cadet blogs

Getting In Stride

(Athletics, Class of 2012) Permanent link All Posts

Fall season is in full swing here in New London. The air is getting chillier by the day, the nights are coming sooner, and the trees all around campus and the nearby Connecticut College Arboretum have started dropping their blazing red-orange leaves like they’re actually on fire. And, of course, the fall sports season is also steaming full speed ahead.

As a member of both the Pistol and Cross Country teams, fall is a pretty busy time for me. Most days, during my free periods at 1500, I’ll head down to the shooting range in the basement of Chase Hall for Pistol practice. At the Academy, Pistol is one of the only sports that is co-ed and competes at a Division I level. We have matches against schools like Navy, West Point, and MIT. It is a competitive and mentally demanding sport, but also extremely rewarding.

After shooting for an hour or so, it is a quick jog to Cross Country practice where I usually run anywhere from six to eight miles. I have run Cross Country all three years at the Academy so far and I consider it one of the best ways to earn a sports credit here. The guys on the team are great, and it is refreshing to be able to run off campus during the day for a change of scenery.

Still, it can be taxing to participate in two sports simultaneously. Yet, the most taxing thing I’ll do this fall has actually yet to come about. This year, the annual Marine Corps Marathon will be on Sunday, October 31, in Washington, D.C., and, in conjunction with the Academy’s Running Club, I will be traveling down there to participate. It is my first marathon, and to say I am nervous is an understatement. But at the same time, I feel mentally and physically prepared for it.

Overall, with so many things happening these days, it is sometimes hard to just sit down and take it all in. Still, while I may feel drained at times, I can say in all honestly that one of the best things about the Academy is the plethora of opportunities that it offers to cadets. At least at the end of the day I can sit back and know I am taking advantage of as much as I can.

More about Mark.

Posted by Leann Strickland at 2/1/2012 3:21 PM