More than 30 VMI cadets and Moe, the kangaroo mascot, were featured on FOX Sports’ coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., Sunday, Aug. 23.
Earlier in the month, FOX had reached out to U.S. Army Recruiting Command (ARC) looking for a stateside unit for a military watch party for the race. ARC thought immediately of VMI.
Several VMI departments including Public Information and Marketing, Operations and Planning, the commandant’s office, and Parkhurst Catering, worked collectively to smoothly organize the event. It was held in The Arsenal, the cadet activity center located on the ground floor of Crozet Hall.
Prior to the broadcast, the FOX videographer led the cadets in rehearsing energetic and raucous cheers, as well as reactions of disappointment in the event of a wreck.
According to FOX, the broadcast drew an average audience of 3,282,000 viewers, the largest non-Indy 500 rating since 1995. The full 40-second clip of the cadets that aired during the race may be viewed at https://f.io/4KMYLOuI.
