Cross Country

grking

5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2013
Messages
24
I have submitted everything to Admissions, have had an interview with my Representative, and am now in the nerve-wracking waiting period. However, I am interested in running for the USMA Cross Country team next year. I know I am not good enough to be recruited, but I was told it was possible I could join the team as a "walk-on". My avg 5k is in the 16:20s or 30s, and my best is a 16:17. Also, this past season I made huge improvements (which I hope will carry over into track this winter and spring), but as of right now, my mile is only a 4:39, which I doubt is good enough to get me looked at.

I looked on Goarmysports.com, but there was no questionnaire that I could fill out for Cross Country, and due to my poor performances last year during the Track season, I'm leery at filling out a form for that (my goal here would be to hopefully do well enough during the XC season next year that I would be allowed to join Indoor/Outdoor track). Is emailing a coach a good idea? I have used this approach with a different college that I am applying to, but I do not know the proper protocol here.

Does anyone have any experience attempting to join a sport as a walk-on? Does anyone have experience with the Cross Country team?
 
"Just a 4:39 mile" that's in the <1 % of people who can do that I don't know why you would consider that bad. I don't know how good your average runner is but my friends in cross country sometimes come in first through fourth with 17-18 minute 5k's.


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I have submitted everything to Admissions, have had an interview with my Representative, and am now in the nerve-wracking waiting period. However, I am interested in running for the USMA Cross Country team next year. I know I am not good enough to be recruited, but I was told it was possible I could join the team as a "walk-on". My avg 5k is in the 16:20s or 30s, and my best is a 16:17. Also, this past season I made huge improvements (which I hope will carry over into track this winter and spring), but as of right now, my mile is only a 4:39, which I doubt is good enough to get me looked at.



I looked on Goarmysports.com, but there was no questionnaire that I could fill out for Cross Country, and due to my poor performances last year during the Track season, I'm leery at filling out a form for that (my goal here would be to hopefully do well enough during the XC season next year that I would be allowed to join Indoor/Outdoor track). Is emailing a coach a good idea? I have used this approach with a different college that I am applying to, but I do not know the proper protocol here.



Does anyone have any experience attempting to join a sport as a walk-on? Does anyone have experience with the Cross Country team?


I had a similar experience this year while applying too. I play football and am a 3 year letter; however, I am no where near big enough to play college ball at USMA. Over the summer I had heard about sprint football(football with a 172lb weight limit) and found that I was very interested. I put a highlight reel together from last year and sent the coach some of my best plays from this season too just as a long shot, and now I sit here as a recruited athlete to play sprint football. Take a chance and e-mail the coach, the worst he can do is say no and even if he says that you can keep training and walk on during Beast. I say go for it but that's just my opinion. Best of luck!


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clofton6 - can you provide more info about being a recruited athlete for Sprint Football? I have been requested to submit a highlight reel by the coach. Thanks.
 
clofton6 - can you provide more info about being a recruited athlete for Sprint Football? I have been requested to submit a highlight reel by the coach. Thanks.


Yeah, well towards the beginning of August, I decided to send some of my film to Coach West. I put my highlights together from last year and then a couple of clips from the most recent game I had. He emailed back the next day saying he had like what he saw and wanted to see more. I sent him clips from each game after that and by 4 games into my season he decided he wanted to call and talk to me on the phone so we set up a phone meeting and he told me he wanted me to come play for them and that he basically "wanted to offer me scholarship". Days later I received my LOA which was contingent upon me receiving a nomination. Since then, I stayed in contact with Coach West, sent him some more good film, received my nomination and my BFE, and soon will schedule my visit to go up there and meet the coaches and what not. Coach West is a really cool guy and always wants players to send film! PM me if you have any more questions!


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My son tried to walk on to the USAFA Cross-Country team with a 4:21 mile. Coach told him his slowest runner was running 4:10. His typical 5K times in high school were in the low 16's, best was, if I remember right, a 15:43. Needless to say, he didn't make it, despite running for a state (Southern California) ranked D2 school, and flirting with being ranked as an individual in the state as well. The USAFA team consistently ranks pretty high, if not at the top, in their division; not sure if the USMA team does as well, but my guess would have to be yes.

My son ended up joining the triathlon club, and is now learning how to swim competitively (his biking skills were already pretty good). And, he's having great fun doing it.
 
My son tried to walk on to the USAFA Cross-Country team with a 4:21 mile. Coach told him his slowest runner was running 4:10. His typical 5K times in high school were in the low 16's, best was, if I remember right, a 15:43. Needless to say, he didn't make it, despite running for a state (Southern California) ranked D2 school, and flirting with being ranked as an individual in the state as well. The USAFA team consistently ranks pretty high, if not at the top, in their division; not sure if the USMA team does as well, but my guess would have to be yes.

My son ended up joining the triathlon club, and is now learning how to swim competitively (his biking skills were already pretty good). And, he's having great fun doing it.

Wow! I never would have known that it could be so competitive. (The world record mile run is 3:46) and anything below 5 is crazy fast!

I think if OP couldn't make the team for Cross country he should think about triathlon, 10 mile, or marathon running team:thumb:
 
grking,

You can absolutely do a walk-on tryout for the cross-country team. Even if you send in a resume and stuff like the one guy suggested and they don't accept you, you will get a chance during "Beast" to go walk-on to a sport. I'm an '09 grad from West Point and I tried walking on to the wrestling team during Beast. I didnt make it but I was also not very good haha. It's all good though because I ended up making it onto the skydiving team which is hands down the best gig at USMA.

Even if you don't make the team, I will tell you there are more teams to join than you can imagine. Triathlon, Marathon, urban land-nav, etc. Your running will definitely get you on some kind of awesome team.

Also to give you some perspective past West Point, running is a great thing to be good at as an officer. If you are really fast, you immediately get credibility from your Soldiers. Don't every let yourself get slow!
 
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