Harmon Cup makes comeback after lengthy absence

By Scott Craven
Norwich Guidon Staff Writer

With the revival of the Harmon Cup, Norwich students have much to anticipate in this year's intramural program, including an expansion of the recreational activities.

President Ernest N. Harmon started the tradition of the Harmon Cup decades ago, before the university admitted civilian students.

The Harmon Cup was primarily "an incentive" for the students to "play hard" and get involved in the intramural program, according to Dr. Chandler Stowell, Director of Student Activities Intramurals & Recreational Sports.

The revival of the cup will "resurrect the strong intramural program from the past" and promote a fun and safe environment for the students to play in, Stowell said.

The Harmon Cup is a trophy presented to the team who collects the most points, which are accumulated from team wins at the end of the year.

Despite the outcome, just to compete for the award is a time-honored tradition, according to Nathan Shively, 21, a senior peace, war and diplomacy major from Gaithersburg, Md.

Back when the Harmon Cup was up for grabs, everybody played either a varsity sport or was involved with some kind of club or intramurals team, Stowell said.

"It was just something everyone did, and it gave the students an outlet and a chance to have some fun and relieve their aggression," Stowell said.

"It's a great way to start an interest in something new," Stowell said. "We have a lot of students that want to try new sports and others who were high school athletes but don't want the varsity competition anymore."

"Most everyone is involved," Stowell said. However, a problem that the intramural program is facing is that "some people are getting a little too competitive."

This aggressiveness is a safety issue that could lead to possible injuries on the playing fields. The number one concern this year is that "no one gets hurt" and there are no "unnecessary penalties" or "fighting," Stowell said.

To prevent this, more time is being spent on referee training to "control the game and keep it in its proper perspective," Stowell said. "We just want everyone out there getting some exercise and having a good time."

The traditional activities will be offered this year along with some new sports that the activities committee will be introducing.

The popular sports for the fall are soccer, volleyball and cross-country; however, golf and tennis will be added to the list this year, along with the possibility of a flag football league on Sundays, said Natasha Waggoner, 21, a senior communications major from Carlsbad, Calif.

According to Shively, any student wishing to get involved with intramurals, clubs, or activities offered by the school is encouraged to come out and participate.

It's a "fun workout," which will greatly increase your "physical training", get everyone "athletically involved" and teach some valuable "team building" skills as well, Shively said.

"Skill level is not something to worry about, equipment is provided, and there are no fees to play," said Ricky Molina, 20, a junior business and management major from Roswell, N.M.

The time commitment required to play is very manageable as well, Molina said.

All the activities are coeducational, and the students are encouraged to diversify their teams.

We have a lot of "good competition" between the (corps) companies, as well as between the civilians and the cadets, Stowell said.

Recreational activities to look for in the future include rock climbing, kayaking, fly-fishing, canoeing, and bicycling.

According to Stowell, people come to Vermont because they enjoy the outdoors, and we can bring that to them and make it a "fun" and "enjoyable" experience at the same time.

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