Jim Knowlton monthly newsletter to supporters
7/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dear Falcon Team,
I'm excited to introduce a new series of monthly letters from the director of athletics. I will take this opportunity to keep you all posted on the progress of our athletic department as we move forward with our mission of forging leaders of character for our Air Force and our nation. In this first installment I would like to recap my first 120 days as the director of athletics. I joined the department in March and have been thrilled with the reception I have received. From the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force on down have been so welcoming. The USAFA graduates, along with our teammates at the Academy, in the Colorado Springs and Denver communities and around the globe have made me feel at home.
We have been busy with Listening Days which is a SWOT analysis enhanced for athletics that allowed me to talk with all organizations within the department and learn where we are today. My focus has been on people, programs and platforms, and Listening Days helped me understand where we are and where we are going in each. I could not be more excited about the passion leaders we have at all levels, and the intensity they feel in helping to forge leaders of characters for our Air Force.
Our leadership team participated in an offsite where we developed some short-term goals and our vision for the future. We are using our Listening Days feedback and developing our short term goals which will lead to our strategic plan which we will share with our Falcon Teammates when they are ready.
We recently completed the spring athletic season in record fashion. Three athletes qualified for the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore. Senior Zach Perkins was the national runner-up in the 1,500-meters for the second time in three years in a thrilling race. Dylan Bell qualified in the pole vault and earned second-team All-American honors while Hannah Everson won the NCAA regional championship in the 10,000-meters and earned honorable mention All-American honors at the NCAA meet.
Senior track and field standout Rebecca Esselstein showed the well-roundedness we strive to produce here. She was the No. 1 graduate in the Academy class of 2015, earned Capitol One Academic All-American honors for the third straight season and was named the Academic All-American of the Year for track and field, an Academy first. Rebecca earned Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships and was named the Mountain West Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2014-15.
We had three programs with historic accomplishments. Our baseball team set a school record for Division I wins with 22 while our volleyball team posted its most conference wins since moving to the Division I level 20 years ago. The women's tennis team won a Division I-era record 18 matches this season.
I invite you to visit this link to see a complete review of the 2014-15 season with our top award winners, season recaps and most valuable player awards to see the excellence our cadet-athletes displayed.
As the fall athletic season approaches, I'm excited to share some exciting facilities news. We are in the process of renovating the Blue and Silver Club area at Falcon Stadium. In addition, we are finishing a new driving range at the golf course which will benefit our team and physical education classes.
We have many superb facilities at the Academy, but we have identified some areas in need of improvement. Our Superintendent Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson has provided her leadership and support of our efforts in these areas, especially in the area of Falcon Stadium Renovation. This is one of her top priorities and we are excited to develop the plan moving forward. This will help us to provide exceptional platforms to support all our cadets.
We have made two major head coaching hires that I'm excited to share with you. There was a total team effort in both cases and we found two great leaders in Chris Gobrecht for women's basketball and Blake Baldi for boxing. Chris has posted the most wins in school history at two different schools (Yale, Washington) and I'm confident she's going to do great things here for our cadet-athletes. Blake is returning to the Academy from USA Boxing. He helped lead the Falcons to the 2012 national title during his previous tenure here. Join me in welcoming them to our athletics family.
Lastly, I would like to invite all of you to follow our athletic Twitter accounts. We will utilize more social media to keep our supporters up to date. Our main athletic account is @AF_Falcons. You will also want to follow the AD Twitter at @AF_ADKnowlton. I will provide some timely updates on events in the department and most of our major news will break on my account so you'll read it there first. We used this Twitter account to break the exciting news about a two-game football series with Colorado in 2020 and 2022. Also be sure to check out our website at goairforcefalcons.com. We're undergoing a complete redesign of the site that will go live in mid-August. The site will be responsive and be more compatible with all mobile devices.
I hope you enjoy the first installment of this monthly communication. Please enjoy the remainder of the summer as my wife, Corey, and I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at athletic events across the Colorado Springs and Denver communities. Your continued support will ensure USAFA athletics represents the excellence of our Academy, Air Force and nation for years to come.
Thank You and Go Falcons,
Jim Knowlton
