CHS senior attends USNA summer seminar and track camp
Special to The Clinton Courier
Clinton High School senior Casey Wright made the most of his summer between his junior year and senior year, inching one step closer to his collegiate goal—an appointment to a U.S. Service Academy.
Wright was selected to participate in the United States Naval Academy’s Summer Seminar in Annapolis, Maryland, followed by a four-day stint at USNA’s Track and Field Summer Camp.
“It was an honor to represent Clinton High School at the USNA Summer Seminar,” Wright said.
The camp, he said, was very selective, but it gave him a glimpse at what life is like on campus as a midshipman.
Tasked with daily mental and physical demands, Wright and his fellow campers had the chance to see if they could meet the challenges required of midshipmen on the USNA campus.
“On top of the physical training (PT), we were also given instruction on everything from seamanship, navigation, ethics and character,” he said. Wright said he also enjoyed the political science workshops and the martial arts demonstrations.
To cap off the week, the group participated in the Summer Seminar’s Sea Trials, which is a toned-down version of the actual Sea Trials midshipmen must complete.
The nine-hour challenge began at 4:30 in the morning and required tasks to be completed as a platoon.
“My platoon’s first station was the wet-and-sandy station, so we did push-ups and sit-ups on the beaches and carried boats in and out of the water,” Wright said.
Wright’s platoon also marched to the track on campus, participating in several difficult relays.
“We also headed across the Severn River to the E-Course, which is a mile-and-a-half long course that goes through the back hills of Annapolis,” he said. “It was very hot and was a real challenge. We had to climb up roots and go across logs. Like I said, it was challenging, but it was really fun.”
After the conclusion of his Summer Seminar week, he remained on campus to participate in the USNA Track and Field Summer Camp.
“It was great getting to meet the coaches and see the state-of-the-art facilities,” Wright said. “We talked a lot about injury prevention and about being a responsible athlete.”
After dividing the high school students into their groups based on their events, Wright’s group participated distance-running workouts, challenging their individual times and seeing the work needed to become a Division I athlete.
One of the aspects the coaches talked about was the responsibility USNA athletes had as ambassadors of the service academy.
“They told us the athletes represent the whole academy, so there’s an extra expectation to those in that role.”
Heading into his senior year, Wright is not slowing down on the track or in the classroom.
“I’m taking the hardest classes I can this year, like physics, trigonometry, college algebra and English composition,” he said. “I’m also focused on dropping my time on the track by four seconds, which I think is something I can do.”
