FALCON FAMILY NEWS

NOVEMBER 2009

CLASS STATISTICS (as of 31 October 2009)

Men Women Total
2010 837 186 1023
2011 853 209 1062
2012 942 268 1210
2013 1047 260 1307
WING 3679 923 4602

WINTER BREAK

Winter Break officially begins on 18 December; however, cadets may depart after their last final. Cadets must return and sign in no later than 7:00pm on Sunday, 3 January 2010. Bus reservations can be made by calling 719-333-4602.

FLU SHOTS - by Jeffrey Collins, Maj, USAF, BSC, Public Health Flight Commander

Active duty and cadets are all in the same priority group for receiving both their seasonal influenza immunization and their H1N1 immunization. Both vaccines are required for the cadets.

USAFA began giving cadets their seasonal influenza immunizations the first part of October. Approximately 85% of cadets have been immunized and the remaining cadets have all been contacted to come in for their shots.

We have not received our DoD H1N1 stock as of mid November. Once it is received the cadets are on the top of our priority list along with the active duty personnel assigned to USAFA.

We would like the parents to know that we are taking care of their cadets and will ensure that they receive their vaccinations as soon as they are available. We will continue to educate everyone on basic flu prevention measures such as washing their hands, sneezing into their sleeves, and staying home when sick.

CLASS OF 2013 – PARENT SPIRIT MISSION FOR RECOGNITION

Planning is underway for the Class of 2013 Recognition Spirit Mission. A parent committee has been established and is researching spirit mission options. Information will be communicated to 2013 parents through the parents clubs, social forums (Yahoo, USAFA Community, Famnet, etc.) and any other channels available, so watch for details soon. For questions/info contact Co-Chairs Maureen Morgan (maureenmorgan@mindspring.com) or Dolly Dean (dohdean@travelandsports.com).

ACADEMY FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Become a fan on Facebook and a follower on Twitter!

Just a reminder that the U.S. Air Force Academy has officially entered the social media sphere with two popular social networking sites.

In order to offer the public a convenient way to see what's going on at the Academy, the public affairs office here has created a page on http://www.facebook.com/ called "US Air Force Academy (Official)" and an account on http://twitter.com/ named "AF_Academy."

Don’t forget to check it out!

DENTAL CARE – HELP FROM BEHIND THE SCENE
By: Mr. Shane Palm, MBA, CDT

Have you ever wondered who makes the custom fit mouth guards USAFA athletes wear? What about those porcelain crowns and orthodontic retainers provided to cadets and active duty military? The answer is dental laboratory technicians. Lab technicians are behind the scene experts in the fabrication of various dental prostheses. These prostheses include but are not limited to dentures, partial dentures, orthodontic retainers, crowns, bridges, implants and veneers.

There are seven laboratory technicians in the dental laboratory at the United States Air Force Academy. These technicians have over 90 years combined experience and one is a Certified Dental Laboratory Technician (CDT) in two specialties - crown and bridge and ceramics. A CDT is a national certification for those that pass a rigorous testing process and have to maintain a certain amount of continuing education hours each year. To keep up with the latest in technology, all of the technicians attend an annual conference for advanced continued education.

The USAFA dental laboratory is also the most state of the art laboratory in the Air Force. One of the newest innovations in dentistry is now being used at the USAFA Dental Laboratory. This is the use of digital photography and High Definition monitors during custom shading for ceramic crowns, bridges and veneers. Photography is a communication tool used between the dentist and laboratory technician to ensure a perfect shade match of the patient’s teeth and to reduce patient appointment time.

Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Milling (CAD/CAM) technology is another example of the state of the art technology available in the USAFA dental laboratory. This technology allows the technician to complete a computer scan of the prepared tooth and design the fixed restoration (crown) virtually on the computer. Once the design is complete, the milling unit machines the restoration out of a block of specialized material. The lab technician then manually completes the restoration to the dentist’s prescription. This allows for a perfect shade/fit of the final crown.

The next time you are at the dental clinic for a dental prosthesis and you are wondering who made it, now you know. With our strong emphasis on patient care 10th Dental Squadron members are committed to ensuring your cadet leaves the Academy with a healthy and winning smile. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you ever have any questions or concerns with cadet dental care. Contact SSgt Cindy Baker or Maj (Dr.) Peggy Dickson at
719-333-5192 or email the dental clinic at USAFA.SGD@usafa.af.mil.

Mr. Shane M. Palm has over 14 years experience as a dental lab technician and has been at USAFA since 2007. He is a Certified Dental Laboratory Technician (CDT) and is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is also pursuing his doctorate of Management in Organizational Leadership. He can be reached at 719-333-5724.

HANS ON

A message from the Director of Athletics Dr. Hans Mueh

WINTER SPORTS

These are exciting times in athletics. We have a football team that has shown it can play with anyone in the country and we’re still on track for a great season, and we’re moving closer and closer to operating as a non-profit which will really open some doors for us.

The language for this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) includes the authority for the AFAAA to operate as a 501c3 Colorado Non-Profit Corporation. The language is done, passed the House on 8 Oct and the Senate on 22 Oct on a 68-29 vote and is on its way to the President. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 3-1/2 years since we started this process. We have already started to pursue some cooperative agreements that will help us operate the most efficiently and in the best interest of our 27 Div I teams. This is such exciting news for our department and our athletic programs, coaches, staff and most importantly, our athletes.

I mentioned in my last edition what a great time of year it is with the fall sports starting and school underway here. Well now, it’s an incredibly busy and exciting time of year! Our fall sports are in midseason and our winter sports are starting to get underway. I love it!

I’m excited about our hockey program and the success Frank Serratore and his great staff have had. Last year the average attendance was over capacity and we have sold out of our season tickets for this year. The squad has two preseason All-Americans in Jacques Lamoureux and Andrew Volkening and the team was picked to repeat as Atlantic Hockey Association champions. Frank is also zeroing in his 200th win at the Academy. Don’t worry about the slow start to the season. The 0-4 start might have been a blessing in disguise. I know this team and I knew they’d bounce back with a vengeance – 5-4 and 3-2 over AHA rival RIT to open the conference. How about that Matt Fairchild goal with one second left in overtime? That’s Falcon hockey – no stopping ‘til the final horn. I know in the end our team will be in the midst of another championship run.

Both our gymnastics teams will be exciting to watch again this year. The men’s team returns three USAG All-Americans in Joel Uptmor, Devin Menfee and Jacob Houder, who was the team’s most valuable player as a freshman last year. The group will be bolstered by the addition of seven newcomers as well. The women’s program returns four USAG All-Americans: Michelle Denise, Brittany Dutton, Aftan Boudreaux and Jenna Dudley and has added four newcomers.

Our indoor track and field programs will again be one of the conference’s best. Nick Frawley returns after an All-American season in 2008 in the pole vault. Female record holders Ally Romanko and Sara Neubauer will lead the women. We had two all-conference honorees last year with Frawley and Rachel Simmons, both in the pole vault.

Coach Eddie Weichers returns 112-pound national champion Matt DeMars in boxing. There are two Wing Open champions returning, along with nine other finalists as Eddie enters his 33rd season leading the program, the most successful boxing program in America.

The Air Force men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams kicked off the season
Oct 16-17 at the Pacific Invitational, while opening their home slate on Oct 23 with a conference match-up versus TCU. The men return two individual conference champions from the 2008-09 season, and will look to place in the top three of the MWC once again, while the women will strive to move up in the conference standings in March.

The wrestling squad starts off the season with its annual Blue-Silver exhibition match on Nov 5 in Clune Arena. The team returns starters in 8 of 10 weight classes this season. Our fans will get a chance to see plenty of action as we host five dual meets this season.

I’m excited to see the rebuilding process continue in men’s basketball with Jeff Reynolds and his staff. As he enters his third season, he’ll have 12 letter winners returning and has added 10 freshmen to the roster. We’ll be a very young team again, but the future is very bright. Capable leadership by seniors Grant Parker, Mike McLain, Saj El-Amin, and Avery Merriex will surprise a few people in a conference that picked us last. Sammy Schafer still wants to be president of the United States, and he might be the first 7-foot president. He’s grown an inch to 6-feet-11 and packed on 30 pounds, although it’s hard to see on his 6’11” frame. Evan and Taylor and Shawn and Tom and Scott are also ready for a break-out year. We also welcome back Capt Tom Bellairs, Class of 2003, who returns as an assistant coach. Tommy was the conference co-freshman of the year as a player in 2000.

Our women’s basketball team returns 3 starters and 6 letter winners. Guard Raimee Beck is a returning all-conference performer and the young players from last year’s squad like Anna Gault and Liz Dunworth also return with more experience. The team welcomes the biggest class in school history with nine freshmen added to the mix. I’m excited about the program’s future and Ardie and her staff will have them ready.

The fencing team hosts the annual Falcon Open again this year and has a solid nucleus returning, including Peter French. The rifle team has also already started its season. The team welcomes Michael Anti as an assistant coach this season. He brings a wealth of experience. It’s our only team led by two Olympic medalists, a gold and silver medalist. We have another bright future.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for attending our events and supporting all of our teams. We cannot do what we do for our student-athletes without your support, and I am constantly in awe of the great positive feedback you give our future leaders. Get ready to take this whole athletic program to new levels as our non-profit kicks in.

Go Falcons!

Dr. Hans Mueh