Go Green's Notes from Post
Hey guys! Just a couple of housekeeping items and then some thoughts on our mission.
NCAA Tix
Here is the link to request tickets. We have a small allotment and will do our best to meet as many needs as we can.
NCAA Tix Requests Due by 10/28 (army-wrestling-insiders.ghost.io)
World Championship Preview
Hear from Sofia as she and Lucas get ready to compete next week.
Sofia Macaluso Training Update (army-wrestling-insiders.ghost.io)
Old Grad Update
Our next call is scheduled for 10/28. Our goal is to double the number of callers- so 50. Please jump on if you can.
Athletics at West Point- My Take
Here are some thoughts I shared on my Rokfin station earlier this week. I am copying the text here, but you can check out my channel at the link below. This content is free- if you enjoy it feel free to subscribe, tip or comment. Thanks.
Lean In on Your Strengths | Rokfin
So…A bit about my job, but a bit about life I think, as we near the start of the wrestling season.
We finished the season ranked 25th in the nation last year, sent 6 guys to the Nationals and had an NCAA All American! We are a strong national level team.
This checks out with the two other men’s programs at West Point with a national level profile. Lax was ranked as high as #1 in the nation last year and has enjoyed a national level of success for a few years now. And now football is 6-0, bowl eligible and ranked in the Top 25 as well.
In fact, most of our DI sports teams are crushing it in the Patriot league, and our club teams are flourishing as well.
Now- if you read the “experts” in sports media, or your other negative n’er-do-wellers that complain about everything and accomplish nothing…well, they would tell you this shouldn’t be happening. They are telling you about how NIL and roster caps and this and that and the other thing are bringing about the death of college sports. That a school that comes with a service commitment and a pretty specific lifestyle won’t be able to compete at a high level under the new rules. That there are only “certain kids” who can make it here.
Well guess what. I’m here to tell ya the Negative Nancy’s are wrong, as they usually are. And I’m here to tell you why. The secret? We are flourishing BECAUSE of the factors they said will doom us. Football is proving this. Lax, us, our whole department. The current state of athletics at the DI level has given us an advantage.
When I talk to prospective student athletes, one thing we emphasize is the fact that they will belong to something bigger than themselves. That they will graduate with the people they came in with. That the name they wear on their chest will be something they will wear for life. One of our core values is “Brotherhood” and we strive to have it show up in everything we do.
Like I said- this is appealing to young men, despite what opposing coaches tell them, and despite what the “kids these days” sect keeps rambling on about. Yes, there are kids that are completely wrapped up in themselves and their brand that they are building. Yes, there are kids who want nothing to do with a structured lifestyle and want to put wrestling above everything else in their life. Those kids are bad fits for us, so we don’t recruit them. But there are enough kids who crave what we can offer. Who understand that the NIL $ they think they are getting, or the transfer portal , or the rotating door of team members is fleeting. A lot of kids who want to be on a TEAM.
The Army, and West Point, are pretty good at that teamwork thing. In wrestling- a lot of kids have never been on a real team in their life. A dual all star team, sure. But they have missed the relationships that get built when you live and train with your best friend day in and day out. Our guys live on campus all 4 years. No apartments 20 minutes off campus. They take the same classes. Eat every meal together. Take pass together. They like that. A lot. And guess what. It shows up in their wrestling. And in their football. And everything else they do on the “fields of friendly strife.” If you have been to any of our athletic contests, this is immediately apparent to you. And if you are in it…well- once you are in, you are always in.
Guys- if you are out here lamenting how bad things are, or how college sports have changed forever, or crying in your beer that your favorite team can’t keep up with the collectives at other schools, well…you do you. But save your tears for the academies. Because they are going to be just fine. Is an NCAA title in the future for any of our sports? Time will tell. But one thing that is in the future, judging by the past, and the present- is continued success on the athletic surfaces, and in the other areas that really matter. Like MacArthur said, we are going to be over here sowing the seeds that will bear fruits later in life. Teamwork. Commitment. Honor. Integrity. Heart.
That’s what college sports should be about. And recent success shows that in some pockets- it still is. And kids these days are loving it.