thebattalion ● friday,
october 26, 2012
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
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Flight of the Great Pumpkin
Courtesy Photo
Whitebelts from Company C-2 march down the Quad escorting the Great Pumpkin amid cheers and whoops during Flight, October 2011.
Company C-2 demonstrates holiday spirit with historic tradition Barrett House The Battalion
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hat was once a cadet’s simple way of showing how much he loved Halloween has become a tradition spanning four decades, making it one of the oldest traditions in the Corps of Cadets. Friday night will be no exception, as Company C-2 — Old Army Cock Company — will celebrate its favorite holiday with the Flight of the Great Pumpkin. Flight, which consists of pumpkins, flames and chants, will begin at about 10 p.m. on the Quadrangle. Juniors and seniors from the outfit will participate in the tradition, which has changed over the years since it began in the mid 1960s. Originally, Flight consisted of
the sophomore class — with one of their own designated as the Great Pumpkin — that would try to run through the band dorm with a broom lit on fire, said Ken Fenoglio, Class of 1970 and C-2 alumnus. “It was good bull,” Fenoglio said. “We ran through the dorm on the first [floor]. That was all we could get to get out with our lives.” Today, Flight consists of the juniors and seniors — complete with the Great Pumpkin — marching
down the Quad carrying torches. But Gerald Smith, Class of 1982 and director of the Veteran Resource and Support Center, said some of the Old Ags who come to see Flight wish to see its original form. “We very much like to see it like the old tradition with flaming brooms and marching up with 15 or 18 of us against all the freshmen in the Fighting Texas Aggie Band,” Smith said. When Smith participated as a member of Cock Company, Flight was much more dangerous than it is now, which is what constituted changes. He said the changes have been for the better. “It was a very unsafe practice, and we were allowed to do pretty much what we wanted,” Smith said. “The outcomes of the Flight
No gimmes
[now] and what it does to unite C-2 with our alumni is a very positive … tradition.” The tradition has shifted from competing with the band to gathering alumni with current cadets for support and camaraderie.
Nobody outside A&M is going to understand why a bunch of people would get together, carve out a pumpkin, light a torch and run around the Quad.” — Ken Fenoglio, Class of 1970
“C-2 is one of the top few outfits that has really mobilized their alumni support,” Smith said. “It’s brought the C-2 alumni together to join them and they have a very ef-
Hip-hop artist Fedel leads the audience in chants at Reed Arena before introducing A&M tight end Michael Lamothe at After Dark.
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hat the Texas A&M football team has done up to this point has been nothing short of incredible. The 5-2 Aggies continue to shock the college football world, dismissing critics as they stand a mere eight combined points from an undefeated season in the SEC.
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visiting section. The loss would set the tone for another disappointing A&M season defined by crushed expectations. Simply put, those teams lacked what so many great teams possess: consistency. The 2012 Aggies have only just begun to show the all-important, championship winning quality. It’s a trait A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin’s former employer, Bob Stoops, continues to instill at Oklahoma. Stoops would transform a downtrodden program with talent immediately into a contender. In his first season, Stoops led the Sooners to an improbable 9-3 record. The next season, he would hoist the national championship trophy. That’s not to say Sumlin will be winning a national championship in his second season, but he’ll be close to doing so if the A&M program can continue to grow at its current pace. Early indications look promising, as A&M has proven it has the wherewithal to hang with the SEC’s elite. Still, there’s a reason the games are played. A 1-6 Auburn team on the road, if history is any indication, remains dangerous. These are the kinds of games that can kill a season’s momentum. If the Aggies truly wish to become the cream of the crop in the SEC, these are the games they must continue to win. Chandler Smith is a junior communication major and the sports editor for The Battalion.
See Flight on page 3
campus
Chandler Smith: Consistency remains necessary ingredient for greatness
The level of excitement around the Aggie football program exceeds anything seen in over a decade. There’s simply a different vibe, a feeling that the Aggies have finally found their coach — and quarterback — to lead them to the promised land. Finally, there’s a reason to believe the days of pain, mediocrity and disappointment are quickly becoming a phenomenon of the past. Yet through all of the excitement and hoopla, A&M must dodge the traps that ensnared so many Aggie squads before them. They can’t take a 1-6 Auburn team — or any team — for granted. The Aggies must avoid the mistakes that thrust them into their decade-long rut in the first place. It doesn’t take too much reminiscing to remember the pitfalls of past A&M teams as they continued, season after season, to fall to less capable opponents. We remember the 2004 Aggies. A&M was on a six-game win streak with No. 2 Oklahoma on the docket in two weeks. Only one team stood in the way of setting up a colossal ESPN College GameDay matchup with the Sooners — a 2-5 Baylor team in Waco. The Bears edged the Aggies in a thrilling 35-34 upset, dashing A&M’s momentum and hope for a statement season. We remember the 1999 A&M football team coming fresh off a Big 12 Championship season. After three simple non-conference wins, A&M would travel to Lubbock for a showdown with unranked Texas Tech. The Red Raiders defeated the Aggies 21-19, ripping their goal posts out of the ground and ramming them into the A&M
fective reunion.” Fenoglio said C-2 is considered one of the oldest outfits on the Quad because it has never been disbanded since it was formed in 1959 during the Corps’ restructuring. He said for the oldest outfit to carry on one of the oldest traditions is representative of Aggie values. “We always fall back on our past and our storied history that is steep in tradition,” Fenoglio said. “A&M really respects and admires those that have gone before us. We use the lessons learned from that to make the world a better place, to make A&M a better place, to lead the military, to lead companies of this great country of ours.” Fenoglio said it’s an important tradition because as others fade out
Aaron Cranford — THE BATTALION
Christian concert descends on campus to share gospel Alyssa Wynans Special to The Battalion It was hard to ignore the highlighteryellow T-shirts that invaded campus last week. The shirts advertised an event called After Dark that circulates the country and descends on the Texas A&M campus every four years. Since 2000, After Dark has reached out to more than 350,000 students with music and what they consider to be the most important message a person could hear. The event is affiliated with Kanakuk Ministries and combines a free concert and the Christian gospel message into one campus spectacle at universities around the country. Designed specifically to target college students from all walks of life, the event’s purpose is to inspire conversation among students and encourage investigation into Christian beliefs. Joe White, former Texas A&M foot-
ball coach and founder of Kanakuk Ministries, is the lead speaker for After Dark. Lindsey Clayton, senior interdisciplinary studies major, attended After Dark the last time it came to A&M. She said she liked it so much she attended again and brought friends with her. The evening’s special guest was senior A&M tight end Michael Lamothe. This year’s concert portion of After Dark features American Idol winner Kris Allen and hip-hop artist Fedel, but they were preceded by White’s message “Is Jesus Relevant Today?” which was emphasized by the organization as the most important part. “There’s nothing more important than an individual salvation,” said Thomas McNutt, co-head student representative to After Dark for A&M. “Nothing is more important than a person’s soul and a person’s heart. Joe White’s message speSee After Dark on page 2
10/26/12 12:38 AM