Watch this space for updates on the Firetower Project!

Monday September 19, 2022

WHEW!

Now that's what you call an alumni weekend! Let's recap, shall we?

The cross country team ran a great race crushing ECU, UNC-C and the rest of the field by finishing 1st, 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 7th led by freshman phenom Ethan Lipham. Not to mention, the team ran without top guys Ryan Brown, Ryan Teuscher, and Lane Hoyes due to illness and injury. The team is looking DEEP.

At the alumni dinner banquet (with nearly 100 in attendance), we heard from Athletic Director Doug Gillin, Hall of Famer Coach Weaver, got insight into the current team with Coach Curcio, listened to SoCon All Century members Seth Peoples and Ben Bissette, and learned from AppState's 'Steve Prefontaine', Louis Blount. We even got to meet the current team members.

The ESPN College GameDay experience was electric and practically concert-like excitement and energy. The tailgate was filled with great food, drinks, and perfect weather. Thanks to our partners in the athletic department, The Firetower Project was featured in-game and the SoCon All Century team was featured on-field.

And have you EVER seen a game like that? uhhhhh....UNBELIEVABLE! How fun was it to turn back the clock a few years and rush the field with the rest of the stadium?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5mnKnLHx-I

We are in a great position to work towards our goals outlined in the mission statements. This is all due to you, our friends and alumni. We have approximately $20,000 remaining to reach our 2022 year goal of $55,000. The momentum is on AppState's side. If you or someone you know want to join in the cause and keep the momentum going, please click to donate at the link below:

Click to Donate to Firetower Project - VICTORY

Firetower Project sweatshirts and gear are still available for purchase as well.

What a great weekend filled with great victories and great friendships. If you have pictures, please send to team@firetowerproject.org. We can't wait until next year, but first...

Go AppState XC!

The Team at Firetower Project

Saturday August 27, 2022

Don't forget to register for the reunion coming up on the weekend of September 16-17, 2022. Click register.firetowerproject.org for all the details and to register. Check out some photos from last year!

Wednesday August 17, 2022

Information and registration details are now available for our upcoming XC reunion weekend for September 16-17, 2022. Last years event was a great success, and we look forward to seeing everyone this year! Click register.firetowerproject.org for all the details and to register.

Monday February 21, 2022

Check out our first 2022 newsletter in PDF format below! Go Mountaineers!

Tuesday October 26, 2021

The Alumni weekend was a huge success. Nearly 100 alumni packed the house & heard messages from current & former coaches Weaver, Curcio, and Fereshetian in support of the Firetower Project's mission, as well as from athletic director Doug Gillin. The tailgate from the Alumni Center was epic and the football game was under a classic fall Boone day. The men's team crushed the competition at the first-ever Firetower Project Invitational with an impressive lead pack and 1-5 split.

This Friday, October 29, the men and women's teams will be looking to bring some hardware back to Boone from the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships. All the info about the championships can be found at the Championship homepage. Take note that the meets will be on ESPN+.

We've had some requests from supporters asking how they can receive our email communications. If you would like to have your email address added to receive future communications from the Firetower Project, please complete this web form and click "Submit" at the bottom: Firetower Project Email Update

Check out our full newsletter in PDF format below and Go Mountaineers!

Tuesday August 17, 2021

We are pleased to share the registration link for the Firetower Project XC Alumni Weekend (9/17-9/19): http://register.firetowerproject.org

Details around registration and the weekend are all available via the registration page. Thanks to the Appalachian State Alumni Association for assisting us with registration and space to tailgate before the game on Saturday!

Also, please share the registration link with any XC alumni (men and women), and any program supporters (relatives, friends) who might be interested in attending the weekend.

Go Mountaineers and we're looking forward to seeing everyone on the mountain!

Thursday June 10, 2021

Check out the new page on the site where we're interviewing different alumni. It's a great way to keep up with teammates, and learn about those you might not know from a different era. For our first round, we've got Brandon Hudgins (2011)!

Friday April 23, 2021

Save the date! We are planning an alumni reunion weekend for September 17th and 18th, 2021. There is a home football game (vs Elon) on Saturday, so start to think about making plans now to come up for the weekend. We are working with ASU on reserving some event space in the Athletics Center on Friday night (17th) for a catered gathering. Our intent is to sell tickets to cover the cost (prep/food/cleaning). Other possible events planned for Saturday to include:

• Group runs -- the greenway will now take you from State Farm all the way to Booneshine Brewing, for those of us requiring libations as incentive

• Tailgate for the football game

• TBD, but we are working with the ASU athletic department to try and get the 1994 team honored during or before the game

• Post game activities in Boone

The Firetower Project Open.

Also on Friday there will be a home cross country meet at State Farm fields (where they grow the food). Again details TBD.

If you would like to help plan any of these events and can offer assistance, please contact slagle@firetowerproject.org

Thursday March 18, 2021

We're into our second year of fundraising for the Firetower Project! In reality, we only launched the project about 6 months ago, but as we are aligning the fundraising goals with Appalachian's athletic department budgeting cycles, we are now into year 2.

Thanks to everyone who stepped up and donated, we blew past our initial goal of $16,000, and raised $28,000. Our goal for the 2nd year is to raise another $40,000. That would put our total funds raised at $68,000, which will roughly cover a full scholarship for 4 years at ASU.

We are already off to a great start as we have raised $10,000 towards the $40,000 goal.

We plan to add more content to the website as we move through 2021. Check out the page dedicated to the Firetower Hill Climb, if you haven't yet. Hopefully it brings back some great memories.

We are tentatively planning an alumni reunion weekend in Boone for September 18th, 2021. There will be a XC meet at State Farm Fields (where they grow the food), a home football game, and organized alumni activities. Save the date! More details to follow.