DCA Update - Extracurricular Clubs

Director’s Notes — An Inside Look

As the weather warms up, the weeks start to fill up with more and more Extracurricular Club activities. This past week several events went on around West Point, as well as across the country.

The Army-West Point Crew Team hosted the President’s Cup, where they beat Marist for the first time since 1995. The Judo Team hosted the Judo Nationals here as well, where they won three Team National Titles, and two Individual National Titles. Also, the Women’s Team Handball Club traveled to Torrence, CA, to compete in the Select Big Four Challenge, where they emerged victoriously. Congratulations to all of the teams and individuals who won, and good luck to those that are going on to compete in the coming week.

COL Dean R. Batchelder
Director of Cadet Activities
All For The Corps!
Visit: www.allforthecorps.com

Competitive Clubs

Team Handball (Women’s):

• This past weekend, the West Point Women’s Team Handball’s Black team earned second place in the Select Big Four International Handball Challenge held in Torrance, CA
• This challenge was hosted by the Los Angeles Team Handball Club (LATHC); LATHC has been one of the top three clubs in the nation at Open Nationals for the past three years
• Two other great competitors rounded out the field, namely San Francisco CalHeat (who will also compete Open Nationals), and the University of Baja California from Mexico
• Army West Point drew the host, LATHC, in the opening round, and lost a tough match by just one point
• They rebounded to decisively beat San Francisco CalHeat in the semi-finals; the win earned them a rematch in the finals against LATHC on Sunday
• Star players of the match include: CDT Brianna Sharkey with her stellar wing performance; CDT Dajah Davis, who played shut down defense the entire weekend; and CDT Cora Moody, who proved clutch at the penalty line time and time again
• The final match played against LATHC was another exciting back and forth match; Army West Point Black came up just short, ending with a score of 31-28
• Army Black’s Team Captain CDT Ashton Wolf was named Most Valuable Player for her performance throughout the weekend
• The results of this tournament suggest a great team performance at Open Nationals in three weeks

Cycling:

• On 17-19 April, the West Point Cycling team traveled to Strafford, NH, for a cycling meet
• The team jumped 6 places (8th) in DIV II standings, with a strong 7th overall performance this weekend
• Approximately 34 teams competed this weekend, with the West Point Women putting on a clinic for the C field
• CDTs Kiana Frick, Sarah Larue and Elizabeth Psiaki, placed 1st in the Team Time Trial (TTT); CDT Frick cemented a 2nd place in the Criterium, and 7th in Road Race; CDT Larue displayed the heart of a determined athlete, closing a 30 second gap in the crit to place 9th, and 9th in the Women’s Road Race
• New comers CDT Psiaki and CDT Bender continue to improve with excellent finishes of 8th and 9th in Women’s “D” Crit, and 10th in Road
• In the Men’s C Field CDT Tristan Manderfeld led the final chase pack of the West Point cadets to podium positions with men occupying top places (3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th)

Team Handball (Men’s):

• On 10 April, the Men’s Handball Team traveled to Washington, D.C., to compete in the final games of the North-east League series
• This league is made up of teams from NYC, Boston, Chicago, and D.C., and provides the competitive schedule necessary to be invited to the Handball National Championship tournament
• This weekend in particular, the Gold team took on NYC 2 and the DC Diplomats; after a close loss to the Diplomats, the Gold team handily defeated NYC 2
• The Black team also took on the Diplomats, and were able to turn the tables with a 27-25 victory
• The Black team played shorthanded, due to injuries, but CDTs Alec Zeck and Corinth Cross scored a combined 13 goals
• While the Black team finished tied for most wins (7) in the league, they were unable to match Boston’s point differential and ended up finishing third in the Northeast League
• The teams placed high enough in rankings to secure an invitation to the elite division of the championship tournament in May; there both teams will take on the clubs from around the country

Judo:

• On 18 April, West Point Judo hosted the 2015 Collegiate Judo National Championships
• Approximately 117 competitors from 24 universities, competed for both individual and team National Title recognition; there were four National Titles being contested including: Men’s and Women’s Senior (Elite) Divisions and Men’s and Women’s Novice Divisions
• West Point Judo initially got off to a slow start with several losses across different weight classes; once they gained momentum, the team started getting win after win
• West Point Judo won the National Championship in Women’s Senior (Elite) Division , Women’s Novice Division, and Men’s Novice Division; they were runner-up in Men’s Senior (Elite) Division
• Individual awards include: CDT Caroline Patton (‘16), who successfully defended her National Title and is now the two-time defending Senior Division Champion in her weight class; CDT John Santos (‘17), who won his first National Title by defeating his opponent from Navy at Men’s Senior 90KG; CDT Brittany DesLauriers (‘17), who earned her first National Title in the Women’s Senior Division in her weight class; CDTs Sara Roberts (‘15), Brad Mikinski (‘16) and Colin Shepard (‘17), all earned second place in their respective Senior Divisions; CDTs Colin Shepard, John Norman, and Araceli Sandoval, who earned third place in their respective Senior Division
• In the Novice Divisions, two women and three men earned first place finishes, five men earned second place finishes, and two women and two men earned third place finishes
• All-in-all, four out of the six women competing earned medals, and ten out of the thirteen men competing earned medals
• In addition to the three Team National Titles and two Individual National Titles, CDTs Patton, Santos, DesLauriers, Roberts, Mikinski, and Shepard earned All-American status and capped a phenomenal performance by West Point Judo

Crew:

• This past Sunday, Army Crew competed against Marist University in the annual President’s Cup dual meet on the Hudson River, here at West Point
• For the first time in over two decades, Army Crew captured the President’s Cup, setting a new standard of excellence for Army rowing, while providing much needed experience against a perennially strong NCAA team
• Prior to this event, the best showing for an Army team came in 1995, when the men won the point’s total; however, the team total still went to Marist
• This year, Army won both the Men’s and Women’s points total, along with the team trophy
• The Varsity Women lead off the day’s competition in the Varsity Eight; although they came just four seconds short of the lead, they decreased their margin behind to just four seconds, a six second improvement from the previous year
• Their strong showing inspired the team for the rest of the morning, as the Army Crew would go on to win the next seven events of the day
• The Varsity Men’s Eight were up next, posting and impressive 11.3 second victory over Marist; their time of 6 minutes and 3.7 seconds was the fastest time of the day
• The Novice Men and Women rounded out the Eights competitions with 18 and 23 second margins of victory, respectively; their performance all but secured the President’s Cup leading into the final stage of racing
• As the Fours events began, an increasing tail-current and headwind made for choppy waters and difficult rowing conditions; however, the team took advantage of their winter conditioning, and powered through to win all four and final races
• The Varsity Women revenged an earlier loss to Marist in the Knecht Cup, winning by more than 14 seconds
• The Army B and Marist B boats in the Varsity Women’s Fours race locked oars at the 200 meter mark, coming to a complete stop; the teams agreed to restart, and the Army team crossed the finish line well ahead of the Marist Four
• The Varsity Men’s A and B entries swept their event, coming in 1st and 2nd place; the Novice Women obtained the same result in the next event, completing a sweep of the Novice Women’s Events
• The Novice Men finished up with Army’s last victory of the day, defeating two other Novice Men’s boats from Marist

Climbing (Mountaineering):

• From 16-19 April, 20 members of the West Point Climbing Team participated in their culminating National Champion against 50 other rival universities
• The competition was hosted by the Mesa Rim Climbing Gym, an impressive facility featuring long overhanging walls and tough routesetting
• Each competitor competed for three hours in their respective discipline (bouldering, sport/top rope, and speed)
• The competition was stiff, but the West Point Climbing team was successful in taking home the Armed Forces Cup, crushing both the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy
• Out of 50 teams, West Point placed 4th overall
• In addition to the strong performances by all members of the team, CDT Zhaina Myrzak-hanova climbed particularly well, taking the overall 1st place finish in the speed discipline; she is now the national speed champion two years running
• CDT Christal Theriot was also a finalist for the women’s sport discipline, placing 8th overall; even though this was her last climbing com-petition as a cadet, she was able to showcase her climbing abilities to all 300 athletes and spectators for a brilliant finish to her cadet climbing career

Fencing:

• On 18 April, the Army Fencing Team was on hand during Fort Hamilton’s West Point Day
• Army Fencers CDT Josh Qualls, CDT Sam Verduzco, and CDT Tyler Griffin were on hand to provide demonstrations and explanations about the sport and to answer questions about competitions and travel
• The fencing display drew a large and interactive crowd with many children of all ages interested in the sport
• A display of all of the protective gear and three different types of weapons used in fencing were out and drew many questions
• Behind the display of gear, a fencing strip was set up to provide an active demonstration for the spectating crowd once the parade had concluded
• Children were given the opportunity to wear a mask, use a weapon, and learn a few of the basics as their parents watched on and cheered
• Overall the display and fencing were a big hit to all who watched and participated

Hobby Clubs

Ultimate Frisbee:

• During the weekend of 18-19 April, the West Point Ultimate Frisbee team hosted and competed in the National Championship qualifier series at Target Hill Fields
• This tournament was the start of the College post-season for 11 college teams; the teams were split into two pools to compete Saturday to determine placing for the bracket elimination on Sunday
• Army faced the Marist foxes in the first game; Army started strong, but a few costly late-game turnovers led to a close defeat, 13-12
• In Army’s second game, they faced the New Haven Chargers; bouncing back from the first loss, Army crushed New Haven 12-5
• Army’s third game on Saturday was against Hartford Lighthouse; Army got an early lead, and won the game 8-5
• The final game on Saturday was against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Trudge; after a long tiring day of game play, the teams battled in a close game; Army went on to win 9-7
• At the end of the first day, Army finished as the second place team from the pool, meaning that the Black Knights were out of the first place game, but could finish second by winning every remaining game
• On Sunday, Army faced the Vassar Swinging Monks; the game was extremely physical, and remained close until the second half; Army went on to win 13-8
• Advancing to the semi-finals, Army faced the Skidmore Thoroughbears; Army easily defeated them, winning 13-5
• Army finished the day second in the tournament, and continue to show improvement in decision making and play calling

Soccer:

• On 18 April, the West Point Cadet Soccer Club traveled to Annapolis, MD, to face their Navy Academy counterparts to compete for the Joseph Casey Cup
• The trophy was inaugurated by the Club, with the full sup-port of Navy, in honor of Army Soccer’s all time leading goal scorer, and of course Army Hall of Fame member “Joe” Casey (Class of 1967), who is a great supported of the en-tire Army Soccer Program
• This competition will no be conducted on an annual basis, and will be the highlight of the Clubs season
• “Joe” was in attendance at the match, with his Patty, to present the Cup and to provide encouragement to the West Point side during what was a competitive and enjoyable game
• Despite Army’s dominance throughout, the match was tied 1-1 at full time, with a Navy goal tying the score
• The match then turned into a penalty shoot out; the shoot out went to sudden death, and it was Navy who went on to prevail 6-5 on penalties
• Despite the disappointment, Club President, CDT Kyle Morris, recognized that the match would write a new piece of history in the famous Army-Navy rivalry thanks to the tireless work and efforts arranging the match made by Club Vice President, CDT Jakub Smola

Academic Clubs

Electronic Experimenters Group:

• On 15 April, CDTs Jimmy Yun, Clayton Jaksha, and Clayton Shablom, from the West Point Electronic Experimenters Group, traveled to Burke High School in Goshen, NY, to interact with the Robotics Club
• The group brought some of the robots used at West Point, and allowed thirty students to have a hands on experience with them
• While inspiring the students, it also gave the cadets a great opportunity to volunteer in the community and share their experiences about West Point

National Society of Black Engineers:

• On 17-19 April, seven cadets from West Point’s National Society of Black Engineers attended the Black Engineer of the Year Award Conference in Washington, D.C.
• The Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) Conference presented awards to CDT Brittany Murray, CDT Christian Nattiel, and CDT Chris Monroe
• All three cadets received the “Military Student Leadership Award” for achieving academic excellence within, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields while balancing other leadership roles at the Academy
• The conference focused on a variety of achievements in the STEM discipline; it also fosters the development of lasting professional connections and provides and opportunity for networking and recruitment among a diverse group of college age students, corporate professionals, and military leaders
• The event includes a wide array of seminars to promote research in STEM disciplines, encourage entrepreneurship, increase business efficiency, and improve leadership
• Three other cadets, CDT Ella Mason, CDT Kenneth Edwards, and CDT Alexi Bell, also participated in the week-end’s events
• The first day of the conference, they escorted general officers to a mentorship meeting in which the officers shared their experiences and provided leadership advice to the high school students in attendance
• Later that evening, the cadets attended the Stars and Stripes Gala which celebrated both military and civilian leadership in STEM disciplines
• During the other days of the conference, the cadets had the opportunity to attend a career fair, as well as a multitude of seminar

Chess:

• On 3-6 April, the West Point Chess team traveled to Philadelphia, PA, to compete in the USCF Philadelphia Tournament
• This is one of the biggest tournaments in the area, and thousands of people of all ages compete in their respective rating categories
• The cadets participated in the two-day tournament, which consisted of five-one hour long matches on Saturday, and two-five hour long matches on Sunday
• CDT Oblak finished 21st in the Under 2000 Category; CDT Loudon finished 54th in the Under 1800 Category; CDT Huang finished 28th in the Under 1600 Category; CDT Dosh finished 27th and CDT West finished 58th in the Under 1100 category
• This was a great a great experience for the team to play high caliber chess games, and to improve on their skills

Support Clubs

WKDT Radio Station:

• On 15 April, the cadets of West Point’s very own radio station, WKDT 89.3 FM, visited the ESPN studios in Bristol, CT
• During this tour, they received sports broadcasting professional development, and met several ESPN celebrities
• The cadets even had the honor of meeting and speaking to ESPN’s Mike Golic and Ryan Ruocco of the “Mike & Mike” show

Pipes and Drums:

• On 18 April, the West Point Pipes and Drums traveled to Ft. Hamilton, NY, in support of the first annual “West Point Day”
• The event was created in support of the Superintendent’s goal to increase involvement and outreach with New York City
• The band saw this as an opportunity to spread word about West Point Pipes and Drums, and to hopefully at-tract any current musicians/dancers that are thinking of attending the academy
• The band’s first performance was a short one, and served as a cue to the general public that the parade was about to begin; immediately fol-lowing the parade, the band performed it’s Tattoo set

Glee Club:

• On 18-19 April, the Glee Club traveled to New-burgh and Sugar Loaf, NY, to perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra and combined choirs
• In Newburgh, the Newburgh Free Academy was the host of the event; the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center was the venue for the Sugar Loaf performance
• The performances allowed the cadets the opportunity to perform one of the world’s best known symphonies, and greatly expand their musical knowledge and ability
• The trip also provided an exceptional opportunity for outreach to the local community, as cadets worked and performed with musicians from throughout the mid-Hudson Valley
• The Glee Club joined the following area choirs: Newburgh Symphonic Chorale, Middletown Concert Chorale, Foxhill Community Youth Choir, SUNY New Paltz College—Community Choir and Mt. Saint Mary College Choir

DCA Happenings

Academy Book Store

Ret. Gen. Stanely McChrystall signing his new book Team of Teams.

Cadets getting married, or who are in a wedding party following graduation, at-tended the 5th Annual Wedding Etiquette Rehearsal and Wine & Cheese Reception on Sunday, 19 April. Representatives from DUSA were also in attendance. Saber Bearers realized that perfecting the Arch of Sabers takes a lot of practice! Here, the future Lieutenant and Mrs. Gene Fogh prepare to walk under the ceremonial arch.