Fleet Faithful,

I enjoyed some much needed time away with my family last week at the coast of our beautiful state. Late one afternoon I sat on the deck of our rental house watching a storm form over the Atlantic Ocean. I was surrounded by calmness and serenity on the deck but in the distance the clouds organized an impending assault on the tranquility. I was struck by "the calm before the storm" because as we enter the first days of August this week, we are drawing ever so close to the storm of the 2019-20 school year. The calm days of Due West will soon be replaced with an anticipated 650 student-athletes on campus. We are in unchartered territory with so many student-athletes, the majority of whom will be freshmen. It is an exciting time but also overwhelming as we prepare to provide the best experience for all our student-athletes. I ask you to be in prayer for our coaches and staff as we incorporate "The Fleet Way" into so many young lives.

Obstacles have found their way into the construction of our football locker and weight room facility. Water pipes below the surface have disrupted construction. I was hoping to share some photos of the shell of the building but that has been delayed. We are hopeful issues can get resolved so that construction can start again on the yet to be named football facility (just another plug if you would like to be a donor!).

The new beach volleyball courts across the street from Ellenburg Pavilion are beginning to take shape. Walls are in the process of going up this week and we are looking forward to sand being added soon. We currently have 24 players who will be participating in this inaugural program under the direction of Rachel Brubaker.

The 2019 Flying Fleet Hall of Fame class will be announced this week. We will release the names of the class once the inductees have been notified. The Hall of Fame brunch will take place as part of Homecoming on Saturday, October 5^th. The brunch will be at 10:00 am in the newly renovated and beautiful Moffatt Dining Hall.

Homecoming will be a big weekend for Fleet Athletics. The Erskine Open golf tournament will be held on Friday, October 4^th. Details on that event are coming soon. Saturday, October 5^th will be filled with fun events beginning with the Hall of Fame brunch at 10:00 am. Men's  and women's soccer teams will be in action at 1:30 and 4 that afternoon against Limestone. Our women's volleyball team will host Southern Wesleyan at 2:00 pm. Following the soccer games, we will host a first-ever football tailgate party at 6 pm, which will be followed by a football practice/scrimmage with our "First Class" of football players in over 60 years. We will have more details soon about the Homecoming festivities but you definitely want to mark your calendars now.

That's all I have for this week. Hope your summer days are filled with calm, not by storms in the distance. 2019-20 is going to be a remarkable year in the land of the Fleet. I look forward to you joining me on the journey. GO FLEET!  #TheFleetWay
 
Mark