Q&A With the Naval Academy's Croquet Team

Posted on: April 16, 2013 08:00 EDT by Naval Academy Public Affairs

The Naval Academy's annual croquet match against St. John's College will take place April 20 at 1 p.m. at St. John's. Here, you can get to know a little about this year's team before their inevitable victory this Saturday. 

Why play croquet?

• Steven Spada: I love contact sports.
• Ash Davis: It’s classy.
• David Murtha: It’s fun.
• Dillon T. Pierce: I was drafted because the team wanted to win this year.
• Luke Stephenson: I don’t play croquet. Croquet plays me.
• Ross Herman: It's the most action-packed sport at the academy.
• William Christoph: Because I didn't make the cut for the lawn darts team.
• Ryan Lluy: It is an enjoyable and competitive strategy game.
• Blake Hamilton: Because of the adrenaline rush.

Where will you be in ten years?

• Steven Spada: Just as poor as I am now
• Brian Holloway: Driving a flying car.
• Midshipman Erick Capulong: Flying stuff
• Dillon T. Pierce: Still celebrating this year’s victory
• Luke Stephenson:  I will be probably still single.
• Ross Herman: In ten years, I will be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of being asked this question. (There’s always one.)
• William Christoph: I will be ten years older but hopefully a whole lot wiser.
• Ryan Lluy: I will be a Navy pilot.
• Blake Hamilton: I will be lost somewhere in the Alaskan wilderness.
• Colton Southworth: I will be healthy and happy.

If you could have dinner with any three people (living or dead), who would they be?

• Steven Spada: Robert E. Lee, Pat Tillman, and George Washington
• Erick Capulong: one of the Wright brothers, Aubrey Plaza, King Leonidas
• Ash Davis: Jason Statham, my Dad, Abraham Lincoln
• David Murtha: Reagan, Abraham Lincoln, Jesus
• Luke Stephenson: Ernest Hemmingway, Jack London, and the pig from the Geico Commercials.  Ernie and Jack and I love bacon.
• Ross Herman: Westlake, Foran, and Stephenson. They never hang out with me.
• Matt Foran: Frank Lampard, Will Ferrell, Zedd
• Zachary Westlake: Yvonne Strahovski, Al Pacino, Bill Clinton
• Ryan Lluy: Lou Gehrig, Ben Franklin, Gene Simmons
• Blake Hamilton: Fridtjof Nansen, Ernest Shackleton, and John Cleese
• Colton Southworth: Jesus Christ, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla

What do you sing in the shower?

• Steven Spada: Sinatra and only Sinatra
• Daniel Jacquier: “September” by Earth Wind and Fire
• David Murtha: “I Want to Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston
• Dillon T. Pierce:  Whatever the roommates request
• Luke Stephenson: Nickleback and Creed
• Ross Herman: “Singing in the Rain”
• William Christoph: “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
• Matt Foran: Country music to annoy my roommates
• Ryan Lluy: Jack Johnson
• Blake Hamilton: “You've Lost That Loving Feeling”
• Colton Southworth: Lux Aeterna

When you were little, what did you dream of being?

• Erick Capulong: In space and winning the St. Johns 2013 croquet match
• Ash Davis: A chef for some fancy restaurant in the U.K.
• Daniel Jacquier: Lieutenant Dan
• David Murtha: Spiderman
• Dillon T. Pierce: a croquet champion
• William Christoph: A cowboy
• Matt Foran: A pro baseball player for the St Louis Cardinals
• Zachary Westlake: A Jedi
• Ryan Lluy: An architect
• Blake Hamilton: A soccer player

One book everyone should read is …

• Ash Davis: The Hobbit
• Daniel Jacquier: Principles of Electronic Communication Systems, Third Edition
• David Murtha: Principles of Electronic Communication Systems
• Dillon T. Pierce: The Gentry Man: A Guide for the Civilized Man
• Eric Bermudez: Don Quixote
• Luke Stephenson: East of Eden. Seriously. Read it.
• Ross Herman: “How to Beat St. John's at Croquet”
• William Christoph: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Matt Foran: Fahrenheit 451
• Zachary Westlake: The Outsiders
• Blake Hamilton: The Alchemist
• Colton Southworth: Outliers: A Story of Success

What will be on your epitaph?

• Erick Capulong: “Mos Eisley Spaceport. You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."
• David Murtha: “Goofy”
• Dillon T. Pierce: Gone to look for more chaos.
• Luke Stephenson: “He was pretty alright.” 
• Ross Herman: "He beat St. John's."
• Zachary Westlake: “Connection reset by peer"
• Ryan Lluy: “He wasn’t here for a long time; he was here for a good time.”
• Colton Southworth: “Every man is the artisan of his own fortune.”

What do your teammates say about you?

• Steven Spada: My teammates say I am not good at croquet.
• Brian Holloway: My teammates say I am not at practice.
• Erick Capulong: My teammates say I am an Asian sensation.
• David Murtha: My teammates say I am goofy.
• Ross Herman: My teammates say I am going to beat St. John's.
• William Christoph: My teammates say I am the rock that makes the team roll. 
• Matt Foran: My teammates say I am the guy who knows that quote to that movie you can't remember.
• Zachary Westlake: My teammates say I am a ninja.
• Blake Hamilton: My teammates say I am uncivilized. 
• Colton Southworth: My teammates say I am reckless.