Print
Nov 29, 2007 8:32 pm US/Eastern
It's More Than Games For Midshipmen
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) ―
-
-
It's not all fun and games as midshipmen at the Naval Academy in Annapolis prepare for the Army-Navy game.
The Army-Navy game is just a few days away, and the anticipation is building, especially at the Naval Academy in Annapolis where midshipmen are celebrating the rivalry with a week of activities.
Derek Valcourt reports, it's not all fun and games.
Midshipman Gavin Lippman, 22, grew up in Northwest Baltimore.
Now he's roaming the halls of one of the most prestigious schools in the country.
"I just didn't want to be that guy just like everybody else who attended a small, typical liberal arts school, or even that large university," said Lippman.
This is not like any other school. Gavin wakes up at seven every morning to show up for a head count called formation.
Then it's breakfast and off to classes. One of those classes is military training. Another formation before lunch, the entire student body eats together for three meals.
Then there are afternoon classes and maybe a few minutes to relax and grab a quick pick-me-up like coffee.
"This is critical to survival. There's only a couple ways you can stay up at night, and Dunkin Donuts helps us out in some way or another. We've definitely been putting in a lot of time with the coffee pot this past semester," said Lippman.
And they need the energy. Each midshipman must past frequent physical fitness tests, and for Gavin, like most, that means a daily workout.
"I run, lift weights, swim. I haven't been doing it as much as I use to, but usually get a run in," said Lippman.
It's a structured day, but a structure Lippman says he thrives on.
"I know where I have to be, when I have to be, and what I have to do," said Lippman.
Like the 4400 other midshipmen, after a long day, Lippman heads up to his room for the night to study.
Midshipman Lippman is expected to graduate in May and become a Marine Corps officer after his six months of basic training in Quantico.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
