Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 11:01:33 -0400 From: "Wehrle, Andy" Reply-To: johnny at charm.net To: "'johnny at charm.net'" Subject: An afternoon in the Sunshine Ballons, swing music, colorful awnings, large crowds milling about leisurely, or imbibing their favorite spirits whilst reclining on picnic blankets on the shaded green lawn all lent themselves to the festive air on the grounds of St. John. And this genteel revelry served as backdrop to the annual battle for bragging rights to the title of Greater Annapolitan Croquet Champion between St Johns and the United States Naval Academy. St John's triumphed yet again. But that is not the real story. What struck me most forcefully was the contrast between the leisurely spectators on the lawn of St. John's and the intensity of the spectators that, at that very moment, cheered Navy in the annual Army-Navy lacrosse contest being held not more than a mile away in Memorial Stadium. At St John's the crowd milled about randomly, carefreely, with little attention to the combatants on the three croquet pitches. In Memorial Stadium the spectator's sat or stood in uniform row after row of stadium seats intently focused on the action on the field. At St. Johns swing music lent a festive and genteel atmosphere to the congenial crowd. At Memorial Stadium the crowd sang the Star Spangled Banner to begin the festivities and abandoned all conversation to cheering the action on the field and listening to the announcer over the loudspeaker. At St. John's the outcome of the contest was of secondary importance to the renewal of the ties of friendship and the conversation with like minds. At Memorial Stadium emotions at fever pitch would be dashed or sent soaring based solely on the outcome of the battle on the field and comraderie was defined in terms of that battle and past battles shared rather than on the personal interaction of the moment. At St. John's it was difficult to see the action on any one pitch without some effort - and it didn't matter. At Memorial Stadium all attention was focused on a small ball tossed at lightening speed between players and being able to see the action was paramount to enjoying the game. At St. John's many people did not know the rules of croquet and that didn't seem to matter in terms of the enjoyment gained from the afternoon's festivities. At Memorial Stadium it was possible to follow the action without knowing the rules but an understanding of the rules helped one understand the subtleties of the action and intensified the emotion when one team or another was guilty of an infraction. And all of this makes sense in terms of the type of graduate each institute is focused on producing. At St. John's a premium is placed on a life of reflection, of action taken after appropriate reflection and conversation. At Navy graduates must be able to focus their attention in the midst of chaos, must know the rules, must be able to act decisively and quickly, must act with great emotion and often without the luxury of consultation with peers or seniors. On the lawn at St John's Navy once again bowed to a superior foe, while on the field of battle in Memorial Stadium the mids defeated their comrades in arms - this time. So, while I enjoyed my afternoon in the sun on the lawn of St. John's immensely, my heart was with the crowd cheering in Memorial Stadium. And that's as it should be. Regards---->>>Andy Wehrle USNA72