Elizabeth Valerie Mason Van Valkenburgh Charlie Vasquez Cody Veteto Jaclyn Wacha Harrison Waldron DeAnna Wallace Colby Wallis Seth Watkins Ansley Watson Caytlyn Watson Woody Weeks BENTLEY ALSUP Although his family ties to Harding were strong, junior transfer student Bentley Alsup took a different path than most before arriving at Harding in the fall. Alsup spent three years at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., playing for its Division I football team, which fulfilled his longt!me dream of attending the Air Force Academy. At the age of 3, Alsup went on a flight with the Civil Air Patrol, an experience that began his interest in the U.S. Air Force. President Harry Truman established The Civil Air Patrol as an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force on July 1, 1946. It was a volunteer, non-profit organization that provided educational opportunities for youth participants, called cadets. Alsup joined the Civil Air Patrol as a cadet and earned his pilot's license before attending the Air Force Academy. While working to gain acceptance to the Air Force Academy, Alsup sent them tapes of his football games and was recruited to play. Recruited athletes for the Air Force Academy spent one year in the Academy Preparatory School before joining the official team. "I had just come from high school, and I wasn't ready to walk on the field and play D1 athletes," Alsup said. "I wasn't big enough. It's a year to grow, get bigger and work out more." The academics at the prep school were relaxed in comparison to the Air Force Academy so students could focus on acclimating to the regimented military lifestyle. Alsup took 21 to 22 hours each semester at the Air Force Academy and played two sports his first year. Although he was originally recruited for football, his success with the prep school wrestling team led him to join the Air Force Academy wrestling team. Alsup left the Air Force Academy in May of 2013 because he no longer felt it was the right fit for him. Cadet Josh Kremier, a friend from the Air Force Academy, agreed that God had other plans in store for At-sup. Kremier also said that it was hard to see Alsup go because of the impact he had at the academy. "One of the problems at the academy is cynicism, but Bentley always carried himself with a smile on his face and was always trying to see the positive aspect of things," Kremier said. "Bentley made a lot of people glad to be here just by having a positive attitude." Alsup decided to attend Harding because several of his family members had done so, including his parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Instead of taking time off from athletics like he originally thought he would, Alsup joined the football team. He noticed many differences in playing at the Division II level, but many of the differences involved the type of school rather than the division. "The players at the academy are smaller than the average players in the league," Alsup said. "Since it's a military commissioning source, you can't have those 200 or 250 pound offensive linemen like you can have anywhere else." Sophomore Jace Davis said that Alsup had taken a step down from playing with the Air Force Academy, but he was still putting in the same time and commitment. Although Harding had its own set of rules to adjust to, Alsup said he enjoyed the freedom in comparison to the Air Force Academy. Alsup said one of the important things that the Air Force Academy taught him was his own ability to face any situation, which enabled him to transition into a new environment with ease. "You can get through anything if you put your mind to it," Alsup said. "There are things that are horribly painful, but you can push yourself so much farther than you think you can." Shelby Moore
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==