America's Game!

Saturday may have been my favorite day that revolved around sports.  I've been to College Football Bowl games and Stanley Cup games and World Series games, but the Army/Navy Game was a whole different experience.  One I'm not able to adequately put into words.  

Every year I love watching the Army/Navy game with my dad.  He graduated from West Point and played football for the Black Knights for 2 years while he was a cadet.  I grew up singing the Army Fight Song and making trips to the beautiful Military Academy on the banks of the Hudson River.  The tradition of the Cadet Parade on Saturdays is one of my favorite in all of sports.

I flew in that morning and we headed straight to the game in Baltimore.  We got to the stadium just in time to see the March-On.  The March-On is the tradition of all midshipmen and cadets marching onto the field before going into the stands.  The precision and accuracy of the formation and timing is incredible, as you can imagine.

The pre-game festivities of the jumpers and flyovers was my favorite part.  The fact that the parachute jumpers are able to control their landing the way they do is mind boggling.  Then came the flyovers for both teams.  The Army helicopters were sooo low and quiet, I had to pick my jaw up off the ground after they flew by.  And the Navy jets were just the opposite-- high and loud.  It was just so cool to see.

The card stunt was also so much fun!  Everyone had cardboard at their seat and they instructed us when to hold it up and when to flip it over!  I never really knew exactly how those were executed, but it was definitely cool to be a part of.

Then the game started and I couldn't believe how fast it was going by.  There were very few penalties as both teams play with such discipline.  Both teams play dominantly running games, basically forcing the clock to stop for TV time outs.  Unfortunately Army couldn't hold onto their lead and lost to the Midshipmen for the 13th year in a row, meaning the cadets sang their alma mater first after the game.

I have a lot of respect for student-athletes.  Like in any situation you have some people who bring negative stereotypes to a group, but overall I respect them for their dedication to the sport and their school and education.  In fact, working with student-athletes is a passion of mine, one that I've chosen for my career!  But it's different when talking about the student-athletes at Army & Navy (and even Air Force).  Playing football is a hobby to the cadets and midshipmen.  Football comes second to serving our country and I respect them all immensely for that. And no matter the outcome of the game, they're all heroes!

The only thing that could have made the day better would have been to see the first Army victory in 13 years!  But until next time, GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!!!! :)