FARMINGTON -- Through changes in longitude and changes in altitude Air Force Academy commit Seth Swain determines not to let that sway his attitude.
He will have to adjust to a vastly different climate in going from 1,188 feet above sea level at Farmington to 7,260 feet at the USAF Academy at Colorado Springs, Colo. Cold winter temperatures and thin air offer additional tests for Air Force cadets beyond the rigorous training.
"It will take a little time off your mile time and make doing pushups a little harder," Swain said. "But once you get acclimated to it, it makes all the difference in the world."
The Farmington senior received a coveted appointment from Congressman Steve Womack on Monday, April 22, with a signing ceremony held at Cardinal Arena following a tour of the high school by Womack and his staff.
The cadet honor code states, "We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does."
Swain intends to fully comply with what he sees as guidelines designed to help him achieve his personal commitment to excellence. He doesn't want to let his family, school, community or state down, aware he is the latest among several Farmington graduates to attain the prestigious appointment.
Blake Albrecht, who graduated from Farmington in 2014, finished first overall academically and sixth overall during his time at the Air Force Academy. Evan Albrecht completed his term of service choosing to opt out, yet continues to work as an Air Force consultant. John Larabee (Class of 2014) graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in May of 2018 and Javan Jowers (FHS Class of 2018) recently completed his freshman year at Colorado Springs.
"Javan Jowers, he has just gone through this process (of applying and accepting an appointment). I'm basically a year behind him. Following him and looking up to him has been great," Swain said. "Questions I had that I didn't think someone would be able to answer, I'd go to him and he'd be able to answer pretty well."
Womack spoke about the diligence in seeking out quality young men to serve the nation in the armed forces and hailed the school for providing several successful applicants.
"I've been pretty successful at that and I think we can say the same of Farmington. There's a couple of kids named Abrecht. There's a Jowers kid out there right now that has succesfully kind of made it through that dangerous first year. We're about to send another one and I don't worry about them because I vetted them pretty good. These are high quality people."
Gesturing at Swain, Womack said, "This kid is sixth in his class, has a great ACT score, a GPA that I can only dream about. His leadership profile is pretty deep. He's going to go out there and he's going to do remarkable things for our country."
Addressing the staff and students, Womack said, "He's going to represent you well and he's going to represent these parents well."
"I'm honored to be here today to host a signing ceremony and give a kid an opportunity to put his name in the paper and say I'm going. I hope that you're as proud of him as I am," Womack said.
"I don't know what more I can say other than the fact that Farmington, like a handful of other schools, has broken the code on how you get kids prepared for what we're about to send them to. So, I'm proud beyond words to be able to be here today to witness this signing."
Sports on 06/12/2019