Just found a cool article tying in Corps principles and athletics rather nicely (other than the stupid headline):
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134690581_college07.html
Notebook: For SPU, it's hardly a hard row to hoe
By Seattle Times staff
Normally, around daybreak, Keith Jefferson can be found at the wheel of his launch, trailing in the wake of his Seattle Pacific rowers as they ply the waters of Lake Union and the Ship Canal.
But as the Falcons prepared for their recent conference regatta, Jefferson, coach the past 12 seasons, was nowhere to be found. Instead, he was nearly 6,000 miles away on another vessel, near Guam in the western Pacific. Clearly, this is not a normal season around the SPU shellhouse.
Jefferson, a major in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, has not coached his crew this spring. Instead, he is on a seven-month hitch of active duty with an engineering unit while Jessie Pennington, a 25-year-old protégé, takes his place.
Five SPU boats won conference titles and brought home four medals from last week's regional regatta, which might make some coaches feel insecure during their absence. But Jefferson believes such success is a tribute to the Marine leadership model of pushing leadership down through the ranks.
"It's appropriate to be expendable," Jefferson said. "In our program, we've been developing leaders all along. And everyone has performed marvelously."
Pennington rowed four seasons under Jefferson, then became his assistant coach after graduation. About a year ago, sensing that world events would soon result in his call-up, Jefferson began grooming Pennington to assume command. In November, she did as Jefferson left his wife, son and crew position for duty at Camp Smith in Honolulu.
Under Pennington, Seattle Pacific crews have stayed the course set by Jefferson the past three seasons, when women's crews won four national small-college championships, primarily in the four-oared categories. This weekend, the women's four goes to Camden, N.J., to compete for a national title while the women's lightweight four and men's pair are bound for Philadelphia.
"They haven't missed a beat," said Jefferson, who last weekend met his family and the crew in Sacramento, Calif., for the regional championships. It was his first look at the team this season.
"And that's as it should be, particularly in rowing," Jefferson said. "They train to be self-sufficient because once they leave the shoreline, the coach has no control."
On the shores of Lake Natoma, Jefferson was careful not to interfere with the new chain-of-command. Pennington was the coach, and for the time being, Jefferson was just a fan.
"I've been very fortunate in this situation," Pennington said. "Keith prepared me and (the) team well. We have many strong leaders in the program, and all of them have servant hearts."
"Peace on earth to men of goodwill. All others stand by."
