Nomination Process for Recruited Athletes

Northerner

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Excuse my ignorance on this question, but I simply don't know the answer. My son is currently a junior in HS and is a heavily recruited D-I athlete. That recruitment process is going to get a little crazy come this spring, but he told me yesterday that he at least wants to look at USNA, USMA, USMMA...all of which came as a shock to me. If this is the direction that he really wants to go - and let's just say the USMMA coach is interested in him, does he still need to go through the congressional nomination process or do recruited athletes by-pass this step?
 
No need to fill ignorant! It's perfectly fine to not know everything. This is the whole reason SAF exists. Your son will still have to go through the entire admissions process. This includes applying for and receiving a nomination. The only academy that does not require a nomination is USCGA. Athletic recruiting will help when your son's file is being reviewed, but he still has to get 3Q'd + Nomination like everyone else.
 
No need to fill ignorant! It's perfectly fine to not know everything. This is the whole reason SAF exists. Your son will still have to go through the entire admissions process. This includes applying for and receiving a nomination. The only academy that does not require a nomination is USCGA. Athletic recruiting will help when your son's file is being reviewed, but he still has to get 3Q'd + Nomination like everyone else.
Thank you for that info. If this is the path that my son once to go, I guess he will have a busy spring and summer. I am assuming he will have to procure a nomination for each Service Academy that shows interest in him (and he is interested in).
 
Thank you for that info. If this is the path that my son once to go, I guess he will have a busy spring and summer. I am assuming he will have to procure a nomination for each Service Academy that shows interest in him (and he is interested in).

Yes, that is correct.
 
In case you were NOT aware, USMMA is D-3, while the USMA and USNA are D1
 
Yes, we aware that USMMA is D3 while USNA and USMA are D1. He is a lax player - and has offers from most of the ACC schools as well as some of the bigger lax schools in the country. I am not even sure that one of the service academies would want him (he has a 4.0 GPA and a 1250 CR/M on SAT) - I was only assuming that they may since he'd be okay academically. My lone concern was the nomination process.
 
Hey Northerner-- another lax dad here. I can tell you that having met Coach Gill and Dwyer your son would be in good hands. My kid did get a couple D1 offers as well although not what I would call lax powerhouses (think Bryant, Brown, Penn, etc) for little to no money help-- basically for the privilege to play D1 lax. The only other service academy to give him an offer was air force which he strongly considered but then as he learned about the differences between the two he got excited about actually being a merchant marine with no active duty commitment or the ability to compete for a Navy Air slot with just as good of odds being a pilot at AF if he chose that option. In the end he didn't want to go or play lacrosse anywhere else. They had a strong freshman class last year and every reason to believe the 2019's will also be very solid so the future is bright. My son is a senior and received his loa a couple weeks ago, JUST received his nom so it looks like he will get an appointment BUT scary because the lacrosse part carries less weight than at the D1's so while the coaches are super helpful it is far from a guarantee for admission. Going through the process I think he realized just how competitive and what a big deal this all is. Anyways my point is your son seems to have the necessary scores and if he is interested in the school he should develop a relationship with the coaches as a junior and they will help get him excited about the unbelievable career options and fine lacrosse that awaits him. I like to think my kid would have earned game time at the D1s that recruited him but we have a lot of stud kids that go D1 and don't get the play time you think. The USMMA face-off guy is ridiculous and could have played anywhere but is very happy with his decision
 
Northerner: Yes he needs to go through the nomination process, and as you not now is the time for him to get "busy" starting applications and looking at any of the Service Academies he might want to consider. As Lax Dad indicates if he is interested in USMMA it is DIII but it's one of the more "serious" Varsity Teams/Sports at USMMA and Coach Gill and Asst Coach Dwyer are good, experienced hands to guide your son through the program who have been there for a long time so know how to help their athletes succeed.

Good luck - one other thing to look into as they are all different is indeed the nomination process and deadlines for your Congressman and two Senators as each Member of Congress' deadlines, etc is a little different. For USMMA their is basically four processes to get through before you can get through the gate with an entering class in July of any year: a) your DoDMERB physical qualification; b) your Candidate Fitness Assessment; c) your Nomination from a Member of Congress (House or Senate) from the State in which you reside; and b) a Completed Application with all of it done including your standardized test scores that meet or exceed the minimum for that entering class.

To stay sane and get through all that in a timely manner it's recommended you start completing all those things in Jan/Feb of your Junior Year. I also highly recommend your son fill out the form online indicating he's interested in playing LAX and have his coach tell Coach Dwyer and Gill that - then he go on an overnight visit to USMMA if at all possible soon so he sees what his life as a Plebe at USMMA will be when the regiment returns from Christmas Break.

Good Luck!
 
LAX Dad,

Only from what I have read, I'm not sure his odds of getting Navy pilot slot or AF slot are "just as good" graduating from KP. Keep in mind he is competing with all of the KP grads applying for those alots and the grads from AF/USNA for those spots. If memory serves, there may have been only 1 spot (or zero) given to AF last year. He must ask himself, "am I willing to be educated, trained and employed sailing as a merchant mariner if his pilot slots do not come to pass?" If not, then he needs to really think through his options.
 
Thank you jasperdog and lax_dad for your words on this - it is greatly appreciated. My son already filled out the sports on-line questionnaire form for each service academy, and is following up with an email to each of the 3 coaches this week. We will see where it goes from here. I appreciate everyone's response and help on the subject.
 
I agree with you AMF-- if you want to become an AF pilot apply to the AFA, if you want to sail as a merchant marine go to MMA, etc. The boy is 17 and is convinced he wants to be a tug boat captain, and that's great if that happens but from a parents point of view USMMA is uniquely attractive compared to the other service academies in that you don't necessarily rule out all your career options with a choice you make as a teenager.
 
We agree Lax, was just laying some more stuff out there. KP is more flexible for sure
 
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