Sports or no Sports?

khaddyx08

5-Year Member
Joined
May 15, 2013
Messages
43
Hey Guys,
I have been receiving emails and letters from Citadel as well as West Point asking me to come and see their soccer team. They have been trying to get me to come for awhile now and I wanted to hear some feed back. I want to attend the Naval Academy and I have been going through with the application process. Is giving up the potential to play a sport at either Academy worth it for the chance of getting in to the Naval Academy? If anyone has played a sport in an Academy, is it too time consuming? Does it take your focus away from the real reason of being in the Academy? Some of the forums I have looked at haven't really answered my questions. Much appreciation for whoever responds.
 
More than one application?

Why not apply to West Point and the Naval academy? As we understand it, it is SO competitive now that if you have a real desire to serve and IF you would be content to make a career in the Army over Navy (for instance), then you should apply to both.
Though you are focused on USNA, it does not mean you will get in. Maybe consider also applying to West Point too? You could get into both and have a great choice to make. But if you apply to only one and don't get in, you might regret not applying to another.

Finally, do you want to continue to play soccer? Have you reached out to the USNA soccer coach?

S

Don't know much about the Citadel except that it is not a SA and admissions standards and process are not, I don't think, as competitive as the SAs.
 
If you're a strong enough soccer player, look into the possibility of being recruited to play for the academy. Being recruited for a sport is (for better or worse) the easiest way of being appointed. If USNA wants you, they'll get you. Since you're getting e-mails from WP, I assume you're a junior. So contact USNA's soccer coach via e-mail (or have your coach do it) and fill out the online recruiting questionnaire.


If anyone has played a sport in an Academy, is it too time consuming? ?

Yes, varsity sports are extremely time consuming. I spend more hours with my sport than I do in class each week. Do my grades suffer? Probably. It's a trade off. My sport is my passion but I lose alot of time that could be spent studying. Yet about 25% of the brigade plays a sport. At the end of the day, it's all about time management.

Also, playing a sport at the academy, especially plebe year, will you excuse from from alot of crappy stuff, like formations or parades or "training".

Does it take your focus away from the real reason of being in the Academy?

No.
 
My heart is really set with the Navy, that is why I asked. My father is a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserves and has been helping me a lot with my application. He also knows a lot of people and they are helping me better myself to reach my goal. I would like to play soccer. I HAVE sent emails to the Naval Academy Coach, just haven't heard anything. I seem to be good enough for West Point and I even got an email today from Coast Guard for the same offer. Yet, I can't seem to be that good for the Naval Academy. My choice is set up between tearing away from Navy and going Army or trying to continue getting into the Naval Academy. What are the benefits and downfalls of becoming a Varsity player?
 
The Coast Guard can prove to be a very exciting career. Same can be said for USMMA.
 
This is really up to you.

First, if your attitude is "USNA or bust," in the sense that you would not consider any of the of the other service academies, then it doesn't matter -- the soccer coaches will either be interested in you or they won't. (and by the way, have you talked to your high school/club coach(es) about how to get in touch with college coaches? they may be able to help; for example, do you have a highlights DVD you could send the Navy coaches? your coaches might be able to advise you on this sort of thing)

I would say that you might first think about broadening your horizons, if only because from what I hear right now from my old high school teachers, and from other USNA families with younger kids applying, USNA seems to be harder than ever to get into. Again, if USNA is all that you want, then there's no real decision -- they'll make it for you. But if you think you want to be a military officer more broadly, think about applying to West Point and USCGA too -- you can always decline.

On the sports issue, it's how important it is to you whether you want to invest the time in pursuing it at the DI level. When it comes to the service academies, research (and my anecdotal observation) seems to support that women mids/cadets at the service academies are happier and graduate at a higher rate if they have an athletic team as a community within a community. But yes, it requires a ton of time and the ability to juggle and prioritize.
 
The Coast Guard can prove to be a very exciting career. Same can be said for USMMA.

My DS is headed to WP so I'm biased Army now ... but you can cross commission to Navy from USMMA and there are always some USCGA grads that commission Navy as well. Based on what I've read, there are even cross commissions that happen WP to Navy and USNA to Army.

As for playing a Varsity sport -- if your passion is to serve your country, your varsity sport won't obscure your passion to prepare to lead as an officer. But if your passion is play soccer, your preparation to be an officer could get obscured by the demands of your sport. Since all cadets at the academies play some type of sport, varsity versus club is as much a matter of degree and time commitment as anything else.

I truly believe that you go to an academy primarily because you want to serve in that branch of the military, and then because the academy has something specific that appeals to you -- not the other way around. As stated earlier, recruitment is an easier path to appointment, but it is still no guarantee.

Best wishes in your pursuits.
 
Soccer

Navy offers a soccer camp. Session is filled but there appears to opening in session two. Going to a camp is the best way to be seen by a coach. It would be worth the investment. Best advice I have heard is you need to recruit the school, don't wait for them to recruit you. Complete the sports recruit app online. Put together a package that includes resume, transcript, photos, videos, newspaper articles, etc, and send it to the coach. Get yourself on the radar.
 
Are you a rising junior? Do you have soccer experience besides HS? Are you one of the top players on your club team? Is your club team one of the best in the region? If you answer no to any of those then its unlikely you'll play soccer for any D1 school. Not trying to be cruel just realistic.

As Goblue said, if your passion is to be a Naval Officer then go to the Academy. That has to be the primary motivation. Many Mids (and I bet many Cadets as well) start out playing a varsity sport only to drop it when they realize that their real passion is somewhere else and their time is better devoted to achieving that goal. That said, though it is a major time commitment hundreds manage it every year so you can too.

The CGA is a wonderful path also and, being D3, playing there may be less of a reach than at either Annapolis or West Point.
 
I am one of the top on my team. My team is placed at 8th in the state. I play on a club team. I have had coaches from Villanova and USC to Penn State Main Campus. I know that my one true goal is to become an Officer. I have taken all of your information into consideration and have even started my application for West Point, USCGA, and even the Merchant Marine Academy. I would love to play soccer, but I realized that becoming an Officer is my true goal in life. Thank Y'all for your words of wisdom!
 
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