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The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families. Through the perspective of a community of former graduates and Naval Academy insiders, this podcast will help you learn about life at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. Through our shared experiences, Academy Insider guides families through the anxiety and frustration caused by lack of understanding, misinformation, and confusion. This platform is designed to better relationships between midshipmen and their loved ones. This podcast is not affiliated with the United States Naval Academy, the United States Navy or Department of Defense. The thoughts and opinions are exclusively those of your host and his guests.
The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience
#038 Varsity N Star Sweaters and the Army Navy Star Series with John Carter '22
Naval Academy Life and Tradition: The Star Series and Letter Sweaters
This episode of the Academy Insider podcast, hosted by Grant from The Vermeer Group, kicks off its second season focusing on the life and experiences at the United States Naval Academy. The podcast, aimed at Naval Academy graduates, midshipmen, future midshipmen, and their families, features a conversation with John Carter '22, a former Navy basketball player and current Marine Corps officer. The discussion sheds light on the Army-Navy star series—an athletic competition between the United States Naval Academy and West Point—as well as the tradition of the varsity letter sweater, which signifies athletic achievements at the Academy. Carter shares personal anecdotes about his time as a basketball player, the significance of earning the coveted sweater and stars, and his overall experience transitioning from high school to the Naval Academy, including his preparatory year at the Naval Academy prep school. The episode aims to provide insight into the camaraderie, challenges, and proud moments that define being part of the 'Navy Team Family' and participating in one of the academy's storied traditions.
00:00 Welcome to Season Two: Unveiling the Naval Academy Insider
00:46 Sponsor Shoutout: The Vermeer Group's Support
01:15 Diving Into the Episode: A Chat with John Carter
03:02 John Carter's Journey: From Tennessee to the Naval Academy
06:39 The Thrill of the Army-Navy Rivalry: Inside the Star Series
14:25 The Prestige of the Letter Sweater: A Naval Academy Tradition
23:08 Reflecting on the Naval Academy Experience
24:19 Closing Thoughts and Invitation for Engagement
The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.
Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast and the USNA Property Network Podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.
He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a boutique residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community PCSing to California & Texas.
We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.
Connect with Grant on Linkedin
Academy Insider Website
Academy Insider Facebook Page
If you are interested in sponsoring the podcast, have an idea, question or topic you would like to see covered, reach out: podcast@academyinsider.com.
