How is someone supposed to get into a service academy if they can't pass tryouts for any high school sports?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a grad, and an interviewer.

I would recommend cross country, track, swimming … stuff like that. Be consistent and dedicated, but you don’t need to be a star. That will show commitment, and you’ll be in good shape for the candidate tests.

Do at least one of the summer seminar programs, if possible, before senior year.

Take hard classes.

Be open to other commissioning paths. They want people who really want to serve as officers, not JUST go to an Academy.

Good luck, and let me know if I can answer anything else.

NP here - DS is in Middle School and USNA is his dream, even if it is a long-shot. He is aware of ROTC as well. He is extremely self-motivated, has put himself on a track to Eagle Scout, has straight A's in all honors, is a top runner on the MS Cross Country and Track teams and is playing an instrument. Looking at starting towards his pilot license soon with a local low-cost program. I realize we are years away, but is there anything else you would recommend working on now to be ready for later?

Don’t you need a recommendation from a congress person?

PP - Yes, you need a nomination, but we know all of the above is taken into consideration for that. Being a strong, local leader, seems to be important if possible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.

I think you meant to say no money owed if you drop out before your second year. You definitely will owe money if you drop out after year 2.

If you leave prior to the first day of classes your 3rd/junior year you don't owe anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related at all....look at softball, FH, baseball, wrestling... none of those kids could pass the academy fitness test if ALL they did was their sport at high school. None of them.

Most wrestlers likely could due to the amount of fitness and conditioning involved. The exceptions being the heavier weight classes.

+1 my wrestler veteran husband still says wrestling practice was the most difficult physical activity he ever participated in.

OP, there are lots of academy graduates who aren’t athletic. The guidelines to pass the test are public. Join XC and do weight training and he’ll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.

I think you meant to say no money owed if you drop out before your second year. You definitely will owe money if you drop out after year 2.

If you leave prior to the first day of classes your 3rd/junior year you don't owe anything.

Yes, so you have until you start year 3. Dropout outcomes are still not good overall. Better to not push a borderline kid into a service academy pressure cooker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related at all....look at softball, FH, baseball, wrestling... none of those kids could pass the academy fitness test if ALL they did was their sport at high school. None of them.

Most wrestlers likely could due to the amount of fitness and conditioning involved. The exceptions being the heavier weight classes.

+1 my wrestler veteran husband still says wrestling practice was the most difficult physical activity he ever participated in.

OP, there are lots of academy graduates who aren’t athletic. The guidelines to pass the test are public. Join XC and do weight training and he’ll be fine.

'

Same, any wrestler not over 200 lbs is going to crush that.

OP is delulu

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just hate how competitive the world is. I don't understand how kids get into top colleges when basic extracurriculars are impossible to get into

Someone is getting into basic extracurriculars. If your kid isn’t making the cut for the basics why would you think they could make the cut at a top college?

It’s more about connections.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rowing is a good bet too if your school or a nearby club offers it.

And clearly shows dedication to hard work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.

I think you meant to say no money owed if you drop out before your second year. You definitely will owe money if you drop out after year 2.

If you leave prior to the first day of classes your 3rd/junior year you don't owe anything.

Yes, so you have until you start year 3. Dropout outcomes are still not good overall. Better to not push a borderline kid into a service academy pressure cooker.

The other issue is that many of the service academy classes don't transfer to a standard university, it's not like they are just taking gen eds the first 2 years. So even going in thinking, oh cool if I don't cut it then I have 2 free years of college, won't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.

I think you meant to say no money owed if you drop out before your second year. You definitely will owe money if you drop out after year 2.

If you leave prior to the first day of classes your 3rd/junior year you don't owe anything.

Not totally accurate. You don’t owe service time. You may owe tuition for the first two years depending on the reasons that you leave.

And tuition for the first two years is a lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related at all....look at softball, FH, baseball, wrestling... none of those kids could pass the academy fitness test if ALL they did was their sport at high school. None of them.

Strange you would include wrestling in that group. It is probably one of the best sports for fitness, with many teams including multi-mile runs, strength training, etc. into wrestling practices/workouts.

You know wrestling and pro wrestling aren't the same, right?

So. They would be ready for basic training

Not even close. Most wrestlers in HS are not fit. They only run when they need to drop weight. They have no cardio stamina.

You clearly have no idea what wrestling entails. It's basically combining sprinting and resistance training in one...anyone that has gone 100% for a 6 minute match will tell you it's the most intense 6 minutes of any high school sport. Also, most of the physical test for a military academy is pull ups, pushups and crunches. Wrestling practice is tailor-made for this kind of stuff, with fairly lite, strong kids with almost no body fat who have to do all of those things every day for practice.

The running part is the easiest part of the test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related at all....look at softball, FH, baseball, wrestling... none of those kids could pass the academy fitness test if ALL they did was their sport at high school. None of them.

Strange you would include wrestling in that group. It is probably one of the best sports for fitness, with many teams including multi-mile runs, strength training, etc. into wrestling practices/workouts.

You know wrestling and pro wrestling aren't the same, right?

So. They would be ready for basic training

Not even close. Most wrestlers in HS are not fit. They only run when they need to drop weight. They have no cardio stamina.

You clearly have no idea what wrestling entails. It's basically combining sprinting and resistance training in one...anyone that has gone 100% for a 6 minute match will tell you it's the most intense 6 minutes of any high school sport. Also, most of the physical test for a military academy is pull ups, pushups and crunches. Wrestling practice is tailor-made for this kind of stuff, with fairly lite, strong kids with almost no body fat who have to do all of those things every day for practice.

The running part is the easiest part of the test.

Plus wrestlers get to wear tights!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not related at all....look at softball, FH, baseball, wrestling... none of those kids could pass the academy fitness test if ALL they did was their sport at high school. None of them.

Strange you would include wrestling in that group. It is probably one of the best sports for fitness, with many teams including multi-mile runs, strength training, etc. into wrestling practices/workouts.

You know wrestling and pro wrestling aren't the same, right?

So. They would be ready for basic training

Not even close. Most wrestlers in HS are not fit. They only run when they need to drop weight. They have no cardio stamina.

You clearly have no idea what wrestling entails. It's basically combining sprinting and resistance training in one...anyone that has gone 100% for a 6 minute match will tell you it's the most intense 6 minutes of any high school sport. Also, most of the physical test for a military academy is pull ups, pushups and crunches. Wrestling practice is tailor-made for this kind of stuff, with fairly lite, strong kids with almost no body fat who have to do all of those things every day for practice.

The running part is the easiest part of the test.

Plus wrestlers get to wear tights!

So do track runners, gymnasts, divers, swimmers, rowers….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can be profoundly athletic and fit and never ever be on any team.

There are plenty of professional athletes in sports like football and baseball who are not fit enough to pass an academy fitness test. Running, biking, weights, gym machines get a person a whole lot fitter than sitting on a baseball bench waiting for your turn at bat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.

I think you meant to say no money owed if you drop out before your second year. You definitely will owe money if you drop out after year 2.

If you leave prior to the first day of classes your 3rd/junior year you don't owe anything.

Yes, so you have until you start year 3. Dropout outcomes are still not good overall. Better to not push a borderline kid into a service academy pressure cooker.

The other issue is that many of the service academy classes don't transfer to a standard university, it's not like they are just taking gen eds the first 2 years. So even going in thinking, oh cool if I don't cut it then I have 2 free years of college, won't work.

It’s not free. If you quit after 2 yrs, you have to pay them back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS attended the Naval Academy and he dropped out after his 2nd year there. Good thing about the academy is that you do NOT have to pay back anything if you drop out after your 2nd year.