they be able to hit 100 miles per hour - I don't think so.
How would I follow Army on the road? Forget about TV. I would have to sit in front of a radio with snacks (but what kind) and listen carefully (sometimes it would go in and out) so I would be able to follow the game from start to finish. What kind of stats would they give? Today the computer spits them out at the end of each quarter, but back then it was pencil and paper and NO CALCULATOR. How long after the game would stats be available and what if I couldn't read the handwriting. What about play-by-play - they didn't do that back then, - so how could I write my stories, and what about coach's quotes (NO TAPE RECORDER). .
And how would I write my story - on an Underwood typewriter - but it would take forever. If I change my thoughts now, I can delete or copy and move things around on a document. There would no computer just plain typing paper (and if you wanted copies you used carbon paper - that's another story) and you would have to start your story all over again. It would be hard to strike the keys just right -otherwise the letters would be light.
So would I give up today's comforts to go back in time (I would grab my own binoculars and my calculator) to see the Touchdown Twins - you bet I would. I feel like I know them because of the stories I have read over the years - but to be able to be there and be part of history would be well worth any discomfort I would encounter. Who knows I might even like the times better and stay on - but then again I would miss my coworkers and friends plus I do like some of my creature comforts (like McDonalds).
Thursday, Oct. 1
CELEBRATING A MILESTONE
It's chilly and overcast Thursday here on the banks of the Hudson. Brian Gunning at the controls today, and yes, we are completely out of order. Someone (I won't mention any names, Tracy) literally jumped "The Gunn" on Monday and took my spot in the rotation. My sincerest apologies to all my fans who have been waiting on the edge of their seat for my next entry.
Pardon me today for getting a little sentimental, but I want to recognize someone very special to me. My grandmother, Jeanne Gunning, turned 90 yesterday, and after talking with her last night, it became very clear that I was destined to become a sports fan. My father played football in college and coaches high school football in my hometown. He passed along his love of the Cubs and Bears to us (Well, he was 1 for 2 on the Bears. Somehow my brother ended up a Cowboys fan. Payback is fun though - his older son now roots for the Steelers), but I really believe his passion for sports was fueled from an early age by my grandmother. For example, after wishing her happy birthday and catching up on some family gossip, she couldn't resist taking a shot at the Cubs.
"Well, the Cubs figured out how to win after it doesn't matter any more."
Please forgive the tinge of bitterness. She's now 90 years old and has never seen her beloved boys in blue win a World Series.
Even while her vision has deteriorated some, she still doesn't miss a thing. She doesn't watch much TV these days, but she still keeps her ear to the radio to keep up on everything she needs to know. Usually, at least once during the course of our conversations she'll reference at least one of her favorite teams like she's calling into a sports talk show. I guess, not so coincidentally, they're my favorite teams too. One of my greatest memories with her was taking her to Wrigley Field when I was about 9 or 10. Even though she'd accomplished so much in her life, raising three kids and being an unbeliveable role model and mentor for her countless students during a 40-year teaching career, I'll never forget how excited she was to sit in the friendly confines and just take everything in.
It's not just the local pro or college teams she follows either. Just like everything else in her life, she is 100 percent devoted to her family's interests. Neither my brother or I have played at Galena High School in more than 15 years, and she doesn't know one single player on the current team, but because my father is involved, she's right there supporting him. As a matter of fact, my mom might be getting a nasty phone call today because she didn't call on Friday night with the score.
The woman who subscribed to a weekly newspaper from 100 miles away so she could read the football write ups when my brother and I played has never stopped trying to be our biggest fan. At every stop of my athletics administration career, she's become a fan of that school. I don't think she knew anything about Marshall or Syracuse or Ohio, but it just absolutely upset her to no end that the paper in Kewanee, Ill., didn't put those football scores in on Sunday morning. West Point has been no different. When I told her that the team lost on Saturday at Iowa State, she once again let loose her fury about not being able to find a score in the paper or on the radio.
While I don't get to see my grandmother as often as I would like, I think about her every day - especially if I'm watching a Cubs or Bears game. I'll especially be thinking of her this weekend. My family is holding an open house for her this Sunday, and she says she's not too happy about it. If I remember right her quote was, "I told those people 15 years ago I was done with this stuff!" She says she doesn't like surprises or being the center of attention, but I really think she's worried she'll miss the Bears game.
Happy Birthday, Grandma!
GO ARMY!!
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