Give me a break ... some traditions matter
Years of tradition headed down the crapper. Maybe time for boat schoolers, time to stand up and be counted?
From an article by Phillip Ewing in NavyTimes (ref):The Naval Academy’s outgoing superintendent took aim Wednesday at the decades-old tradition in which midshipmen struggle to climb a campus monument, citing the risk for injuries and his belief that new team-based training is a better way for plebes to finish their first year at Annapolis.
Vice Adm. Jeffrey Fowler said he wasn’t canceling the annual climb of the Herndon Monument, scheduled for May 24, nor would he predict when it might go away, but said he wants the “focus” for plebes to be the intensive training called “sea trials,” which he said give a better team-work experience for students.Here's video of what I believe is last year's Herndon climb ... trust my when I tell you it's a big deal.
Just to refresh you're memory , Admiral Fowler is also the guy who let foolish (and young, I guess) Midn' Curry get away with smoking dope (accidentally) and committing honor code violations (allegedly) as discussed here and here.
