By Erika Norton, WPAOG Senior Multimedia Journalist
Head Coach Mark West ’91 and the Army Sprint Football team shared their love of the game with Highland Falls students at the CONNECT after school program.
On March 27, more than 50 of the cadet squad played catch and engaged Highland Falls Intermediate School students in various athletic skills and activities on the playground. From finger football to Gaga ball, students learned about teamwork and the value of regular physical activity for the mind and body.
This is the sprint football team’s third visit to CONNECT—which has turned into an eagerly anticipated annual tradition for the squad—and serves as a way cadets can inspire the youth of the local community beyond the West Point gates.
“I think it’s important for our cadet-athletes to understand the positive impact they can have on young people,” West said. “By modeling what right looks like during their interactions with the students in the CONNECT program, it will hopefully inspire these young kids to reach for the stars and be the best they can be.
“As a local resident I see first-hand the importance of a strong community relationship between West Point and the Town of Highlands,” West continued. “This community service event allows sprint football to do its share to strengthen that relationship.” This was yearling CDT Josh Baskerville’s first visit to CONNECT.
“It means a lot for me to be able to interact with these kids, because as a kid, I saw these older players as great influences, and being on the other side and being the great influences, it just means a lot,” Baskerville said. “These kids brought a lot of energy today and that just made me happy, just being around them and being able to bond with them.”
West echoed how much fun the experience is for the team every year. He hopes other teams or clubs from West Point get involved so that they can experience first-hand how awesome the CONNECT program is.
CONNECT is part of the West Point Association of Graduates’ Hudson Valley Program. Learn more.
