Navy Midshipmen Air "Spirit Spots" To Boost Pride
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The countdown is on to the Army/Navy game this weekend and at the Naval Academy, some are doing all they can to make sure the Midshipmen are fired up for kickoff.
Jessica Kartalija reports they're called "spirit spots."
When it comes to America's game, there's no shortage of team spirit, especially among the Midshipmen. It's thanks in part to the spirit spots.
"I will tell you one difference between the Army and the Navy and that is in the Navy, we give a ship to the fleet and to America," one spot says.
"My favorite thing is watching the reactions," said Second Class Rylan Tuohy.
Tuohy created a spirit spot.
"Now I know what you may be asking: what kind of ship do we give? All kinds. Carriers, destroyers, friendships and most importantly, big gas ships. Big gas," a spot said.
Self-taught, the Midshipmen write, shoot and edit the spots.
"To find the last time Army beat Navy...how many years has it been now? I don't know. I lost count after I ran out of fingers," one spot said.
Twins First Class Mark and Adam Vetere created a spinoff of a Lincoln ad.
"We would just drive around with Mark on the hood of the car getting the shots that we needed," Adam Vetere said.
The brothers also made a video a few years ago that went viral on Youtube, seen more than two million times.
"It's been really cool to see not just the Academy but the world to see our stuff. Here we are, just Midshipmen making videos to root and gather spirit for a game," Tuohy said.
Students can watch the videos online and, of course, see them on the Jumbotron during the game.
"Just hearing everyone cheer especially when it says `Go Navy, beat Army!' and you're like, `I made that!' That's awesome," Mark Vetere said.
"In the Navy, we give a ship and we don't give up the ship. Go Navy, beat Army!" a spirit spot said.
The Midshipmen write, shoot and edit the spots with some help from the academy---but overall they're self-taught. While service to the military is foremost on their mind, they say a career in the film industry would be pretty cool.
