Skaneateles students attend inauguration

By Jason Gabak

Editor

When Ben and Calvin Blackwell, along with their friend Joe Capozza, were coming up the steps from the metro in Washington D.C. on Jan. 20, the Blackwells’ father Geoffrey pointed out the cyclical quality of what they were doing.

“He pointed out to us that Trump announced he was going to run for president going down in an elevator and we were going up the escalator,” Calvin said. “It was sort of ironic. He was going down at the start and there we were going up at the end.”

The three Skaneateles had the opportunity to be with what the estimate to be about 300 to 400 yards of the inauguration ceremony.

“We were by the Reflecting Pool, but we could see the stage with binoculars,” Calvin said.

Ben said it was during a visit to Washington D.C. for a tour of American University that he and his brother took an interest in attending the inauguration.

“My dad and I were in D.C. about three months ago,” Ben said. “We went to the Capitol Building and we saw them building the platform. We thought it would be great to be able to attend the inauguration.”

According to the Blackwells, there father reached out to their congressman and he was able to obtain six tickets for the inauguration.

The Blackwells are friend with Capozza and he had heard they had tickets for the event.

Capozza, who turned 18 prior to the election and was able to vote for the first time, took an avid interest in this election cycle.

Capozza was able to attend the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, taking part in numerous events and assisting with convention on behalf of the New York delegation.

“I always had an interest in politics,” Capozza said. “I would listen to things on the news and talk about ideas. But this year it is exciting because it is the first time I could vote.”

The Blackwells knew how interested in Capozza had been about the election and when they realized they would have an extra ticket, they were quick to offer it to Capozza.

“We knew how involved he was,” Ben said. “We knew we wanted to ask him.”

This offer was one Capozza could not pas up.

“I was shocked,” Capozza said. “I already knew they were going a few days before I was invited. When they told me they had an extra ticket, I didn’t even know what to say. It was an incredible opportunity.”

When they arrived at the inauguration, all the boys were taken with just how immense everything was.

They said there was an excitement, an energy in the air, that they said was hard to explain, but was palpable.

“For me the bright spot was everyone was so positive,” Calvin said. “Everyone came together and was so supportive of what was taking place. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, just a once in a lifetime experience.”

One of the strengths of the American political process is the manner in which the presidency changes hands.

“This was democracy in action,” Calvin said. “This was the peaceful transition of power. It was amazing to be a part of that.”

It was a peaceful ceremony and a peaceful scene surrounding the event according to the boys.

“What we saw was 100 percent peaceful,” Capozza said. “I saw some things on the news, but everything we saw was completely peaceful and that was good to see.”

The boys had a whirlwind trip, returning home by Saturday.

While they were still taking it all in, they were able to view the coverage of the weekend events on the news.

Seeing something they had been a part of on television helped put it into perspective.

“The next day I saw it on TV,” Capozza said. “And realizing I was there, it was a moving experience.”

Capozza said his interest in politics has only deepened after his recent experiences, the Blackwells said their interest has also deepened.

“I wasn’t as interested in politics as Joe,” Ben said. “Now I am much more interested. After the election and going to the inauguration and after taking U.S. history and government last year and learning more about how our system works it has made me a lot more interested.”