The Leading Military School / Boarding School for Boys

Will Trainor, Josh Brown, and Ryan Hedges competed in the East Cost Independent High School Championship Meet at LaSalle University (Philadelphia, PA) this past weekend. Will won the 50 yard freestyle and finished second in the 100 yard freestyle. A great finish to an awesome season - the best on the coast! Josh Brown placed 13th in the 1 meter diving competition. This caps off a stellar season for Trainor, who the week before set a state record in the 100 yard freestyle en route to winning two individual events at the High School State Championship Meet.

Varsity Basketball Surges

The FUMA PG's hosted Charis Prep, a team from North Carolina with several division I prospects, on the weekend of February 17-18. FUMA won the Friday night game 95 -71, and was equally impressive Saturday winning 110-90.

The following weekend the Blue Devils traveled to Annapolis, Maryland to play The United States Naval Academy's JV squad Friday and Saturday. FUMA won both games, 70-50 and 85-65.

Fork Union's record stands at 23-8, going into the Hargrave Military Academy Invitational in Chatham, Virginia on Friday at 1:00 and Saturday at either 1:30 or 3:30 PM. Massanutten Military Academy will probably be the opposing team on Friday.

Will Trainor Breaks State Record in Swim Meet

The swim team finished 11th overall in the State Meet (out of 26+ teams), placing ahead of conference rival Woodberry Forest School (12th place). All three relays (200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay) qualified for finals-the first time in at least 4 years-and a team goal. The 200 freestyle relay won the "B" final, placing 9th out of 42 relay teams.

Will Trainor was named Double State Champion (50 yard freestyle, 100 yard freestyle). He broke the 15 year old state record in the 100 yard freestyle, and was voted Virginia State Championship Swimmer of the Meet.

Tom Calhoun qualified for finals in the 100 yard breaststroke. He dropped over 2 seconds in the "B" final, winning it and placing 9th overall. He also qualified for finals in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, and qualified as a finals alternate in the 50 freestyle.

Josh Brown pulled double duty by placing 9th overall in the 1 meter diving event, and anchored the FUMA "B" medley and 200 freestyle relays. Both relays improved on best times by over seven seconds each.

Matt VanCamp dropped over 2 seconds off his best 100 yard freestyle split time in the 400 freestyle relay during prelims. His impressive time drop helped qualify the team for finals. He dropped another 2 seconds in finals, ensuring the team would finish 11th overall.

Stephen Rivas swam a best time in the 50 butterfly by a second on the FUMA "C" medley relay. He dropped over five seconds from his last years best time, and clocked the second fastest butterfly split on the team.

Felix Koeda dropped a second in the 100 breaststroke, placing him in the top 25. He also swam on the FUMA "B" 200 medley relay and FUMA "C" 200 freestyle relay.

Prep Basketball Eliminated from Finals in Closing Seconds

Tuesday - Prep Basketball defeated Collegiate School in a close quarterfinal game of the Prep League Tournament here at Fork Union with a final score of 46-45. After Pickett of Collegiate hit a three-pointer to take a one-point lead with 13 seconds left, Junior Tienne Jefferson banked a jumper at the final buzzer to take the victory. The Blue Devils were led by All-Prep center Lemond Lee with 17 points. Jefferson had 16 points and 10 rebounds. Fork Union advanced to the semis to meet #1 seeded Christchurch on Friday night.

Friday - Fork Union (#4) lost a heartbreaker to #1 seeded Christchurch School 73-71 at Trinity Episcopal School on Friday night. The Blue Devils played hard and never gave up, even when down by 7 points with 90 seconds left and with 3 starters fouled out.

With 8 seconds left in regulation, Junior forward, Zack Bandak knocked down a three-point basket to tie the game at 71. Fork Union committed a foul, and Christchurch made both free throws to seal the victory with 4 seconds remaining. Junior Tienne Jefferson led the Blue Devils in scoring with 21 points and was also selected to the Prep League All-Tournament Team. All-Prep Center Lemond Lee added 14 points before fouling out with 4 minutes remaining. Zack Bandak had 11 points.

Cadets Recognized for Community Service

On Friday, February 17th during Commandant's Call several cadets were recognized for accumulating over 40 hours of community service. They included Donte Brown, Seong Jang, Chul Oh, and Ryan Van Geisen. Their service included working in local nursing home; assisting with the Fluvanna Christian Society's holiday party; working at the Palmyra Village Christmas program and town tree lighting; and collecting over 300 Bibles for Katrina victims. Many of the cadets participated in donating food to the local food bank this year. Thanks and congratulations to our cadets for helping out in the community. Special thanks to Bev Hanlin, Community Service Coordinator, for overseeing all of these projects.

Schedule for Upper School Awards Night and Graduation Exercises is released

The Registrar has published the schedule for the final days of the Upper School session, featuring the Upper School Awards Night and the Graduation Exercises. This information is posted in the For Parents section of the web site.

Lemond Lee named to All-Prep Basketball Team

Senior Lemond Lee from Rockville, VA was named to the Virginia All-Prep Basketball Team for 2005-2006. The semifinals of the Prep League Basketball tournament will be held at Trinity Epsicopal School on Friday, February 17 beginning at 5:45 p.m. The championship game will be held on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

FUMA Racks 220 Points in Prep League Championship

In a far cry from the drama of last year's half-point win, FUMA easily outdistanced runner up Saint Christopher's by 72 points in the Virginia Prep League Indoor Track Championship. Fork Union had event champions in 12 of the 15 events in the Saint Christopher's palatial indoor track facility. For Fork Union, the win marks the ninth win in the last ten years at the indoor championships.

Leading the way for the Blue Devils was the extraordinary Brandon Caleb. Caleb picked up easy wins in the long jump and triple jump going 21'9 in the long and 46'5 in the triple. Caleb came back to win easy in the high hurdles and then split 22.6 in the 4x200 to help beat the heavily-favored Saints. Saint Christopher's had not been beaten in the event all season long. Caleb concluded his day with a leg on the victorious 4x400. Axel Mostrag led a 1-2-3 sweep in the 1600 and then ran an outstanding 1:06.9 in the 500. The U.S. number-one in the 800 then returned to win the 3200 giving him three event wins for the day. Next up for Caleb and Mostrag is the Nike Indoor Nationals in Landover Maryland.

Stephen Palmer shocked the crowd with an upset victory in the 55 dash. Palmer's time of 6.70 was a personal best. It was also Palmer's first win over Saint Chris standout Chris Barnes. Palmer returned to anchor the 4x200 to a season-best 1:34.22 win. Jonathan Foote had a flawless day in the high jump, winning with no misses at 6'2. Once the title was in hand, the senior Foote raised the bar to 6'6 and had several near misses. Szymon Rola ran from the front in the 1000 and won in 2:44. Rola was a close second to countryman Mostrag in the 1600 and ran a leg on the 4x400. Carl Daniel celebrated his football signing with a win in the shot put at 47'9. The Rhode Island bound senior has added six and half feet to his best from last year under the tutelage of Coach Micky Sullivan.

Though the team has world-class talent in several areas, fast emerging is quality depth that would dominate at any other school. Jamie Reichlen, Jonathan Buckland and Neal Dodson would be headliners at other schools; all three have registered elite performances throughout the season. Dodson picked up a pair of third places in the dash and high hurdles and was the lead off in the 4x200. Reichlen ran an outstanding 1:08 in the 500 to place second and was fourth in the 300. He would return at the end of the meet to anchor the 4x400 victory. Jonathan Buckland did all of the pace work in the 1600 and 3200 and finished third in both. Had he been able to concentrate on just the 3200, he would have undoubtedly given 9:40 a chase. Another athlete that made a big jump was junior David Johnson, who cut 12 seconds off his personal best in the 3200 finishing fourth in 10:18.

Several newcomers came through big on Saturday as well. Jobari Abramson finished second in the triple jump, and Travis Meyer was fourth in the high jump with a personal best 5'10. Murphy Powell (55HH), Philip Hylton (shot put), Tyrone Gardner (55) and John Schoffstall (1000) all scored in the meet. Jordan Brooks jumped 19'5 in the long jump and was third, adding seven inches to his season-best. Andrew Baker ran a strong 500 and was sixth; he came back later and ran lead off on the 4x400 allowing Axel Mostrag to add another individual running event. The 4x800 placed third with four developing runners and ran 32 seconds faster than any other performance this year. Lastly, Frank Walker took up two events this season that were not his specialty. Walker, an all-state discus thrower, finished fifth in the shot put and ran a personal best 24.5 in the 4x200 to help set up the win.

It was a strange season for the Blue Devils. In December a Tuesday night meet was snowed out, in January the team was not allowed in the Virginia Tech Invitational out of spite, and last week a power outage cost the team another competitive opportunity. Through it all, the team managed to win the FUMA Invitational and post numerous national-caliber marks. On March 11, Axel Mostrag, Szymon Rola, Jamie Reichlen and Brandon Caleb will attempt to win National Championships at the Nike Indoor Nationals.

Varsity Basketball Action

The FUMA PG basketball team continues its up-and-down season. After losing to military school rival Massanutten Military Academy in a close contest 82-85, the team traveled down to the Dean Dome to face the North Carolina JV team, losing the closely-fought game 82-87. The team then defeated the Virginia Military Institute's club team by a wide margin. FUMA then turned it around at home in a return match with the North Carolina JV team, winning 109 - 91.

This past weekend the team traveled to West Point, New York, to play the U. S. Military Academy's JV team. They won both close games, 79 - 69 on Friday and in overtime Saturday 73 - 72.

FUMA's record stands at 19 - 8 going into this weekend's home games against Charis Prep of North Carolina. Friday's game is at 7:30 PM, and the Saturday tip-off will be at 2:00 PM.

Virginia Prep League Basketball Tournament

On Tuesday, February 14th at 7:00 p.m. Fork Union Military Academy will host the Virginia Prep League Basketball Tournament. Admission for the general public is $5.00 (5 and under-free).

Why Black History Month?

This month Fork Union Military Academy cadets are learning about Black History Month. Each day, during morning announcements cadets and faculty have been reading different excerpts on famous black leaders and individuals who have influenced American history.

Black History Month was brought about as an effort to disperse information about the accomplishments of African-Americans. When I reflect back to my elementary, Jr. high and high school years the black "super heroes" mentioned in text books were normally George Washington Carver, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Frederick Douglas, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens, to name a few. As I began to read additional information outside of the standard textbooks, I discovered an African American heritage rich in the arts, sciences, literature, medicine and the list goes on. Indeed these African-Americans were beacons in the fog of slavery and racism but they were only the tip of the iceberg.

The observance of Black History Month stretches back to 1926 when Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans. The period in February was chosen as it included the birthdays of Frederick Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976 this celebration was amplified and observed as a month long event. As recently as January, 2005 I was informed by Coach Fletcher Arritt that Carter G. Woodson's birthplace is just a few miles away from Fork Union in the city of Buckingham.

During the month of February a profile of an African-American that was instrumental in shaping America is read prior to the morning announcements. Their lives form a legacy from which all Americans can draw inspiration and emphasize the fact that we are all joined at the hip.

Did you know?

* George Washington Carver refused to patent any of his 450 inventions
* Tuskegee Airmen never lost a bomber while escorting them during WWII
* Granville T. Woods invented the traffic signal
* Frederick Johnson invented the self-feeding rifle
* Daniel Hale Williams performed the first successful heart surgery
* Selma Burke design the portrait of President D. Roosevelt on the dime
* George Grant invented the Golf Tee

Shorthanded JR Prep falls to Trinity in OT

With only seven players making the trip, including one who could not play in the first half, FUMA's Junior Prep managed to put the game into overtime before succumbing by four, 63-59. Two players fouled out in the second half, compounding the lack of depth; however, the five remaining players were able to keep the score knotted at the end of regulation.

Grapplers Compete in Two Double-Duals

FUMA 38 FMS 30
103 D.F.
112 D.F
119 Brown FUMA pined Seybold FMS 1:06 1st period
125 Rufener FMS by forfeit
130 S. Cropp FMS by forfeit
135 Rice FUMA pined Miller FMS 0:58 1st period
140 Wittig FMS pined Hwang FUMA 1:49 1st period
145 Metcalf FMS by forfeit
152 Chae FUMA pined Krum FMS 0:20 1st period
160 Gudeman FUMA dec. Petrosyan FMS 9 -4
171 Myers FUMA pined Houchins 1:47 3rd period
189 Gibson FUMA pined Gomez FMS 1:58 3rd period
215 Garrison FUMA pined Park FMS 1:35 1st period
HVY J. Cropp FMS pined Romeo FUMA 1:16 2nd period

Covenant 38 FUMA 30
103 Grumble COV by forfeit
112 Hooper COV by forfeit
119 Jahn COV dec. Brown FUMA 17 to 2 (tech fall )
125 D.F.
130 Hendricks COV by forfeit
135 Rice FUMA by forfeit
140 Hwang FUMA by forfeit
145 D.F.
152 Brame COV dec. Chae FUMA 5-0
160 Hendricks COV pined Timmons FUMA 1:44 1st period
171 P. Grumble COV dec. Myers FUMA 2-0
189 Gibson FUMA by forfeit
215 Romeo FUMA pined Brady COV 1:25 2nd period
HVY Garrison FUMA by forfeit

Benedictine H.S. 58 FUMA 12
103 D.F.
112 Brown FUMA by forfeit
119 Fitzgerald B.H.S by forfeit
125 Long B.H.S by forfeit
130 Maguire B.H.S by forfeit
135 Craven B.H.S pined Rice FUMA 1:00 2nd period
140 Barns B.H.S by forfeit
145 Fort B.H.S dec. Barnes FUMA 9-0
152 Colbert B.H.S dec Chae FUMA 2-1
160 Logan B.H.S pined Timmons FUMA 1:12 1st period
171 Stewart B.H.S by forfeit
189 Holsinger B.H.S dec Gibson FUMA 4 to 3
215 Riding B.H.S pined Romeo FUMA 1:54 1st period

Two dozen FUMA athletes make their commitments

National Signing Day was celebrated at Fork Union Military Academy as 24 football players signed National Letters of Intent, accepting athletic scholarships to a number of well-respected schools across the country. Today's signees brings a total so far of 24 commitments made by FUMA student athletes.

Name	Pos	College
Brinson, Wilbert	DB/R	Temple
Caleb, Brandon	WR	Oklahoma
Clinton, Chris	LB/DE	Maryland
Daniel, Carl	DT	Rhode Island
Fluker-Berry, Dwight	DB	Florida International
Ford, Jacoby	WR/DB	Clemson
Harper, Jason	RB/DB	Temple
Harris, Derek	CB/RB	Rhode Island
James, Markus	R/DE	Tulane
Mitchell, Rodney	QB/R	Rhode Island
Nolen, Todd	WR/DB	Virginia Tech
Peters, James	DE/TE	Texas Southern
Sanderson, Jerett	CB/WR	Bowling Green
Schulters, Jamal	RB	Kansas State
Shears, Bill	QB/P	Towson University
Smith, Brandon	R/LB	Rhode Island
Stein, Alex	DT/OL	South Florida
Stringer, Corey	WR/DB	UCONN
Swindell, Levi	CB	VMI
Thomas, Michael	RB	UMASS
Trice, Brent	DB/WR	Vanderbilt
Williams, T.J.	WR/DB	Michigan State
Wilson, Troy	LB/TE	Tulane
Young, Allen	OT	University of Charleston

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