NGCSU Blue Ridge Rifles and Color Guard win national competition at Tulane third year standing

DAHLONEGA – North Georgia College & State University’s Blue Ridge Rifles, the university’s precision military drill team, and Color Guard competed against 46 schools from around the nation at the 30th annual Tulane University Mardi Gras Drill Meet on Feb. 8, placing first in three of the five events and winning the overall competition for the third year in a row.

The Tulane University Drill Meet is the largest intercollegiate military drill competition in the nation. It draws ROTC units in every service branch from around the country and the service academies also regularly compete.

“The Blue Ridge Rifles continue to succeed on the national level for two reasons,” said Zac Poole, a senior at North Georgia and commander of the award-winning drill team. “Each member is assigned and trained in a specific job so that each has the opportunity to be a leader and help the team succeed. But most important, team unity and pride are instilled in each member from the first day of training so that the desire to perform at a high standard is always strong.”

The Blue Ridge Rifles competed in four of the events and took first place in platoon exhibition, which is the Rifles’ signature event that the team performs during sporting events and military parades at the university. The unit received a perfect score for its exhibition routine. The Blue Ridge Rifles also took first place in basic drill and third place in inspection.

The Color Guard team took first place in its single event, a repeat from last year when the team won the Color Guard event at Tulane for the first time in the unit’s history.

“We did countless hours of training and we knew what we had to do to win,” said Kyle Harvey of Dawsonville, the competition commander for the Color Guard team both years the unit has placed first. “There was a lot of pressure to win the title again, but I knew if we stuck to our drill schedule we’d do it,” he said.

The combined results for the Rifles and Color Guard won them the first place military drill team title for the third year in a row and the seventh time in the past decade.

“The continued success of the Blue Ridge Rifles is important to NGCSU because it is a result of the character-focused, leadership training that this university strives to create,” Poole said.

Competition this year among military service academies and senior military colleges included the Military Academy at West Point, the Air Force Academy, the Citadel and Texas A & M.

Members of the Blue Ridge Rifles are unit commander Zachary Poole, competition commander Greg Carey, Victor Abercrombie, Zak Byrne, Joshua Carvalho, Joshua Clemmons, Andrew Compton, Earl Ferguson, John Filiatreau, Kurt Fricton, Joseph Hansen, Jason Howard, Brian Irvine, Steven Krippel, Richard Marker, Joseph Marty, Garibaldi Quiroz, Jason Ryncarz, Jonathan Sellars, Benjamin Sisk and Jeffrey Wagner.

Members of the Color Guard are unit commander Robert Wilensky, competition commander Kyle Harvey, Christopher Watkins, Jason Pon, Robert Powell, and alternates Jessica Barton and Daniella Neff.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian to speak at NGCSU

DAHLONEGA – The conflict over teaching evolution in the public schools has a long history, starting with the famous Scopes “monkey” trial of 1925.

Edward Larson, the Richard B. Russell Professor of History and Law at the University of Georgia and author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning book on the trial, will speak on the tangled history of this conflict on Feb. 19 at North Georgia College & State University. The 2002 Merritt E. Hoag Lecture, “Creationism v. Evolution: An Historical Perspective,” will take place at 7 p.m. in the Hoag Student Center Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public.

Larson’s book, “Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion,” won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in History.  He will be signing copies of the book on the day of his talk, from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the lobby outside the NGCSU campus bookstore, where copies are for sale.

In conjunction with Larson’s lecture, the Hoag Lecture Committee also will present a screening of the film “Inherit the Wind,” which presents Hollywood’s version of the Scopes “monkey” trial story. The film will be shown on Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. in Gloria Shott Auditorium. Larson’s talk will offer a critical perspective on this film, which presents an engaging but misleading picture of the trial.

The Merritt E. Hoag Lecture Series is funded with an endowment through the NGCSU Foundation.

Larson is the author of four books and more than 50 published articles. He writes mainly about issues of science, medicine and law, from an historical perspective.  His most recent book is “Evolution’s Workshop: God and Science in the Galapagos Islands.”

Before accepting a teaching position at UGA in 1987, Larson served as associate counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.  Prior to that, he was an attorney with a major Seattle law firm.

For more information about this event, please call professor Michael Marling de Cuellar, chair of the Hoag Lecture Committee, at 706/864-1425.

International events featured this week at NGCSU

DAHLONEGA – International Awareness Week takes place at North Georgia College & State University Feb. 4-7. The NGCSU International Programs office sponsors the annual event, which promotes cultural diversity and awareness at the university and within the community. All events are free and open to the public.

Feb. 4, 7 p.m., Young Hall, room 214 – "Italian Culture and Civilization." Steven Grossvogel from the Department of Romance Languages at the University of Georgia will be on campus to speak about the ancient, Renaissance, and Baroque periods of Rome.  His presentation will include a slide show featuring Rome.

Feb. 4 and 6, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Student Center Canteen lobby – “Study Abroad Fair.” A display will be set up with information on NGCSU’s international programs and overseas educational opportunities.

Feb. 5, 12:30 p.m., Young Hall, room 214 – “Living and Working in Latin America.” Jack T. Wynn, who teaches history part time at NGCSU and a former archaeology professor in Spanish under the Fulbright program in the National University of Montevideo, Uruguay, will make the presentation. The slide show will focus on geography, people, and languages and present some of his experiences in archaeology, living, learning and teaching in Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Uruguay.

Feb. 5, 7 p.m., Young Hall, room 214 – “Afro Brazilian Music, Religion and Culture.” Susan Quinlan from the University of Georgia will discuss Afro-Brazilian religions and music.

Feb. 6, 7 p.m., Hoag Student Center Auditorium – “International Film Night.” The Spanish film, “Butterfly,” will be presented.  Set in 1936 Spain, the film is the story of the friendship between a teacher and his student, Moncho. As the country nears civil war, the relationship is compromised when the student is forced to choose between his friend and the protection of his family. This film is rated “R” for adult content and a sexual scene and is intended for mature audiences only.

Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Young Hall, room 214 – “Study Abroad Forum.” This event will be an opportunity for those interested in studying abroad to pick up information about the various programs and scholarships offered through NGCSU. Programs covered include France, China, Greece, Russia, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Canada.

For more information contact Dlynn Armstrong-Williams at 864-1869.

This page last modified on: Friday, 05 November 2004 15:43:10 -0500 by University Relations    

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