Homecoming Weekend

This weekend marks the annual HWS Homecoming tradition, but it'll be a different one this year. The NCAA and effectively all of D3 shutting down fall sports makes this Homecoming one without any teams returning from the road and playing in front of their fans, friends and families.

Still, HWS is moving on and still hosting a number of events, in person and virtual, this week and into the weekend to celebrate Statesmen, Herons and HWS school spirit. I can't believe it's been a decade since I last attended Homecoming weekend - reuniting with some old friends to play music before the football game (and crashing a make shift easy chair on wheels in the Fall Nationals race).

I had moved from Geneva in the spring of 1998 to take a job with a firm out in Chicago. After being a kid from a rural area and attending a college in a similar setting, this would be my first big city experience. Given that move and then a subsequent one to Los Angeles, it took me over 12 years to make it back to Upstate NY.

The Homecoming (and rock band reunion) weekend made it the perfect excuse to do so and I really enjoyed it (in spite of the 34-14 loss to then #21 Saint John Fisher and the scrapes and contusions from the rally car crash).

In other news, today is the 12-year anniversary / birthday of In the (D3FB) Huddle. We released our Season 13 premiere last Monday. ICYMI you can see it here.

Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy Homecoming weekend. I'll be appearing on WHWS 105.7 FM Friday, 9/25 at 3:25 PM ET to talk a little football with the "Broadstreet Boyz". Tune in if you can. A replay of the interview can be viewed / heard here. 

As always, thanks for reading and go 'Bart!

#NeverForget

 On this 19th anniversary of the attacks of 9-11, I wanted to recognize former Hobart College football player and alumnus Andy Glokin '93 as well as fellow grads Scott Rohner '01 and Michael Simon '83, P '11 who lost their lives that unfortunate day.

I'd also like to recognize the Toyen family, who lost their daughter and sister Amy in the attacks. She was the younger sister of my Avon High School classmate, Heather.

Never Forget.

Forde Earns More Honors, HWS Managing COVID-19 Cases

Although the season was wiped away by the NCAA's rulings on COVID-related precautions/restrictions, D3Football.com went ahead and published a 2020 preseason All-America team. HWSAthletics.com put out a press release on SR OLB Emmett Forde earning yet another first team defensive award late last week.

The D3football.com All American honors completes an impressive preseason trifecta for Forde who was also named to the Street & Smith and Lindy's AA teams

(photo courtesy of HWSAthletics.com & Kevin Colton)

Meanwhile, classes have resumed up in Geneva and so far the Colleges have only had a handful of COVID positive tests with no other issues (e.g., hospitalizations) reported. A very detailed and thorough account of the measures being taken was sent to the broader HWS community by still relatively new Provost and Dean of the Faculty Mary Coffey and Robb Flowers, VP for Campus Life.

What I found to be the best part of this communication was the statement that, "While we know no one wants to hear that we have positive cases, we have anticipated that this would happen and prepared for their management."

Of course cases were bound to happen, albeit these are almost all, if not 100%. likely to be asymptomatic in nature, it's reassuring that the administration's plan is working and mitigating any potential risk to the broader community. 

Hopefully the fall semester will continue without any disruption, and as other states / regions show football can be done relatively safely, the NCAA and D3 can revisit a possible spring season. While I am optimistic by nature, there are still a couple of serious hurdles the NCAA will need to update / address for D3 schools to try and recoup a lost fall season. Time will tell with that. 

In the meantime, thanks for reading and as always, go 'Bart!