Tomorrow the Army-Navy football classic will be broadcast live from Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, but it will not be the only Army-Navy “classic” this week. Last night was the annual Army-Navy Star Swim Meet – and it was broadcast live on ESPN+ with Rowdy Gaines as the announcer! This is big time!The “Star” designation refers to the receiving a varsity letter in the sport, which if during that year your team defeats Army, a gold star is added to the “N” on the sweater or jacket. The goal of every varsity athlete is to graduate with four stars on the letter sweater/jacket. As you might hope, given the whole Navy-water connection, that Navy would dominate the swimming competition – which by in large it has. The Women have won 35 years in a row with recent competitions increasingly close. The Men have won in 33 of the last 35 years.  Last evening’s Men’s competition went down to the last relay with the final score: Navy 154 – Army 147. It was a compelling broadcast with some amazing swims animated by the announcing of the always enthusiastic and knowledgeable Rowdy Gains (a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and veteran color analyst at all the Olympic games and World Championships since 1996).

The last Army-Navy swim meet I was able to see was in 1974… and that is because I was on the Navy Swim team. We swept Army all four years. May this is be a foreshadowing of the upcoming football game: great competition, unparalleled sportsmanship, and a Navy victory!

Go Navy! Beat Army!