June 2009 31 - USCGA Alumni Association

June 2009
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THE
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Hall of Heroes
Spring 2010 Inductees
T
he Coast Guard Academy is pleased to announce the selection of the 2010 inductees into
the Hall of Heroes.
The Corps of Cadets reviewed all nominations
and forwarded their recommendations to the Commandant of Cadets. The inductees will be informally recognized at the Alumni Awards Banquet
during Homecoming 2009 and a Spring 2010 Hall
of Heroes Induction Ceremony will be conducted
to formally honor and enshrine those selected to
the Hall of Heroes. The funding for the plaques,
which display the name, cadet photograph, and
events that led to each graduates enshrinement,
will be provided by a joint endowment between
Class of ’59 and the Class of ’09, which supports
the Commandant of Cadets division.
The 2010 inductees onto the Wall of Gallantry are:
RADM Clarence H. Peterson, Class of 1925
CAPT Richard L. Burke, Class of 1927
CAPT Charles F. Scharfenstein, Class of 1941
RADM Norman C. Venzke, Class of 1950
CDR Thomas W. Finnegan, Class of 1957
LTJG David C. Brostrom, Class of 1963
CDR Roger W. Hassard, Class of 1963
Mr. Arthur E. Katz, Class of 1963
LCDR Charles B. Mosher, Class of 1963
CAPT Barham F. Thomson, Class of 1963
Mr. Harry Godfrey, Class of 1967
CDR James A. McEwen, Class of 1980
A schedule of events for the Spring 2010 Induction
Ceremony will be published in the February 2010
edition of The Bulletin.
Please contact LT Allison Dussault, Delta Company
Officer, at (860) 444-8443 with any questions. You
can also visit the Hall of Heroes website on the
Coast Guard Academy homepage: www.cga.edu.
Follow these links: USCGA Home >> Campus >>
Campus Landmarks >> Hall of Heroes.
The 2009 Inductees were honored on April 24, 2009. The Wall of Gallantry inductees were RADM Edward H. Smith, Class of
1913; CAPT Donald C. McNeil, Class of 1923; RADM Edward C. Allen, Class of 1938; CAPT John Natwig, Class of 1942; CAPT
Roger H. Banner, Class of 1943; CAPT Paul D. Henneberry, Class of 1956; Reverend Stephen T. Ulmer, Class of 1963; CAPT
Lawrence G. Brudnicki, Class of 1972; CAPT Jimmy Ng, Class of 1972; CAPT Scott D. Genovese, Class of 1979
LCDR Donald E. Bader, Class of 1994; LCDR Thomas F. Cooper, Class of 1994. The Wall of Remembrance inductees were
Lieutenant Commander LeWayne N. Felts, Class of 1944; Commander Thomas Nelson, Class of 1988.
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June 2009
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THE
A ROUND A CADEMY
Academy Hosts 19th Annual Service
Academy Student Mathematics
Conference (SASMC)
by CDR M. B. Zamperini, Instructor, USCGA Mathematics Dept.
O
n 16-18 April 2009, the Coast Guard
Academy hosted the 19th Annual Service
Academy Student Mathematics Conference
(SASMC). This conference is a unique
venue for cadets and midshipmen from
each of the Service Academies to gather
and present their research projects. The
conference allows the cadets to showcase
their hard work and learn more about their
sister Service Academies. This year’s
participants included 22 visiting cadets and
6 visiting faculty as well as 26 Coast Guard
cadets and the Coast Guard faculty. Almost
all of the cadets and midshipmen were
seniors nearing graduation.
Coast Guard cadets have participated in
SASMC for a number of years, but this was
the first time that the Coast Guard Academy
hosted SASMC. The conference provided
an excellent opportunity to showcase the
Coast Guard Academy as well as a number
of Coast Guard missions to the participants.
Additionally, the Merchant Marine Academy
was able to send a representative for the first
time to explore future participation.
The visitors arrived on the afternoon
of Thursday 16 April, and the conference
was kicked off with a dinner at the O’ Club.
Admiral Thomas F. Atkin gave a stirring
key-note address, stressing the importance
of mathematics and operations research
in the service communities. Speaking at
SASMC was a perfect fit for Admiral Atkin
as he previously taught Mathematics at the
Coast Guard Academy, has extensive interagency experience, and has been using many
mathematical tools as well as cadet research
in his leadership of the Coast Guard’s
Deployable Operational Groups.
On Friday, the cadets and midshipmen
gave their research presentations to peer
audiences at the O’ Club. The widely diverse
research topics included optimization projects
for real Coast Guard problems, mathematical
theory, and analysis of major league
baseball statistics. On Saturday morning,
the conference ended with a trip
to Coast Guard Research and
Development Center’s new office
building at Fort Trumbull, as well
as a Thames River boat ride from
Station New London and a tour of
CGC EAGLE.
This year’s SASMC was a
resounding success with cadets
and midshipmen taking pride
in presenting their work to each
other, forging inter-service
bonds, and enjoying the beauty
and facilities of the Coast Guard
Academy.
On left: Group picture of SASMC
attendees; On right: Various
presentations were given throughout
the conference
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THE
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Engineering Capstone Projects
featured at poster competition
by CDR Nathan Podoll, USCGA Civil Engineering
he Academy Engineering Department held the third annual Senior
Capstone Design Poster Competition
Tuesday March 24th, 2009 in the Leamy
Ballroom. The broad goals of the event
are threefold: first, to allow the first class
to present their work in a semi-formal
setting, second, to expose underclass to
the work seniors currently are engaged
in, and finally to provide an outreach
venue to inform local high school teachers and engineering professionals of the
type of work engineering students are
engaged in at CGA. Winners from each
of the four engineering majors, an overall
winner, and a cadet favorite poster were
selected from the 25 posters this year.
The students’ preparation began three
to six months prior to the competition.
Unique projects important to the Coast
Guard or local community were assigned
to each Capstone team. The Capstone
team was responsible to the project sponsor for developing a recommendation,
design specifications, and/or prototype
to address the problem presented.
When preparing for the competition, the
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students had five weeks left to complete
their projects and conduct a final, formal
presentation to their sponsor and senior
members of the Coast Guard community. The competition served the Corps
of Cadets by improving first class cadets
communication skills in a semi-formal
setting similar to a conference poster session, provided underclass students (4/c,
3/c, 2/c) an opportunity to see examples
of 1/c projects in their majors and in
other engineering majors, and built esprit
de corps for all engineering majors.
Many underclass admitted that this event
motivated them to continue their engineering studies as it shows the direct,
meaningful effect cadet work has each
year on the Coast Guard and society at
large. Others mentioned the comments
of the presenting 1/c reinforced the
usefulness of all the engineering courses,
starting with Statics and Engineering
Design in their 4/c year, to successfully
completing their Capstone project.
And the winners are….
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THE
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• Best Overall Poster and Mechanical
Engineering section winner: “Sailboat
Integrated Hydroelectric Generator” by
1/c Walter Fredenhagen, 1/c Matthew
Meacham, and 1/c Joshua Smolowitz.
Their project is to develop a system for
less than $2,000 a copy to provide electrical power to a 30-40 foot sailboat.
Civil Engineering Section Winner: “Sector Lake Michigan Expansion/Design”;
1/c Travis Murray, 1/c Michael Higbie, 1/c Keely Balthrop, and 1/c Michael
Prossor.
• Civil Engineering section winner: “Sector Lake Michigan Expansion/Design”
by 1/c Michael Prossor, 1/c Travis Murray, 1/c Keely Balthrop, and 1/c Michael
Higbie.
Their project is to analyze the space
needs and constraints at Sector Lake
Michigan in Milwaukee, WI and recommend reconfigurations to the existing
spaces and/or new construction to allow
the Sector to effectively fulfill assigned
missions.
• Electrical Engineering section winner
was “Laser Communication” by 1/c Torrey Jacobsen and 1/c Ashley Stone.
Their project is to determine the feasibility of replacing microwave communications with laser communications to
remote locations throughout the U.S.
Coast Guard, with Station Sandy Hook,
NJ being the focus for initial research and
design.
Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering Section Winner:
“Longhaul Shipping: Ice Capable Oil Tanker”;
1/c Gordon Gertiser, 1/c Luke Sanders, 1/c Bryan Kelly and 1/c Justin
Church
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• Cadet Favorite as voted by the underclass: “FIRST Robotics” by 1/c Michael
Haas, 1/c Thomas Mameniskis, 1/c Ryan
McCue, 1/c Ryan Mowbray, 1/c James
Okorn, 1/c Andrew Roemhild, and 1/c
Kevin Thomas.
Their project is to lead and mentor a
high school team in multiple levels of
competition to design and build a robot
to compete in a structured environment
both autonomously and under operator
control.
The Alumni Association supports this
event by funding the prizes to the winBULLETIN
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Electrical Engineering Section Winner: “Laser Communications”;
1/c Torrey Jacobsen and 1/c Ashley Stone
• Naval Architecture/Marine Engineering section winner was “Longhaul
Shipping: Ice Capable Oil Tanker” by 1/c
Justin Church, 1/c Gordon Gertiser, 1/c
Bryan Kelly, and 1/c Luke Sanders.
Their project is to design an ice capable,
crude oil tanker for transit between the
Beaufourt Sea and Yokohama, Japan in
response to the receding Arctic ice.
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THE
A ROUND A CADEMY
Taking the competition to
the next level
Cadet Favorite Poster (voted by the underclass): “FIRST
Robotics”; 1/c Andrew Roemhild, 1/c Ryan McCue, 1/c
Ryan Mowbray, 1/c Thomas Mameniskis, 1/c Kevin
Thomas, 1/c James Okorn, and 1/c Michael Haas.
ners in each of the six categories listed
above. Alumni also volunteer their time
as judges. The overall winner poster
judging team was comprised of CAPT
(ret) John Maxham (’66), vice president
of development and former Engineering Department Head, CAPT Richard
Hartnett (’77), CAPT (ret) Kurt Colella
(’81), CGA Dean of Academics and CAPT
Eric Brown (’85), CGA Assistant Superintendent. Additional alumni support
included CAPT (ret) James Norton (’72),
Mr. Don Trone (’77), and Ms Terry Suehr,
P.E. (’93). The remaining judges come
from Math and Science faculty from local
high schools and Engineering, Science,
Math, and Professional Studies faculty
from CGA.
Looking forward, the class of 2010 will
have their opportunity to shine next
spring as they grapple with real-world
issues of importance for the CG and our
community. Thanks to the Alumni Association for the continued support of this
margin of excellence
academic activity.
Those wishing to
support this event
may request their donations be directed
to the Engineering
Enrichment fund of
the Alumni Association.
After the fierce competition here at CGA,
three of the winning teams went on the
road to represent CGA at the annual
American Society of Engineering Educators
(ASEE) regional conference on April 3rd at
Bridgeport University. The communication
skills of the first class cadets become readily
apparent in open competition with other
students, including graduate students from
around the world including schools from
Canada and Eastern Europe.
Competing in an international field
of over 90 entries, “Longhaul Shipping:
Ice Capable Oil Tanker” placed third, and
“Laser Communications” garnered honorable mention. All teams received high
praise from the judges for clarity in their
presentations and communication of their
projects. One professor was so impressed
he requested to use some posters from CGA
as examples of well-thought out posters
capable of clearly articulating a project for
his students.
1/c Gordon Gertiser and 1/c Luke Sanders at the annual
ASEE poster competition at Bridgeport University
1/c Luke Sanders engaging
with underclass cadets
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June 2009
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THE
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1/c Alex LeKander selected as
2009 Truman Scholar
By Dr. Alina M. Zapalska
Professor of Economics and
Director, CGA Honors Program
F
The scholarship provides up to $30,000
for graduate study, priority admission,
supplemental financial aid, leadership
training, graduate school counseling, and
special internship opportunities within
the federal government. 1/c LeKander, a government major,
began working on the scholarship in
the fall of 2008 under the guidance of
Professors Zapalska and Ringel of the
CGA Honors Program. The application
consisted of about 13 short essays and
four letters of recommendation. By the
end of the application, he had received
help from faculty and staff throughout
the Academy.
1/c LeKander hopes to one day work in
the field of Coast Guard Arctic policy
and is very interested in pursuing a joint
law and Masters in Public Policy degree. Institutions offering this degree include
Georgetown, Berkeley, and Harvard. . In
one of his application essays, 1/c LeKander wrote: “Arctic policy is a dynamic
and changing realm, and while it is
difficult to ascertain exactly where U.S.
Arctic policy will be in five years, the
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1/c Alex LeKander
Coast Guard will certainly be at the forefront. I would like to be working in this
changing domain, specifically focusing
on the implications of climate change in
the Arctic relating to pollution, maritime
shipping, and national security.”
Truman scholars are elected by independent selection panels on the basis of leadership potential, intellectual ability, and
likelihood of ‘making a difference.’ Each
selection panel interviewed finalists from
a 3 - 4 state region and generally selected
one Scholar from each state and one atlarge Scholar from the region. Each panel
typically included a university president,
a federal judge, a distinguished public
servant, and a past Truman Scholarship
winner.
In February 1/c LeKander, who applied
from his home state of Montana, was
notified he was a finalist and would be
interviewed in Seattle, Washington with
twelve other finalists from the Northwest region. Other finalists included a
former marine and midshipman at the
Naval Academy, as well as students from
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or the second consecutive year the
Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation awarded a U.S. Coast Guard Academy Cadet the prestigious title of 2009
Truman Scholar. In March then 2/c Alex
LeKander received the news from Rear
Admiral Burhoe, USCGA Superintendent, that he had been awarded the prestigious prize granted to only 60 students
out of 601 who applied.
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THE
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After arriving in Seattle, Captain Fred
Herzberg, Class of 1955, met 1/c LeKander, gave him a tour of Seattle, and
arranged a meeting with Captain Fred
Sommer, the Commanding Officer of the
Healy. Meeting Captain Sommer and
discussing Coast Guard Arctic operations
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was extremely beneficial as panelists on the interview board
asked questions pertaining to Arctic policy discussed the day
before on Healy.
Professor Ringel, former Director of the Honors Program,
reported that 1/c LeKander sought her out when he was a
freshman to learn how he could make the best use of his time
at the Academy. He was amazed to hear that he could prepare
for graduate school and scholarship competitions by engaging
in independent research. 1/c LeKander is the longest-serving
Honors Colloquium member, and he has been a faithful participant and tireless advocate for the Honors Program, attending
every event and helping to convince other cadets to join. Professor Zapalska stated, “2/c LeKander has made every
effort to broaden his economics, political, and cultural horizons, and convincing other cadets to follow his example. His
selection as a 2009 Truman Scholar is truly an historic event for
the CGA.” The first USCGA cadet to be awarded the Truman
Scholarship was ENS DeCarol Davis, ’08.
This summer 2/c LeKander will be attending Truman Scholar
Leadership Week at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. While there he will meet the other 2009 Truman Schol-
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Harvard, Lafayette, Seattle University,
and Carnegie Mellon University. The
interview was conducted by a panel
consisting of prominent business and
government figures from the northwest,
as well as Frederick Slabach, the executive secretary of the Harry S. Truman
Foundation.
In preparation, teachers from every academic department helped draft practice
questions, hold mock interviews, and
provide background on topics discussed
in the application. 1/c LeKander expressed how beneficial everyone at the
Academy was in helping him to be thoroughly prepared for the interview. ars, staff and public servants, work on community service
and public policy projects, and learn about different graduate school programs. Additionally, 2/c LeKander will spend
his summer underway on the Morro Bay and then attend an
internship in Prague, Czech Republic at Charles University
where he will be working and learning with other students
from around the world. 1/c LeKander was born and raised in Kalispell, Montana. He
came to the Coast Guard Academy because he admired the
humanitarian missions of the service and wanted to pursue
greater challenges and leadership development opportunities unique to the US Coast Guard. 1/c LeKander decided
to do independent research last year in Education Policy
Studies, which he pursued both in the New London Public
Schools as a tutor and by analyzing Coast Guard Partnership in Education outreach programs across the country. He
offered frank suggestions for improvement to the officers in
charge, which he has applied to the local tutoring program.
2/c LeKander’s favorite hobby is travelling. He also enjoys
hiking, biking, fishing, hanging out in New York City, and
going to concerts.
June 2009
Dr. Alina M. Zapalska is a professor of economics in the
Department of Management at the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy. She is also the Honors Program Director.
Professor Zapalska’s extensive and varied teaching
experience spans 24 years in the U.S. and abroad. She
has presented numerous academic papers at professional
conferences, has published more than 200 articles in
professional refereed journals, several book chapters,
monographs, research projects, and papers and conference
proceedings. She is currently working on an Economics
textbook.
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THE
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ENS Louise Mandour Brackin
selected as the
2009-2010 Fulbright Scholar
By Dr. Alina M. Zapalska
Professor of Economics and
Director, CGA Honors Program
T
Throughout the year, the cadets conducted extensive research with international
partners, transgovernmental agencies,
and US Government entities to confront
the maritime challenges of West Africa,
from the illegal trafficking of humans
and narcotics, to widespread government
instability. The project culminated in
April with a field test conducted in Sierra
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ENS Louise Mandour Brackin
Leone, followed by a situation briefing
on West Africa to the Commandant of
the Coast Guard, Admiral Allen. ENS
Brackin is intrigued by the maritime
challenges of the South Pacific, and eager
to see how they will compare with her
Coast Guard experiences in the United
States and in West Africa.
A government major, ENS Brackin
first became interested in the Fulbright
through the Honors Colloquium. She
planned to pursue an Arabic immersion
program in Bahrain. But in the summer
of 2008, during an academic program in
Hong Kong, she met a Fulbright scholar
named Dr. Rachel Yould and was newly
inspired to continue her Asian travels. Throughout her CGA career, ENS Brackin served as both division officer and
department head this year. The chance
to work closely in a professional manner with her classmates has taught her
a great deal about the values of honesty,
integrity, and respect. Last year she appreciated the chance to be the “Voice of
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he Australian Fulbright Commission
offered then 1/c Louise Mandour
Brackin a Fulbright Fellowship for the
academic year 2009-10. ENS Brackin
accepted and plans to pursue a Master’s
degree in International Law and International Relations at the University of New
South Wales in Sydney, Australia.
ENS Brackin’s Fulbright project proposal
requires her to work with the Australian
Defence Forces to determine the most
effective multilateral security strategy for
Oceania. She will examine current maritime defense force capabilities, assess the
sustainability of operations in specific island countries, and survey the resources
available for expansion through international cooperation.
ENS Brackin will draw on her academic
experiences at CGA to pursue her degree. Last year, she co-authored a paper on the
civil-military tensions of humanitarian
intervention and presented it at the Cantigny Joint Services Conference, where it
was published by the US Military Academy’s Undergraduate Journal of Social
Sciences. This year, for her senior design
project, she worked with (now ensigns)
1/c Emily Kehrt and 1/c Anthony Myers to develop a strategic framework for
Coast Guard engagement in the Gulf of
Guinea. Drill” for the cadets’ parades, as well
as announcer for various other events. Throughout her Academy career,
ENS Brackin has been blessed with
brilliant professors, dedicated underclass, and amazing classmates. Having benefited immeasurably from the
hard work of those above her, she
has welcomed the chance, in turn, to
tutor, mentor, and train wherever she
can be of assistance.
At the Academy, ENS Brackin was
president of the Swing Dance Club,
where she was well respected by the
dance club members and all other
cadets. Her proactive and highly
ethical behavior has made her a role
model, and her leadership skills were
developed not only within the CGA
Swing club but with time spent in
varsity crew, junior varsity tennis,
and yoga. As a performer, dancing in
front of high-ranking audiences has
shown her ability to handle pressure gracefully, and to be a goodwill
ambassador. In her spare time, she
enjoys gardening and classic literature. ENS Brackin is sincerely grateful
for the chance to serve her country
not only at CGA, but through representing the Coast Guard in many
different places: as an exchange cadet
at the Air Force Academy during 2/c
year; studying political economy at
Hong Kong University during 1/c
summer; and now, with this fantastic
opportunity overseas. She strives
to bring energy and enthusiasm to
all her work and strongly believes
that life without passion is no life at
June 2009
all. She is tremendously excited to be in
the Coast Guard, and hopes to be assigned next year to the CGC BERTHOLF.
She would like to alternate afloat tours
with time in International Affairs, working towards an attaché or liaison position. 47
THE
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Boxing Club Makes CGA History
Three Boxers finish season undefeated; go to Nationals
by Tom Barile, USCGA Boxing Coach
W
e kicked off the season in October
with over new 50 cadets coming out
for the team. During the first semester,
returning members help Chris Soto and
I give basic boxing instruction to cadets. After several weeks those practices became
more intense leading up to sparring sessions
and ultimately a series of Friday night fights.
Over those two months, approximately 12
cadets impressed the coaching staff enough
to establish a series of inters-quad bouts at
the Mead Gym which became know across
campus as “ Friday Night Fights”. Many of
the events drew well over 100 people and on
one instance, we had to turn away potential
attendees because there was no more room in
the gym. 3/c Nelson and 1/c Frost flank 1/c Murray, national champion in his weight class
(Photo by PA1 Timothy Tamargo)
While many returning team members were
helping coaches in first semester training the
new members, team captain and returning
All American Travis Murray, was busy
competing in National Collegiate Invitational
bouts at the New York Athletic Club and the
Washington Athletic club. In NY, Travis
defeated a two time national champion from
University of Nevada in a convincing
decision. A few months later in Seattle,
Washington, he dominated the 2007 national
runner-up from University of Santa Clara
1/c Murray at the National Invitational in New York at the New York Alhletic club
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THE
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(California) with the referee stopping the
bout in the second round.
Intercollegiate competitions started in
January with 4 new cadets from the “Friday
night Fight program” joining the established
team members.
Intercollegiate competition was attended
almost every weekend in January-February
and into March, and the season record was 27
wins and 6 loses.
Three CGA boxers, Travis Murray (165lbs),
Pat Frost (195lbs), and Gabe Nelson
(132lbs), finished the regular season
undefeated. Their perfect seasons qualified
them for the Eastern Collegiate Regional
Boxing Championships held at the Rosecroft
Raceway just outside of Washington DC. Murray and Frost would walk away with
Gold Medals and Nelson would earn the
Bronze medal. All three qualified to
compete at the National Collegiate Boxing
Championships, in College Park Maryland.
Travis would defeat boxers from Navy,
University of Nevada, and Army to win the
Collegiate National Championship.
Frost would defeat
boxers from the Air
Force Academy and
Indiana University
before suffering a
loss, in a back and
forth battle, to a US
Naval Academy
boxer in the National
Championship bout.
In his opening bout,
Gabe Nelson lost a
close decision to the
eventual National
Champion from San
Jose State University
At Nationals (l-r) 1/c Frost, Coach Tom Barile, 1/c Murray,
and 3/c Nelson
Overall, the team
finished the season
with the first national boxing champion
in school history, two boxers earning
All American honors, and three national
qualifiers. Those results earned the team
a 4th place finish at the 2009 National
Collegiate Boxing championships, again the
best finish in CGA boxing team history.
Scenes from the “Friday Night Fights”
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THE
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CGA Softball’s Storybook Season
by Jason Southard,
USCGA Sports Information Director
T
4/c Hayley Feindel
he Coast Guard Academy softball team and
head coach Donna Koczajowski had a storybook
season this spring as they
rode the arm of 4/c pitcher
Hayley Feindel and the bats
of four All-conference hitters to the NCAA Division
III tournament for the first
time.
Bears to a 3-1 win over sixth-seeded
Bridgewater State in the first game of the
tournament.
The Bears also captured
their first New England
Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) regular season title
and won a school record 39
games.
Coast Guard was beaten by top-seeded
Tufts 9-2 forcing yet another rematch
with Springfield and 4/c Feindel struck
out 10 and 3/c Amanda Frederick hit
a pair of home runs and drove in four
runs in a 7-3 win to put the Bears into the
championship game, where they would
have to beat Tufts twice.
Coast Guard, which was
14-24 overall and 6-10 in
conference play missing the
NEWMAC Tournament in
2008, posted its best ever
record on the spring trip,
returning home with an 8-2
record.
In the next game, the Bears would meet
nemesis Springfield, the seventh-seed,
for the fifth time this season. 2/c Courtney Wolf and 1/c Colleen Denny hit
back-to-back homers as the Bears erased
a 3-0 first inning deficit to win 7-4 and
advance to the winners’ bracket final.
Tufts would beat the Bears 10-1 to improve to 42-1 on the season and advance
to the NCAA Division III Softball College
World Series.
The Bears would win their first 24 games
up north to run their school-record
winning streak to 28 games, a tie was
added later in the season (from an earlier
game that was suspended, tied 1-1) and
the Bears became the first team to finish
NEWMAC play unbeaten, posting a 150-1 record.
Coast Guard had their streak snapped in
the first round or the NEWMAC Tournament as they would get beaten twice by
eventual NEWMAC tournament champion Springfield 3-1 and 7-0, but the Bears
would tango twice more with the Pride
in the NCAA Tournament. Coast Guard
beat both Babson and WPI in the conference tournament in extra innings.
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2/c Courtney Wolf
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The Bears earned the third-seed in the
NCAA New England Regional and 3/c
Becky Miller’s three-run homer led the
The Bears won 39 games breaking the mark of 31 in 2004 while
several individuals had record
breaking seasons.
4/c Feindel was named first
team All-New England as
well as NEWMAC Pitcher and
Rookie of the Year. She led the
nation for most of the season in
wins and posted a 34-6 record
with 382 strikeouts, 13 shutouts
and a 1.24 ERA. She shattered
the single-season school record
for wins, which was 26 set by
Katie Wunderlich, ’01, in 1999
and strikeouts which was 203 by Colleen
Perry, ’07, in 2006.
2/c Wolf, who led the team with a .371
batting average, broke the old school
record of nine homers set by Suzie Van
der Veer, ’02, in 2002, by belting 14 homers while also driving in 47 runs, just two
shy of Van der Veer’s record 49 in 2002.
2/c Wolf is now the Bears’ career-leader
with 19 homers. She was named second
All-region and first team All-conference
honors.
Team photo
Center fielder 1/c Annette Boston, who
leaves as the career record holder with
515 at bats, led the conference with 30
stolen bases and earned second team
All-region and All-conference honors.
Boston is third all-time at Coast Guard
with 63 stolen bases and fourth with 104
runs scored.
3/c Frederick, who was second with a
.366 average, led the team with 11 doubles and was second in homers (4) and
RBI’s (42). She was named second team
All-region and first team All-conference.
Left fielder 1/c Jeannie Crump finished
her career with a .354 career average after
hitting .341 this season to earn third team
All-region and second team All-conference accolades. She is third all-time at
Coast Guard with 149 hits.
1/c Colleen Denny
June 2009
1/c Colleen Denny, one of three firsties on
the team, closed out her career with her
best season as she hit .318 with two homers and 31 RBI’s. She finished her career
with 100 hits and is third all-time with 88
RBI’s and tied for fourth with 11 homers.
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Cadets Study Drawing in Italy
By Cadet 2/c Christopher Marquis
rill, sports teams, uniforms, endless
schoolwork, and hand salutes…
all parts of everyday life that is quickly
apparent to anyone who is, has been, or
knows a cadet at the U.S. Coast Guard
Academy. Dig a little deeper, and you’ll
find that no matter which cadet you may
happen to come across, it seems that every time, you doubtlessly find a uniquely
dynamic, multi-faceted individual. This
March, three such cadets could be found
devoting their Spring Break to a new experience that resulted in yet more skills
being added to the many personal and
professional resources found in the members of the Coast Guard.
Cadets 1/c Kaitlin Powers, 1/c Alex
Gebhart, and 2/c Chris Marquis were
given the opportunity to travel to Florence, Italy over Spring Break to study the
visual arts at the Florence Academy of
Art. And while the week certainly centered around these studies (with twentyfour hours spent in the studio over the
course of five days), there were a number
of other events that took place throughout the week that made this trip far from
forgettable.
If you were
travelling with
these cadets,
you would
probably have
found yourself
a bit tired from
the number of
events during
the week, even
beyond the art
class. Sunday
saw the group
getting a feel for
Italian culture
and history with a visit to the small
towns of San Gimignano and Sienna.
The next day, the travelers met with the
Consul General of Florence and took part
in the laying of a wreath on the home of
Amerigo Vespucci during his birthday
celebration. Tuesday afternoon saw the
group at the palace of Princess Corsini
for an afternoon lunch. Events later in
the week included visits with various
54
individuals, including American art
historian Dr. John Spike, and visits to a
number of museums like the Uffizi and
the Accademia. This was all on top of
spending between 3 and 6 hours each
day studying art.
The art class itself consisted of a
method entirely new to each of the three
cadets. Using the sight-size technique,
cadets were tasked with drawing a
plaster cast. Focus was in truly seeing
the cast as it was, understanding how it
related to the environment around it, and
recording this on paper. To put it more
accurately, the trick was to understand
how the relative distances of various
things, such as the shapes of shadows,
interacted with one another. Certainly
easier said than done. Yet at the end of
the week, each of the three cadets had a
remarkably accurate charcoal drawing of
his or her cast.
Although it may not seem readily
apparent, there is a huge connection
between the skill of understanding visuals and applying that skill to becoming
a more competent officer. Having an
awareness for depths and relative distances trains the eye to focus on details in
new ways. It’s like having a new instrument available on the bridge or in the
engine room, something that will always
benefit the crew and its ability to get the
job done. Yet it is an instrument that is
not often sought out to its full potential,
given the interest and talent available
to be drawn from within the Academy.
Studying art is just another way to
become well rounded and to prepare for
leadership as officers in the Coast Guard.
As for the three cadets who spent
their break in Florence…well, you might
call it cadets doing what they do best:
developing their own skills to be even
more effective and well-rounded leaders
ready to head out and lead the world’s
best service.
Cadet 1/c Chris Marquis is a Civil Engineering
Major from Foster, RI. As part of the Academy
Exchange Program, he spent the fall of his 2/c year
at the Air Force Academy. He runs on the men’s
varsity cross country and track teams, and he is a
three-time winner of the annual Cadet Art Show.
BULLETIN
THE
D
June 2009
55
THE
A ROUND A CADEMY
Why We Dance
International Ballroom Dance Club
by 2/c Anne Jefferson; edited by 3/c Carla Winsor and 1/c Brian Baffer
56
T
he United States Coast Guard Academy prides itself in the development
of young leaders. Our service demands
that cadets devote time to actively
develop their professional relationships
within the CG community. Intelligence,
integrity, strength, courage, and the
simple yet imperative social graces are
required skills in order for anyone to
be successful. The CGA International
Ballroom Dance Club (IBDC) not only
provides cadets with an opportunity to
represent the Academy positively in the
New England community; it does so in
an enjoyable, yet rigorious environment.
The IBDC started out small and was
largely focused on swing dance. With
the growing popularity of the more
formal ballroom dancing among colleges all over the nation and exposure to
ballroom dancing by television shows
such as “Dancing with the Stars” many
cadets expressed the desire to expand
their footwork skills to include other
complicated dances. With Dr. Zapalska’s
(Professor of Economics and the IBDC
advisor and coach) dance background,
passion for art, and wonderful teaching style to guide them, for the last four
years the CGA cadets have been developing proficiency for an art that builds confidence, poise and grace. As more cadets
learn about the fun, the club continues to
grow. From an initial handful of cadets,
club membership is now at nearly one
hundred and twenty. (A group picture of
the IBDC members)
The IBDC provides a venue for cadets
to learn both the International and
American dance styles while developing their social graces in a professional
environment. Every Sunday night, the
cadets meet to sharpen their skills in the
Rumba, Waltz, Viennese Waltz, Cha Cha,
Samba, Salsa, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Swing
(west coast and east coast), Mambo, and
Tango. On Saturday’s, the cadets visit
local New England venues, which allows
interaction with the community.
This year, the IBDC hosted five community dances in Leamy Hall. These dances
began with a lesson and then proceeded
with an open dance floor for the rest of
the evening. Community members from
all around New England come, as well
as, the cadets, the faculty and staff of the
Academy. With Leamy Hall being one of
the biggest ballrooms in New England,
BULLETIN
THE
Left to right: Tim Cassel,
Alyssa McDonald,
Gina Gutierrez, Alex
Schmidt. IBDC dancers
are practicing for the
elegant Ballroom Dance
performance for the Coast
Guard Annual Ball.
June 2009
57
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A ROUND A CADEMY
Jonnie Condon (Fourth Class Cadet: left),
swing dancing with a community member
during one of IDBC’s weekly trips to a
community ballroom dance club at K&S
(Cranston, RI).
Left to right: Ivanna Bertin, Admiral Thad
Allen, and Daniel Miller. IDBC dancers,
after the Ballroom Dance performance,
spend some time with the Commandant of
the Coast Guard, Admiral Thad Allen.
the floor was always packed
due to the huge turnout.
This year set a precedent for
the IBDC, which has predominately performed at
USCGA cadet formals. Under the fantastic support and
guidance of Dr. Alina Zapalska, IBDC performed for the
Coast Guard Headquarters
Christmas Ball on December
6th 2008. This event not only
demonstrated the commitment and talent of the cadets,
it showed the leaders of the
Coast Guard community that
cadets are actively involved
in developing professional
relationships in and out of
uniform through their interaction with CG leadership
throughout the night. The
club members also performed at many other events
to support the New England
community. Some of those
events included the Presidential Inauguration Ball
that was held at Circle of Life
Ballroom, East Hartford, CT
on January 24th, 2009, and
at the Lyon’s Club Annual
Award’s Dinner in March
2009. At each venue, cadets
learn from “experienced”
crowds, while learning how
to conduct themselves as
representatives of the Coast
Guard with the community.
The IBDC gives cadets the opportunity to continue the legacy of ballroom
dancing in the Coast Guard. What is it
that gets cadets who have never taken a
step onto the dance floor to devote what
precious, and limited time they have to
this club? The cadet dance community
has identified these reasons for dancing.
First of all, there is no better way to build
social and personal confidence than on a
dance floor. Dancing, especially ballroom dancing is a social event. Dancing
is a skill that has help foster a positive
environment for cadets. You cannot
learn without making mistakes, and
you cannot dance without the help and
guidance of a partner. It teaches cadets
how to trust one another, and how to approach people in a respectful and engaging manor. There is nothing better than
having the confidence to ask someone to
dance; it gives you a social courage. This
is the pride of the United States Coast
Guard Academy’s International Ballroom
Dance Club, this is why we dance!
The long-terms goals of the club are to
start competing in ballroom dancing at
Brown University, Harvard University
and Yale University as a dance formation
and solo performance in both American
and International style. With a newly
invested interest in the art of dancing, the
CGA International Ballroom Dance Club
offers a positive outlet for cadets.
International Ballroom Dance Club
BULLETIN
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