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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 29, 1997)
fot' The Battalion Aggielife Page 3 Tuesday • April 29, 1 997 hese boots were made for eniors By Aaron Meier The Battalion unning in shorts and boots may seem like torture, but this time of JLyear, juniors in the Corps of adets run laps around the Quadran- ^ eto break in their new senior boots in "paration for Final Review, be Fenton, curator of the Sander s of Cadets Center, and a former et, said the history of senior boots s back to 1920. The uniforms adopt- jnSlat that time were the same uniforms i by soldiers in World War I. The «s were used in the mil- by the cavalry and sA&M College decid- glto adopt them. Several examples of tiior boots are housed Ihe curator’s office, dug the evolution of IMS] cie"'If tradition. me of the first styles is nvn as the “Tanker.” 16 boot has multiple _ps instead of the mod- In single strap. Also, the loot has laces along the c op of the foot. As the boot evolved, the 16! Ees were eliminated and varying col- 1 ns pf leather were used. [The colors of th$ ; . hoots can vary ion! black to blond, ,v -Fenton said. “It is matter of what .color you want, ever, the Holick boot and its color J(1 g|usdominated the campus.” b(r: lolick’s, the store that crafts the Holick has manufactured senior boots since s fe® wer e adopted by the University. [^if lianor Vessali, a junior member of Corps and a biomedical science major, said Holick’s reputation in boot construction is unparalleled. “Holick’s is the place to go to get your boots made,” Vessali said. “The ideal thing is to get on the list at Holick’s. These days it gets so full that freshmen sign up for their boots during Fresh man Orientation Week.” Carolyn Matheson, co-manager and vice president of Holick’s, said the rea son cadets sign up so early is the limit ed calendar for making boots. “There are so many people these days wanting boots, and there are so few people qualified to make them,” Matheson said. “The demand is just too great to keep up with.” Matheson said the boots are extremely dif ficult to construct, and even professional boot makers cannot meet the demanding specifi cations for each boot. “In the past four years, we have hired four bootmakers and let three of them go,” “There is nothing compared to wearing your boots for the first time and seeing them sitting in your room.” Elianor Vessali Junior Corps member Matheson said. “They just could not meet the high standards the boots require. For example, if they drag their finger across the leather while it is being stretched, the leather is ruined. It is a tough job.” Mass production of the boots is im possible, since each pair is custom made for the cadet. Boots cost about $750 per pair. Branson Washburn, a member of the Corps and a junior kinesiology major, said getting his senior boots was a real ization of his college career. “It is a huge accomplishment, getting your boots,” Washburn said. “You are fi nally on the top of the heap and you have a good kind of arrogance about you, like you are a campus leader.” The first time juniors are allowed to wear their boots is during Final Review, but Vessali said some cadets secretly walk around in their boots trying to break them in. She said if they are caught by the senior cadets, they are punished by having to run a “Bloody Cross” — six laps around the Quadrangle. Washburn said the juniors in his outfit, P-2, make a tradition of getting caught in their boots. “All the juniors get caught and have to run a Bloody Cross together,” Wash burn said. “It is a class-bonding time breaking them in, so it is a lot of fun.” At Final Review, each cadet dons the uniform of the next class, and seniors officially retire from the Corps. Washburn said Final Review is an emotional roller coaster for all cadets. “You form the closest bond with the class above you,” Washburn said. “It is really sad to see them go, but at the same time it is exciting to be able to wear boots for the first time. You expe rience every single possible emotion at that time.” Vessali said her senior boots are the culmination of all the hard work she did in the Corps. “There is nothing compared to wearing your boots for the first time and seeing them sitting in your room,” Vessali said. “It is the best part of being in the Corps.” Matheson said seeing the Cadets fi nally getting their boots is as exciting for them as for the cadets. w “The real joy of the job is to see the guys and gals pick up the boots,” Math eson said. “We take pictures, and you can see in their faces how excited they are to get their boots.” Fenton said the pride the seniors take in their boots is evident. “When I walked around in my boots I felt 10 feet tall,” Fenton said. “I never felt that way in the Army. I never felt that way in any civilian clothes. For a while there, I thought I was really something. That is why I never cease to stop and watch a se nior go by in his boots.” Photo by Derek Demere, The Battalion Leo Beloveskey, a Holik's employee, fashions a lasting fora pair of senior boots. The lasting will be used to mold the foot part of the boot. k Don’t Forget Your Aggie Mom On Mother’s Day |v«^99 Ve lTSfr iTta -l Maroon 8 White. Post Oak Mall WE ACCEPT AC6I E BUCKS tm 764-4444 LEARN TO AT UNITED FLIGHT SYSTEMS We’re now located at College Station Easterwood Airport. Learn to fly the Cessna Pilot Center Exclusive Integrated Flight Training System at United Flight Systems, the experienced flight school. ■ Private thru advanced training ■ Aircraft rental, Pilot Shop ■ F.A.A. approved 141 school 41 ■ VA Eligible Benefits United Flight Systems, Inc. Easterwood Airport College Station, TX 409 260-6322 Tuesday Nite: Beat the Clock Time You Call is the Price You Pay! 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