March 8, 2010

Cadet Ulrich shines at RFI! Details from Col. Hunt.

RFI is always a critical time at Fishburne.  The school’s JROTC honor rating with distinction is at stake, a tradition that goes back well into the early 1920’s.  Invariably the challenge of the occasion brings out the best in the cadet corps, and 2010 was no exception.

The entire corps gave a major effort and managed to secure yet another honor rating with distinction with the highest score of any of the 106 schools previously inspected this year.  Needless to say, this collective achievement was the product of much individual skill and determination.

There is no better example of what the inspectors saw at Fishburne on March 3rd than the challenge faced that day by Cadet William Ulrich of Oregonia, OH.

FMS Senior Army Instructor LTC Robert Hunt described it this way:  “During the RFI one of our cadets really stepped up and helped the school tremendously when it counted. Cadet William Ulrich showcased the leadership skills we hope to instill in our students while they are here at Fishburne.

“Cadet Ulrich is the first sophomore to be given the rank of First Sergeant. He participates on three JROTC teams: raiders, exhibition, and the leadership team. He had also been selected to be one of the 12 cadets designated as ‘curriculum knowledge experts’ for the RFI and was expected to be a part of the Hudgins Rifles Exhibition Drill Team demonstration, one of the important events in the overall inspection.”

The best-laid plans, of course, turn into last-minute challenges.  Cadet SSG Patrick Guiffre, the Hudgins Rifles Drill Team Commander, was required to be absent for surgery and was unable to command his team.  Colonel Hunt asked the team at large to volunteer someone who could step up as their interim leader. Cadet Ulrich was the unanimous choice, and he agreed to take on the challenge.

“Cadet Ulrich is a sophomore and not yet the most talented spinner, but his determination, dedication and commitment to the team and the JROTC program carried him through the event with great success.  He took charge of the team during the abbreviated practices leading up to the RFI, and through his hard work and perseverance he prepared himself and the team for an outstanding performance.”

Mr. Buck Jenkins, the 4th Brigade inspector conducting the RFI, was so impressed with the precision and difficulty of the Hudgins Rifles’ presentation that he told them he felt they could compete and win at nationals.  Cadet Ulrich thanked the team for supporting him throughout the process. When Cadet Guiffre returned, he said he had no doubts that Cadet First Sergeant Ulrich would step up in his absence and do a great job.

LTC Hunt concluded, “Cadet Ulrich has a bright future ahead of him here at FMS and he is one of the best JROTC cadets in the corps.  He is highly respected by his subordinates, peers and superiors.”

FMS Communications

2 Comments

Filed under In The News, Military Education & Research

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

March 4, 2010

Fishburne Keeps Gold Star! Col. Hunt Recaps the Big Day…

Background: As many of you know JROTC was established at FMS in February 1919 and the JROTC formal inspection began in 1926. The formal inspection is conducted triennially. What that means is that if you achieve less than “Honor Unit with Distinction” you hold that rating for a period of three years. The maximum score is 600 points. There are three ratings a unit can receive: Meritorious Unit (MU) 480/80%, Honor Unit (HU) 540/90% and Honor Unit with Distinction (HUD) 576/96% or higher). Based on Mr. Moroney’s ‘President of the Board of Trustees Report,’ FMS has been an “Honor Unit with Distinction” except on two occasions which we were an “Honor Unit.” The last time was sometime in the 1970s.

It is clear to all the 4th Brigade SAIs that the scoring is getting tougher every cycle.  The Brigade average this year is 584.Our highest score in school history was in 2004 which we received a 596.6/99.4, losing only a total of 3.4 total points. Two of those points came from the cadet staff briefing 98/100. I call tell you this year’s cadet effort was as good as in any of the past RFIs. It was the first time that we used leather versus plastic shoes. All the other schools use pre-shined shoes.  That point alone made it a tougher year to prepare for the RFI.

This year we achieved a score of 592.3/98.7% on the RFI. If you combine this score with our unit activities score which was 400/400, we achieved a total score of 992.3/1000 points. Mr. Jenkins (4th Bde Evaluator) stated it was the highest score of the 106 units that the Brigade has evaluated this inspection cycle. The highlight of the inspection was the staff briefing. Looking back on the past five (15 Years) RFIs, this was the highest score for a cadet staff. Mr. Jenkins (4th Bde Evaluator) said “the briefing was flawless.” The cadet staff scored 99/100 points. There are no 100s ever given. Ours was the highest score achievable and we were the only one of the 106 schools who received a score of 99. The cadets that were part of the staff briefing were: Richer, Tisdelle, Tattersall, Smith, Guimond, Sliger, Bunce, Drumm, Burkard, and Mullins. The VMI SROTC inspectors commented that are cadets look better than some of the VMI cadets. They were clearly impressed by our cadets and their preparation and attitude. Mr. Jenkins said this is a great looking outfit, they are as sharp as tack!

I ask all faculty and staff to take time to congratulate the corps on an outstanding job at this year’s RFI. There were five cadets that received a VMI Army ROTC coin for being rated the best in their unit. A Company- Anderson, B Company- Davenport, C Company – Cochran Band Company-McMullen and Staff/CG- Green. Some cadets that participated in multiple areas were; Ulrich- A Co 1SG, Acting Hudgins Drill Team Commander (Patrick Guiffre was out for an ear operation), member of the curriculum knowledge committee. Kinniburgh- Band Squad Leader, Regulation Drill Team Commander, Member of the Curriculum Knowledge Committee. Guimond- Staff Briefing, Battalion S3, Member of the Curriculum Knowledge Committee. Tisdelle- Staff Briefing, Battalion XO, Member of the Curriculum Knowledge Committee. Davenport- Staff Briefing (Uniform Example), C Co Squad Leader, and Hudgins Drill Team. Owens-Wargo- C Co Squad Leader, Staff Briefing (Uniform Example), and Hudgins Drill Team. Tattersall- Staff Briefing, Battalion S1, and Member of Curriculum Knowledge Committee. Burkard- Staff Briefing, Battalion SGM, and Member of Curriculum Knowledge Committee.

I would like to thank the FMS Faculty and Staff for there support throughout the preparation process. I would like to extend special thanks to LTC Corbin and his entire staff, Col Sedr, MSgt Jones, Mr. Selkow, MAJ Ingersoll, Mr. Catherwood, Mrs. Jones, and Ms. Morgan.

Very Respectfully,

LTC Hunt

1SG Hensley

MSG Morton

Leave a Comment

Filed under Military Education & Research, Student Life

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

March 2, 2010

Winter Sports Banquet Details and Images

As the winter sports season comes to a close, the Caissons’ athletic teams can point to several successes and positive momentum in its athletic programs.

The varsity basketball team finished another winning campaign with a regular season record of 9-8, including a stirring three-game winning streak to end the season, followed by a tough loss to Hargrave Military Academy in the quarterfinals of the VIC (Virginia Independent Conference) tournament.  Fishburne also completed the season with a third place ranking in the Piedmont Division of the VIC.  The team earned a birth in the VISAA (Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association) tournament for the second time in three years, which is a testament to the coaching ability of Coach Chip Crabill, Coach Larry Crabill, and the players.   The Caissons were led by David Candalerio and Glen Franklin, who each averaged 14 points per game and garnered all-conference honors.  Ben Gomez averaged 8 points per game, while Chet Berry added 7.

The junior varsity basketball team struggled to two wins during the season, but won a big game against rival Massanutten Military Academy.  The junior Caissons were led by Chance Berry averaging 9 points per game, and Angel Carrion with 8.  Coach Jason Pullen complimented his players for “working hard day in, day out, and never giving up… they were a joy to coach and the improvements they made over the season was remarkable”

Coach Rich Chiarolanzio, or “Coach C”, reenergized the wrestling team and led the grapplers to a regular season 9-0 record and a 4th place finish in the conference.  Jonathan Vincent peaked at just the right time took to knock off the #7 Seed to advance to the top 8 in the state. The wrestling team also gathered several conference accomplishments with the following medalists:

Michael Labianca finished 2nd overall, losing a tough match in the championship

Bevin Morrison-Rodgers finished 4th

Kyle Harvey finished 2nd wrestling the best he has all season

Joseph Forehand finished 4th

Christopher Sliger finished 4th

Tyler Lawson finished 4th after suffering an injury in his first match toughed it out for 2 more matches.

Novak Porter finished 3rd

Conner Smith Finished 3rd

and Justin Bell finished 3rd

According to Coach C, “As the new head coach in my first year at FMS I have to say that this team has brought me as much pride as any team I have coached in any sport for the past 31 years. The hard work and drive of these young men has truly paid off for all of us in the FMS family as something to be proud of.”

The swim team, under Coach Katherine Gray, made great strides with a young and inexperienced group of hard working swimmers.  According to Coach Gray, “We had by far the smallest team to start with and then had two swimmers disqualified from the conference meet because they barely missed reporting to the blocks in time for there events.  These disqualifications were demoralizing to the team and they had a hard time recovering.  Though we didn’t beat any other teams, every single swimmer dropped time in every event they swam!!!”  The Fishburne swimmers raced their best swims of the season in the final meet, and the progress and work ethic they demonstrated during the season was commendable.

Final VIC Swim Meet Results:

Hargrave 110

Roanoke Catholic 110

Covenant School 100

VES 78

North Cross School 61

Fishburne Military School 35

Head Football Coach Val Gochenour, who led the Fishburne football team to its first conference championship since 1990, has established a new strength and conditioning program for the winter and fall terms.  This popular activity includes football players looking to gain strength for next fall’s football season, and other cadets that simply want to increase their level of fitness.  Award winners included Joey Clare, Derek Rogers, Alex Boswell, and Colin Green.  Most successful athletic programs include strength and conditioning, and we are fortunate to have someone as experienced as Coach Gochenour to head up the program.

Cadet Chris Sliger was honored individually with the Colonel James G. Hogg Scholar Athlete Award given out to the cadet who best exemplifies the true Fishburne Man – honorable both scholastically and on the playing field (or in this case -the wrestling mat). Congrats to Chris!

Thanks to the long hours, hard work, and dedication of the coaching staff, the Fishburne athletic program is on solid footing and poised to move into the future with confidence and enthusiasm.

Mike Anson, AD

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports, Student Life

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 23, 2010

Spring Break Activities for Cadets While at Home

Just three weeks away (March 13-21), Spring Break is a time we encourage our parents to schedule an activity or multiple activities that might be more engaging for a young cadet rather than spending all his time playing X-box, Play Station, or the Nintendo Wii. Although the best opportunities require a little effort on the part of parents to organize something meaningful, the added benefits far exceed simply occupying his time and works to enhance his resume. We make note of this upcoming opportunity because volunteering (or working) during Spring Break can play a pivotal role in the development of each cadet.

Some of our cadets have found ground-breaking enthusiasm towards their Spring Break experiences. In the past we’ve had cadets that volunteered at veterinary hospitals love their experiences so much they decided to return over the following summer, and then further their education in biology and veterinary medicine in college and beyond. College admission at a great school is difficult and any resume enhancer that can be added pre-application is strongly encouraged.

A number of parents elect to schedule volunteer opportunities at local non-profits like Habitat for Humanity, local food banks, and SPCA locations. Parents can inquire about menial jobs at their work place which would require little supervision.  We ask our parents to consider paying their son for engaging in these great opportunities. Over the years we’ve realized that quite simply, money talks, and that the experience is better for both the cadet and the institution if they can consider it a job.

Fishburne will award tour credits and merits for this as well as community service hours.

Without a doubt, the primary goal is to keep our cadets active in the learning process and under adult supervision during Spring Break so that parents can concentrate on work. There are so many wonderful non-profits in every community that desperately need able-bodied help. Some of these organizations have captivating missions that are truly inspirational.

Thank you!

FMS

Leave a Comment

Filed under Classes & Education, General

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 22, 2010

Wrestling Season Ends with One Caisson in the Parade of Champions!!!

The excitement of the wrestling season came to an end on Saturday evening… well at least the wrestling has come to an end. Excitement still lingers for the future of this young Caisson Wrestling Team.

Excitement was the word of the day as all but two wrestlers had never taken part in a wrestling tournament of this nature; a State Championship Tournament. The tournament started out tough. Kyle Harvey lost his weigh-in to the scale and was out before it started. Kyle has been fighting a mid season growth spurt and has struggled the entire time in maintaining his weight below the allowed 121 pounds. The rest of the team made it safely and were ready to take their shot at the glory of winning at a state tournament.

Michael Labianca was our only seeded wrestler in the tournament. He was seeded 12th. To be seeded at the state tournament means a lot no matter if it’s 1st or 16th, it shows that people have noticed you and took what you have done that season as a measure as if you were someone to deal with at this level.

The team had set a goal for the tournament and it was just one goal, to be wrestling on Saturday, the second day of the State Championships. After the wrestling began at 10pm on Friday night five Caissons were still alive. The five that were still alive: 103 pounds – Michael LaBianca (10th grade), 130 pounds – Jonathan Vincent (12th Grade), 135 pounds – Joseph Forehand (9th Grade), 189 pounds – Novak Porter (9th Grade), and 285 pounds – Justin Bell (11th Grade).

The final Caisson standing was Jonathan Vincent. Vincent was the only wrestler with over ten matches that entered the tournament with a losing record at his weight. He spent the first half of the season up at 135 before moving down. His task in the 12th round was to beat the # 7 seed. Vincent peaked at just the right time and wrestled the best he has all year knocking off the #7 seed to advance to the top 8 in the State! Vincent lost his next match to the #5 seed sending him to the 7th and 8th place match. He had a long break after that awaiting for all the weights to get down to just 8 wrestlers and its a good thing as Vincent had injured his shoulder in his prior match and was not sure if he could move on. My guidance to him was this, “if you can go then you go, if you can’t go then so be it we med default the match.”

The State Championship Tournament “Parade of Champions,” was next. The parade is when all of the top 8 wrestlers in each weight class are paraded into the main wrestling area to music and lots of cheers. It’s a special moment for a young man to be in that parade and there was Jonathan Vincent, marching in proudly wearing his FMS WRESTLING warm-ups for all to see!

Vincent decided to take a shot against a tough wrestler from the Covenant School who he had split his prior two matches against. It was a back and forth match all the way. In the third period, you could see that Vincent was in pain but he kept on going. He made his only true mistake of the tournament when he was rolled over, had a hard time overcoming his injury, and was pinned at the end of the match. Cadet Vincent finished the day in 8th place and stood by the podium at the end of the day during the awards ceremony.

As the new Head Coach, and this being my first year at FMS, I have to say that this team has brought me as much pride as any team I have coached in any sport for the past 31 years. I have had teams win small school titles, conference championships, and compete at the national level, but this team has brought me more pride then any one in the past.

At the State Tournament so many parents and coaches from other schools came up to me and told me how wonderful it was to see FMS Wrestling doing as well as they were, and to be so well behaved. As Coach Anson mentioned, yes, at the VIC Tournament I was selected as the 2010 VIC Wrestling Coach of the Year. The award is wonderful and a true moment of pride for me, but mainly due to the fine young men that have taken the mat for FMS all season. This team never lost interest, never stopped working, and they never stopped pushing each other.

In closing, I want to make sure to send a special thanks out to all the parents of the young men on this team. To be at the State Championship Tournament on the same weekend as Parents’ Military Weekend, and look around and see the Garnet and Gold of FMS being displayed in the bleachers is a magic moment. So a special thank you to all the parents who traveled to the tournament and for their support, and to the entire FMS Family who supported these young men this past season. We look forward to seeing you all there again NEXT SEASON.

Sincerely,

Coach C

Head Coach

FMS Wrestling

1 Comment

Filed under Sports

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 22, 2010

Football Schedule for Fall ‘10

This schedule is more or less final.  Any questions let me know.  Mike

Camp reports Aug 15

8/27 VES (A) Scrimmage 4 p.m.

9/3 R-MA (A) Scrimmage 4 p.m.

9/10 Avalon (A) 4 p.m.

9/17 Model (H) 4 p.m.

9/24 Quantico (H) 4 p.m.

10/1 Roanoke Catholic (A) 7 p.m.

10/8 Hyde (H) 4 p.m.

10/16 MMA (H) 3 p.m. (Parent’s Weekend)

10/23 Fredericksburg Chris. (A) 2 p.m.

10/29 John Paul the Great (A) 3 p.m.

11/5 or 6 CAFC Playoffs

11/12 or 13 or CAFC Championship

Note:  This is the same 8-game regular season schedule as in 2009, except we open with Avalon instead of Fuqua.

Also, the scrimmage with VES replaces the 2009 scrimmage with Waynesboro JV football.

Any questions let me know.

Mike Anson

Fishburne Military School Athletic Director

ansonm@fishburne.org

540-946-7761 (school)

540-910-3031 (cell)

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 22, 2010

Images from Winter Military Weekend

Leave a Comment

Filed under General, Military Education & Research, Student Life

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 19, 2010

Fishburne Wins Match-Up Against VMI’s Club Team

FMS 97   VMI  47

Great team effort again. I was pleased with how we shared the ball and continued to play very unselfish. Although we had a big lead our guys continued to work on our execution and defensive effort, things that have been the staple of our program, We did not have any single player standout alone but, what we did have was a collective effort and enthusiasm throughout the game. I also would like to say how impressed I was with the VMI campus. It is an awesome place and our players truly enjoyed the opportunity and experience. I got to spend some time with a few of the VMI student-athletes and let them know how special they were. Several of them shared with me that they will be commissioned in May and will likely be assigned in either Iraq or Afghanistan by the end of the year. Like many, I am very grateful for the service they are giving our great Nation. I would also ask that All of us keep them in our prayers and thoughts. And last, I would like to give a special thanks to Paul Maini, a 27 year veteran of VMI for giving Fishburne Cadets the opportunity to experience the VMI campus. He shared some stories, gave a brief history of the school and talked a little about his Vietnam experience. There were no losers today just all winners.
Go Caissons & Go Keydets!
Ed Huckaby Jr
Head Coach Post Graduate Basketball
Fishburne Military School

Leave a Comment

Filed under Sports

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 18, 2010

PG Hoops Takes Down Progressive Christian Academy

Final Score: FMS 82, PCA 79

It was great effort by our guys in terms of grinding it out for 40 minutes. I thought that Quincy Taylor and Marquise Barfield did an excellent leading our team and keeping us calm under some tough situations. Chris Nelson I thought was outstanding throughout the game. His defensive and rebounding effort was key to us jumping out to an early lead and setting the table for our effort in the game. I am please with our effort and mental toughness as we are going down the stretch of very good season.

Barfield 19 pts 5 asst
Murphy 19 pts 11 rebs
Taylor 17pts  4 asst
Nelson 5 pts  9 rebs  2 asst

Thanks!

Coach Huckaby

2 Comments

Filed under Sports

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

February 15, 2010

Caisson Wrestling Team Earns Respect at VIC Championship

It was a cold and quiet ride to Lynchburg for the VIC Wrestling Championship Tournament as the team covered up and slept all the way as the snow kept falling until we got to our destination. Once there and in the gym weigh-in was completed, the tournament seeding was finalized, and then it was time to put the long season to its test.

Well, it heated up quickly as Bevin Morrison-Rodgers was the first Caisson to take the mat and won in (:48) seconds. A few minutes later Kyle Harvey took to the mat as an unseeded team member at 119 pounds and made short work of the wrestler from Covenant, pinning him in (:41) seconds.

We lost in the finals round which sent us down to the consolation round to wrestle for 3rd place.

Michael Labianca started it all of strong winning by pin in 1:46, followed by Kyle Harvey winning 13 – 4 over a wrestler that he had lost to during the regular season by one point. At 189-pounds, Novak Porter was wrestling a great match and ahead by the score of 10 – 2 when he made his one mistake and it cost him as he was pinned denying him a chance to advance to the finals. At 285-pounds, Justin Bell had to go against the #2 kid in the state giving up over a foot in height and about 75 pounds. Bell gave him all he could handle as the score stood at 2 -1 late in the 3rd period when the sheer size of the other wrestler just won out and Bell was pinned with thirty seconds to go in the match.

At the end of this round the team scores were announced and the Caissons sat in 5th place over all but just 4.5 points out of 2nd. Four teams were all with in 4.5 points of each other for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th. The first place team was way ahead so by this point, with LCA having the team score basically wrapped up, everyone else was hunting for 2nd place. With two wrestlers in the finals and seven wrestlers in the consolation finals, we were very much in the hunt to accomplish our goal of finishing in the top four teams in the tournament.

At the end of the Championship round team finishers looked as follows:

Michael Labianca finished 2nd losing in the finals the the #2 ranked kid in the state

Bevin Morrison-Rodgers finished 4th

Kyle Harvey finished 2nd wrestling the best he has all season

Joseph Forehand finished 4th

Christopher Sliger finished 4th

Tyler Lawson finished 4th

Novak Porter finished 3rd

Conner Smith finished 3rd

Justin Bell finished 3rd

That’s 9/14 wrestlers placed as winners, and an outstanding feat for this young team!

It was a very bright day for the kids on the wrestling team as they did the FMS Family proud all day long. Now only one more step remains this season and that’s the State Championship Tournament in Richmond on Friday and Saturday, Feb 19th & 20th. We hope to finish in the top 4 which would provide us a birth in the Prep School National tournament the following weekend at Lehigh University.

Congratulations go out to ALL members of the team! They walked into the LCA gym in their new warm-ups 24 strong. They did a great job and earned a lot of respect for what they have done. This is just the beginning.

Coach C

FMS WRESTLING

GO CAISSONS!!!!!!!!!!

Leave a Comment

Filed under In The News, Sports

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Older Entries