September 26, 2005

From the "keep your eye on this Hoya" department: one year ago, Taylor Price was preparing to enroll on the Hilltop after graduating from Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ. A summer accident diving into the ocean left him with a severe spinal injury that radically changed his life. He spent his would-have-been freshman year in and out of hospitals and undergoing challenging rehab, still determined to become a Hoya. Now confined to a wheelchair, Taylor is a freshman and an avid Hoya fan. It appears that he will seriously test wheelchair accessibility by attending most if not all Hoya athletic events this Fall. No doubt, you will be hearing more about him over the next four years. This irrepressible young man, with his own website, is the son of Hoya alum Bill Price '74 and his wife Marnie of Ridgewood, NJ.

With the 30th anniversary of the founding of women's rowing upon us, plans are underway to celebrate throughout the current academic year. The first such gathering took place this past weekend at the Head of the Potomac Regatta. With additional special gatherings coinciding with other major rowing events, one highlight will surely be the Hall of Fame dinner when former rower Kelley Jones will be inducted in early February, 2006.

Today is the day, exactly sixteen years ago, when my close friend, the very congenial director of Hoyas Unlimited and champion oarsman, Greg Carroll C'71, 40 years young, unexpectedly collapsed and died at Georgetown. Immediately afterwards, Hoyas Unlimited renamed its service award to honor Greg's memory. It will be presented again next Saturday evening at the annual Hoyas Athletic Recognition Dinner. It's going to be emotional for me: on hand to help present the award will be Greg's wife and teenaged daughter; the recipient will be David Don C'93, vice president of Hoyas Unlimited, past president of GRAA and a raw freshman coxswain at the time of Greg's demise. My personal remembrance of Greg is linked here. For information on the dinner, contact Jordan Jarry at 202-687-6285.

My picks for most interesting contests this coming week:

Field Hockey: The Hoyas do not compete in the scholarship-laden Big East, but at the season mid-point, they take on fellow Jesuit rival St. Joe's of Philadelphia at home on Sunday.

Cross Country: The Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University features some of the top teams in the East, including the nationally-ranked Hoya men (12th) and women (24th).

Sailing: one of the most important names in the history of the saililng program is Tom Curtis C'68, a championship sailor and member of Georgetown's Hall of Fame and in whose memory, next weekend's regatta on the Potomac is dedicated.

Women's Soccer: with an impressive 9-1-1 record to date, the Hoyas have eight more regular season games against the heart of Big East competition, starting with this tough contest against St. John's.

Last week, the Hoya athletic teams posted an overall win-loss record of 7-3 and earned a 1st and two 4th place finishes in standings competition.