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U.S. Naval Academy plebes climb Herndon Monument in more than 2 hours

Roughly 1,000 freshmen, known as the plebe class, attempted to climb the 21-foot tall Herndon Monument in Annapolis, Maryland, and remove the plebe hat, or "dixie cup," from the top.
U.S. Naval Academy website

In what has become one of the most entertaining days of the years at the U.S. Naval Academy, Herndon Monument Climb Day has once again garnered national attention.

On Monday, Baltimore's WJZ-TV reported that roughly 1,000 freshmen, known as the plebe class, attempted to climb the 21-foot tall Herndon Monument in Annapolis, Maryland, and remove the plebe hat, or "dixie cup," from the top.

Here's the catch: the monument is covered from top to bottom in vegetable shortening, which makes the already difficult climb that much harder. Students build a human pyramid to remove the cap. Once they do, they are referred to as the fourth-class midshipmen.

The task normally takes one to three hours to complete. This year, it took the plebes more than two hours to climb the monument and knock off the dixie cup.

It's an annual tradition that the academy says promotes "teamwork and perseverance they have learned during their first year at the academy."

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