Plebes No More
May 16th, 2008 Categories: Fun Fridays, Naval Academy
Hundreds of Sweaty Plebes, Buckets of Lard and a 21′ Tall Monument Make for a Slippery Conclusion to One Tough First Year at the Naval Academy
It has to be one of the smelliest, most spirited rites of passage in Annapolis, if not the entire country: first year Naval Academy students converge en masse on the Academy’s Herndon Monument in a rush to the top. There’s just one catch: the monument is generously greased with 100 pounds of lard.
Traditionally, the plebe who makes the final ascent removes the plebe “dixie cup” hat (below) on top and replaces it with the midshipman’s cover (or hat) - a move symbolizing the plebes’ completion of their first grueling year.
This year’s climb on Thursday morning saw the Midshipmen finish the job in just under 2 hours and 36 minutes – not bad, though not nearly a record breaking time: no fewer than six plebe classes have come in at under an hour.
It’s Fun Friday on this blog, as always, and we thought you’d enjoy a firsthand look at the excitement from this year, below.
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Great post! Something we take for granted, living in this area, that other people around the country no doubt find to be fascinating.
Hi Margaret. Yes, we’re so lucky to live where we do. It is indeed a fascinating town and I, for one, can’t think of a better place to be. So many of my best time here have been Navy related…football games, of course…the Blue Angels (this week!)…but you’d expect all this sort of talk from a former Seabee!