Ten quick hits to recap a busy weekend aboard two decommissioned aircraft carriers and a damp gator. 1. The games that finished: To minimal fanfare and with a relatively dry court, Notre Dame’s women’s team defeated the Ohio State women 57-51 on the decommissioned aircraft carrier Yorktown in Charleston, S.C., on Friday afternoon to begin what was supposed to be a four-game weekend shipboard slate. On Sunday in San Diego, the Syracuse men easily dispatched San Diego State 62-49 aboard the decommissioned carrier Yorktown. Between those games, things got interesting. 2. The first washout: The Ohio State and Marquette men…
Browsing: Midway
A brief recap: Eugene Ely piloted his Curtiss Hudson Flier off the scout cruiser Birmingham on Nov. 14, 1910, to usher in the era of naval aviation. Then, for a century, important stuff happened. It’s all here, if you’re curious. After 100 years or so, things got a little dull. It was time to use the embodiment of American force projection, the aircraft carrier, for something a little less important. Something that put form over function. Something ridiculous on its face, but good for morale — think golfing on the moon, but with a sponsor. The Quicken Loans Carrier Classic…
Cold Warriors, stand down. Despite recent reports, the U.S. remains ahead of the Russians when it comes to the next generation of naval warfare — namely, hosting sporting events on aircraft carriers. English-language all-Russian-news site RT.com reported Monday that the Major Hockey League, which is actually a minor hockey league (those wacky Russians) to the big-time KHL, is planning to hold a game on a flattop anchored in the Gulf of Finland. The host team would be HC VMS St. Petersburg, the Russian navy’s official hockey club, according to the report. No date is set, no opponent is named, and…
Last week came the news that a key organization behind the 2011 Quicken Loans Carrier Classic had settled on a new host on a new coast for 2012, scheduling a college basketball doubleheader (men’s and women’s) for the World War II-era carrier Yorktown, now a museum ship in South Carolina. West Coast hoops-on-a-carrier lovers had only a few hours to be disappointed. A few days after the (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier report cited last week, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego Bay, will host a Nov. 9 men’s game, likely between San…
