R-Day Special: On the Journey to Army West Point with the Adkins Family
Related GBK R-Day Article:
Hometown for top tier incoming Army football commit Anthony Adkins and family is Hodgenville, Kentucky. But on June 28th the talented fullback and his parents, Tony and Tonya said good-bye to other family members to make their way to the 6-foot-3, 235 pounder’s new home for the next 4-years, which will be the United States Military Academy at West Point ... as it will all become official on Reception Day (7/1) for him and all new cadets.
GoBlackKnights.com has had the privilege of following Adkins’ trek from midwest of this country to the northeast, as they loaded up their family vehicle to begin a new phase in all their lives, although it is Anthony who will be directly feeling the transition of being a civilian to cadet status.
But make no mistake about it, the parents are not exempt from this notable transition of their eldest son.
“Right now I have a lot of emotions going through me,” said the dad, as he and his family were on the road on Saturday (9:13am to be exact) and were 6 hours away from the academy. “The first is excitement. I'm so excited that my son gets to continue to play football after high school, I'm excited that a school as prestigious as West Point accepted my son. I'm proud that I have a son who is willing to serve his country, who understood the value of this opportunity and what it meant for his future - 9:13am on Saturday
As the family hit the state of Pennsylvania (10:58am), leaving them 300 miles from West Point, Tony Adkins had this brief comment to share .... “I’m excited to get back there,” said the dad, laughing at his own comments.
Approximately 2:02pm on Saturday, Anthony, who has been a backseat passenger during the journey chimed in and had this to say to GoBlackKnights.com relative to where his mindset was being just 175 miles away from his destination.
“I'm not even sure honestly ... just a mixture of nervousness and excitement still,” he stated, as the family was Passing through Buckhorn, Pennsylvania with 3 hours remaining on their journey.
The Adkins finally made it to their hotel destination not far from West Point, but despite their hours on the road, there would be little to no rest for the weary.
“We're heading towards time square now and will be here for most of the morning,” acknowledged Tonya, who seemed to have received a burst of new energy. Perhaps it was knowing that they were getting closer and closer to reality, because upon their return from NYC, there would be a Sunday greet & meet reception at 4pm with the incoming players and the Army football coaching staff.
Welcome To New York City (June 30, 2019)
Although Tony has visited NYC on other occasions, it was the mother and son’s first real bite of the Big Apple.
“This wasn't my first time in Time Square,” explained Anthony’s dad. “But it awesome showing my wife around. We've been talking about taking a trip to New York City for a few years now and we finally made it.”
“Well my first words when I stepped out the car were ‘oh my’ {laughing},” said the former Louisville Cardinals commit now an Army Black Knight. “Everything was just so much faster. There were so many people, it was loud and every building was just so tall. I liked it out there a lot.”
“It was nice, but busy,” said Tonya. “Definitely a lot to try and take in in a short time. They were setting up for Pride Parade so we didn't stay very long. Lots of variety of just about anything you can think of.”
This of course would allow the Adkins to make it back to the academy with enough time to spare and enjoy the festivities of the greet & meet.
“We are here,” shared Tonya, confirming their arrival on the grounds of West Point. “Everyone is eating and doing a meet/greet.”
Reception Day (R-Day Morning) July 1, 2019
With a 9:00am scheduled arrival to Eisenhower Hall to officially begin the Reception Day events, the Adkins make one last pit spot at 8:00am right outside the gates of the academy, at the local McDonald’s restaurant.
I'm personally excited for him,” shared Anthony’s father, Tony. “I hate it that he's gonna have to go through Beast [Barracks], but I think it will be good for him to experience it ... like I told him it will only make him stronger.”
The dad was the only member of the Adkins family who was reflecting on this unique moment in time, but also Anthony himself.
“I’m just sorting things out in my head at the moment,” said the fullback, who is just 30 minutes away from ‘The Moment’ that he has worked so hard for. “I’m just thinking about different pieces of advice people have me leading up to this point.
But let’s make no mistake about it ... this journey for Anthony Adkins didn’t start when he was recruited and offered scholarships by tons of colleges or even today when he began the rites of passage relative to all the events that make up Reception Day at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
No, this started 18-years ago with his parents, Tony and Tonya Adkins, who poured into this young man a sense of identity and destiny .... West Point and the Army Football Program have simply been handed the baton for this moment in time and in this relay called the continuous molding of Anthony Adkins.
"Go Army, Beat Navy," were Tony Adkins' final words of encouragement to his son as he and so many other new cadets were stepping into a new dimension in their young lives.
"Go be great kid," added his wife Tonya, as she added these embellishing words to her son. "We always knew you were special, you’ve always had the ability, the grades and the support system, now you have the platform." #WingsUp #BeatNavy #EverythingEarned
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