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

I think she included wrestling because its usually no-cut in high school, not because its easy.

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.

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

Right? Why can't everyone get into top colleges?
Why do non top colleges need to exist?

Being on a high school sports team does NOT even come close to meaning a kid is physically fit. In fact, it's the opposite.
HS sports will not get you ready for the service academy fitness test.

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?

You get a "chip" if you play sports and are recruited. Free pass. My daughter had one for soccer .

They aren't!
They won't!!

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.

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?

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?

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

Right? Why can't everyone get into top colleges?
Why do non top colleges need to exist?

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

FWIW - a hundred years ago, I applied to the Naval Academy and ROTC on a Hail Mary. I went to the NYC equivalent of TJ, but grew up poor and extracurriculars weren't really an option because I needed to work outside of school to pay for standardized tests, etc. I stayed in ok shape outside of that by running and working out on my own. Given that my options for diversified activities weren't really an option, I instead focused my remaining time on academics. Studied for two years and destroyed the SATs, achievement tests (back when those existed), and loaded heavy on advanced courses and crushed them.

I got picked up by USNA and ROTC, went to Annapolis, and 32 years later I'm still in.

The college game may have changed slightly over the years, but at the end of the day - #1 priority has been, and always will be, school work (like legit, not just padding a GPA). If you can crush that, then everything else will just be gravy.

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.

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.

Wrestlers could. Probably pretty easily too

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

If your kid can’t pass basic tryouts for track, they would not do well at a service academy. What did your child tryout for?

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?

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