Army West Point Athletics
Happy Thanksgiving
November 25, 2010 | General
Happy Thanksgiving to all the Army fans out there! Christian Anderson blogging for you today from my parents' home in New Hampshire. I was able to take yesterday off to travel the four-plus hours up here to spend some quality time with my family, which is always nice.
I hadn't been up to NH since August, and I have to say that it is much colder up here than it is in New York! I didn't really pack appropriately, but I think I can find enough warm clothes to get by for the rest of the weekend.
A full day of watching football and eating good food is ahead of me, so I'm pretty excited. One of our family traditions involves a spirited game of two-hand touch football in the backyard at halftime of the Detroit Lions game. The weather in New Hampshire is cloudy and brisk, and the tundra is definitely frozen...just the way it should be!
The Army sports teams get a day off today, but three squads return to action over the weekend with the hockey team hosting Niagara on Friday and Saturday, the women's basketball team taking on St. Francis at Christl Arena on Saturday and the men's hoops team traveling to Yale on Saturday.
Army fans who are in the Hudson Valley this weekend can take advantage of the "Thanksgiving Three Pack". The ticket promotion, which is being offered for just $15 includes both hockey games and the women's hoops contest. Quite a deal, if you ask me. For more information on this outstanding package, click HERE. To read Ryan Yanoshak's hockey notes for the weekend, click HERE.
I haven't had a chance to mention last Saturday's Army-Notre Dame game, yet. Although the Black Knights came out on the short end of a 27-3 decision, the game's atmosphere was absolutely electric and the night will definitely go down as a very memorable experience for me.
Before the game, we had the opportunity to check out both clubhouses, view the press conference room, explore the luxury suites and also walk onto the field at Yankee Stadium. There was no shortage of photo opportunities for our 'Coach' Mady Salvani. She was snapping off pictures all over the place, filling up at least two memory cards, I believe.
There will be plenty of preparations going on for the Army-Navy football game next week. The game will be played on Saturday, Dec. 11, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, and there is certainly a buzz surrounding the program.
Speaking of Army-Navy and Philadelphia, this year's swimming and diving Star Meet will be hosted off campus for the first time ever as Philly's brand-new Kroc Center will entertain both squads on Thursday, Dec. 9. For more information on the event, click HERE. Both swimming and diving teams have another two weeks to get ready and I'm confident that head coach Mickey Wender and his staff will have his team peaking for the meet.
My other winter sport, wrestling, is idle until Friday, Dec. 10, when the Black Knights travel to Rider. First-year head coach Joe Heskett has the young team buying into his program, and I think good things are on the horizon.
With both of my in-season sports hitting a bit of a lull in terms of competition, I was able to work on some lacrosse projects items. I posted the 2010-11 roster, which can be viewed HERE. I was also able to document some of the team's recent community service initiatives and also announce the Laxie Award that they won for the NCAA Tournament upset of Syracuse last May.
I wanted also mention that, if you haven't noticed, Zach Spiker has the Army men's basketball program off to a 4-1 start. The Black Knights, who overcame a 10-point first half deficit to defeat Binghamton on Tuesday night, will look to continue a six-game win streak versus Ivy League opponents on Saturday at Yale.
In the spirit of the day, I think it would be appropriate to mention just how thankful I am to have the opportunity to work at West Point and be around the cadet-athletes on a daily basis. Being able to work in the presences of the future leaders of our great country is truly a humbling experience, and one that I do not take for granted. These last three months (since coming on board in early September) have been tremendous and I am looking forward to a strong close to the fall semester and a terrific spring.
Have a great Thanksgiving, and GO ARMY!!
