parents weekend. success

Christcorp

15-Year Member
Joined
May 21, 2008
Messages
5,377
1st, it was great meeting many of you for the first time, and many others again. But mainly, I hope everyone had a.great parent's weekend. Especially the new parents. With your young ones recently leaving for the academy, and the whole way of life new to you, i hope you realized on parent's weekend that your bambinos are being taken good care of. I won't say that its all downhill from here, but once you see them in their new world, the future is easier to accept. Hope to see you all again soon. Mike.
 
I must echo Mike's comments...

It was GREAT to hear that loud "Steve!!!" from Mike...and to see the crowd of friendly folks, looking to share the experience of both Thudgate and USAFA! :thumb:

I was able to meet folks that I'd only "chatted with" here on the SA Forum...to be able to meet in person, that's priceless!!! And to meet the "doolies" that were the topics of our conversations here on the various USAFA threads all last year, and some for longer...again, priceless!!!

And finally, to my good friend "CC" (Mike) who was able to pull me aside and ensure I was able to make a good "To the USAF and USAFA" toast with Weed, as I'd missed it earlier...

"Sierra Hotel!" :thumb:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
Mike (CC), I stopped by on the way into the game to say hello but couldn't locate you. Found one Mike bartending, but it wasn't you. We did have a fantastic time at our last PW.

Thanks,
Bill
 
It was a great weekend indeed. As a C4C parent, it was great to finally get to see a bit of the campus and see a glimpse of their daily lives. My whole family was impressed by the cadets, the instructors, and the entire campus staff and structure.

On the other hand, you have to be careful what you wish for - my senior in HS who was there for the first time was so impressed she has now decided to apply. Starting over again in June with another one does not sound like fun!
 
Thank you for all of the work for Thudgate!!!

Dear Mike and Holly,
How can I say how much fun it was to meet you this weekend. It has been a year of your sharing invaluable information with me and I wanted to "KISS YOU" all over for all that you have done for my family. My son ( a new C4C) is so happy to be at the academy that I could hardly contain my joy as a parent. He has wanted this for SOOOO long and now to see him SOOOO happy to be at the USAFA makes me SOOOO happy as a mom.
Thank you for the wealth of information that you have shared with us all. You have helped me so much through this year that words will never be adequate.
THANK YOU, batmom
 
..., i hope you realized on parent's weekend that your bambinos are being taken good care of.

I agree! :thumb: All of the USAFA staff we came in contact with enjoyed what they did and it showed. It is easy to see why my DS loves it so much.

I did not get a chance to visit Thudgate. I wanted to but I ran out of time. We went in the students tailgate section around 10AM and had a chance to meet his new friends. We filled up on burger and brats, and watch their sections comradery. These are a great group of kids. :)

My DS has now firmly concluded that the SA route was the right choice for him. He realizes that juggling all of his class workload as well as the physical workload is what stretches him and makes him a better person.

Additionally, I came away with a new level of respect for the whole admissions process. They did a great job to gather a superb bunch of young adults.

All of the stories I heard this weekend were priceless. It seems like he has gotten 2 years of stories inside of a couple of months! But the highlight of the weekend was definitely the game. It was moving to see the Cadets march onto the field, run into the stands with excitement, and cheer with pride. I enjoyed seeing the falcon making its laps over the stands, the F-16's flyover, and the Wings of Blue landing on the field with precision.

I must admit I teared up a few times with a deep sense of pride. WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY! When I looked in the section of the 4000 students and I realized my DS was part of it, it made me so proud to be a parent. Parents of the USAFA cadets; well done!
 
All of your posts are what makes being an ALO so rewarding. Of course, there are times when it feels that as soon as one group of applicants are done; another one starts..... Oh wait.... That's exactly how it is. LOL!!! And that's why it's so important that each of you continue here at the forum. Some parents stop contributing once their little one makes it to the academy. Some stop after they graduate. The reason this forum was successful for all of you in the application process and made the transition easier, is because of ALL of the poster's contributions. No one or two people on this forum can provide all the answers.

Each of you provide a unique experience to the application process. Whether it's being an IC, medical waiver, nomination issue, etc... each person is unique. And each class brings a different perspective on the academy. Rules, policies, different squadrons, and the way the academy changes each year. That's why if you really appreciate what "we" (veteran posters) have done for you or your son/daughter, then the greatest thing you can do to show that appreciation, is to become one of the veteran posters and help the next group of parents and applicants.

There are other forums out there. Many revolve around "Support". Support in making parents feel better about their child's decision to apply to the academy. Help everyone deal with this new way of life. I like to believe that what makes serviceacademyforums unique and different from the others, is that we primarily concentrate on the hard discussions revolving around getting accepted to the academies and ROTC. We are most times straight to the point and a little tough at times. But the application period isn't as long as it appears, and this isn't the time to give inspirational speeches. If you look at the "Acceptance Rate" of applicants who post here or their parents post here for information, I think you'd find a pretty high success rate. (No, I don't have numbers; but each year when I consider how many are accepted to the academies and I see acceptance threads here with SO MANY NAMES, I know we have a high acceptance rate vs posters).

Anyway; I really appreciate all the kind words I've heard here and in person by so many of you. I know that Steve (Flieger), Pima, Cindy, and the rest really appreciate it too. But we really need you all to continue and become part of the experience to help the next generation. As you saw this weekend, the air force and academy is a "Family". It's not something just for 4 years like a college and you move on. So I hope to hear a lot of you posting to help the next set of applicants who are already posting. Thanks. Mike.....
 
Parents Weekend 2012
When did they change the rules that only about 30-40 C4C's come out to do pushups after an AF touchdown? I was expecting the entire class to come out as before.
 
Parents Weekend 2012
When did they change the rules that only about 30-40 C4C's come out to do pushups after an AF touchdown? I was expecting the entire class to come out as before.

2006 football season.

In fall 2005 (2009's 4-degree year) the whole class ran out and we almost drew a few delay of game penalties. They started limiting it the next season, and it seems like it gets smaller every year.
 
Can't say I ever went out my 4* year, but I was doing pushups on Saturday. Small redemption?
 
Parent push ups

While a few dozen cadets were doing pushups after every score, many of us parents were doing our own push-ups in the stands. (Stand up and raise your hands up and down to match the score.) While the cadets seemed to loose some steam when the score went over the 40 points mark, the parents were still going strong. Many of us showed up the cadets by doing our push-ups "one handed". I would have done only finger tip push ups, but I ate too much food at Thudgate to get that serious.
 
Loads of fun being had

out in CS, CO it appears!! Hope my DS gets to enjoy that enthusism at a SA of choice in 2014!
 
We had an amazing time at PW!! My DS is at the Prep school, and it was a wonderful weekend all together. I can't wait for next year's PW, when he is at the Academy.

I was also so impressed with all the parents we met. It's no wonder their kids received appointments. I don't know that I've ever been around so many nice people, and it shows in their kids we met. :smile:
 
All of your posts are what makes being an ALO so rewarding. Of course, there are times when it feels that as soon as one group of applicants are done; another one starts..... Oh wait.... That's exactly how it is. LOL!!! And that's why it's so important that each of you continue here at the forum. Some parents stop contributing once their little one makes it to the academy. Some stop after they graduate. The reason this forum was successful for all of you in the application process and made the transition easier, is because of ALL of the poster's contributions. No one or two people on this forum can provide all the answers.

Each of you provide a unique experience to the application process. Whether it's being an IC, medical waiver, nomination issue, etc... each person is unique. And each class brings a different perspective on the academy. Rules, policies, different squadrons, and the way the academy changes each year. That's why if you really appreciate what "we" (veteran posters) have done for you or your son/daughter, then the greatest thing you can do to show that appreciation, is to become one of the veteran posters and help the next group of parents and applicants.

There are other forums out there. Many revolve around "Support". Support in making parents feel better about their child's decision to apply to the academy. Help everyone deal with this new way of life. I like to believe that what makes serviceacademyforums unique and different from the others, is that we primarily concentrate on the hard discussions revolving around getting accepted to the academies and ROTC. We are most times straight to the point and a little tough at times. But the application period isn't as long as it appears, and this isn't the time to give inspirational speeches. If you look at the "Acceptance Rate" of applicants who post here or their parents post here for information, I think you'd find a pretty high success rate. (No, I don't have numbers; but each year when I consider how many are accepted to the academies and I see acceptance threads here with SO MANY NAMES, I know we have a high acceptance rate vs posters).

Anyway; I really appreciate all the kind words I've heard here and in person by so many of you. I know that Steve (Flieger), Pima, Cindy, and the rest really appreciate it too. But we really need you all to continue and become part of the experience to help the next generation. As you saw this weekend, the air force and academy is a "Family". It's not something just for 4 years like a college and you move on. So I hope to hear a lot of you posting to help the next set of applicants who are already posting. Thanks. Mike.....

We came, we saw, and.....we had FUN:thumb:
Our DS did try to catch up on zzzzz but managed to give us a detailed tour of the campus and had us sit through some of his classes.
The tailgate, F-16 flyover, football game, push-ups and the whole weekend was a blast even though it felt like it whizzed by in fast forward.
It's a long road ahead and it really is a Godsend to have a valuable resource such as this forum to serve as a beacon to newbies like us.
May you continue to provide much needed guidance and source of valuable advice to cadets and their families.
Thank you very very much!
 
All of your posts are what makes being an ALO so rewarding. Of course, there are times when it feels that as soon as one group of applicants are done; another one starts..... Oh wait.... That's exactly how it is. LOL!!! And that's why it's so important that each of you continue here at the forum. Some parents stop contributing once their little one makes it to the academy. Some stop after they graduate. The reason this forum was successful for all of you in the application process and made the transition easier, is because of ALL of the poster's contributions. No one or two people on this forum can provide all the answers.

Each of you provide a unique experience to the application process. Whether it's being an IC, medical waiver, nomination issue, etc... each person is unique. And each class brings a different perspective on the academy. Rules, policies, different squadrons, and the way the academy changes each year. That's why if you really appreciate what "we" (veteran posters) have done for you or your son/daughter, then the greatest thing you can do to show that appreciation, is to become one of the veteran posters and help the next group of parents and applicants.

There are other forums out there. Many revolve around "Support". Support in making parents feel better about their child's decision to apply to the academy. Help everyone deal with this new way of life. I like to believe that what makes serviceacademyforums unique and different from the others, is that we primarily concentrate on the hard discussions revolving around getting accepted to the academies and ROTC. We are most times straight to the point and a little tough at times. But the application period isn't as long as it appears, and this isn't the time to give inspirational speeches. If you look at the "Acceptance Rate" of applicants who post here or their parents post here for information, I think you'd find a pretty high success rate. (No, I don't have numbers; but each year when I consider how many are accepted to the academies and I see acceptance threads here with SO MANY NAMES, I know we have a high acceptance rate vs posters).

Anyway; I really appreciate all the kind words I've heard here and in person by so many of you. I know that Steve (Flieger), Pima, Cindy, and the rest really appreciate it too. But we really need you all to continue and become part of the experience to help the next generation. As you saw this weekend, the air force and academy is a "Family". It's not something just for 4 years like a college and you move on. So I hope to hear a lot of you posting to help the next set of applicants who are already posting. Thanks. Mike.....

"What HE said!" :thumb:

Perfectly put! It's a big reason I've been an ALO for 18 years!! :eek:

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83
 
HI AFLEADMOM!

My DD is a Preppie in Bravo Squadron this year. We may have crossed paths sometime during PW. WHAT a WEEKEND that was! I bought the $5.00 tickets for the AF vs. Idaho game... Yea, I sat WAY up at the top... but, it's the closest seats to the bathrooms, AND the FOOD! We ALSO had the best view for the flyover! I'm hoping to see my Preppie in January or February depending on weather in COS... and then graduation in May.

Anyone going to the USAFA vs. SDSU football game in November?

GO AIR FORCE!!! BEAT ARMY!!! SINK NAVY!!!
 
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