Lesser known sports at Navy/possibilities

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Oct 22, 2014
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I was accepted to USNA class of 2019 and I was wondering how future midshipmen should approach joining lesser known usna sports that had more leway for newbies. Two of my interests in particular are rowing (l) and sailing offshore. Should I email the coaches and ask for advice on work-out regiments or possibilities?
 
My ds is an avid rower. Although he has been rowing for 5 yrs, he has met so many stellar rowers who walked onto a crew team freshman year of college. Rowing has been a life changer for my guy, how he learned to achieve and work truly hard. He has also had the good fortune to get to meet the coaches and rowers at usna and says there is a super vibe! I vote to try rowing. As far as work outs now....the best thing to do for rowing is build your cardio base. The rest will fall into place with good coaching later.

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I don't know how it works at Navy, but at KP just show up for big boat sailing and you'll figure the rest out. There will be some folks from Annapolis/New Port/CT who grew up on the youth sailing circuit and are all stars but there will also be plenty of folks who haven't seen the ocean before.
 
You will have ample opportunity during PS to join teams (club/intramural) like offshore sailing. You will also be able to talk to coaches about varsity sports. DS was invited onto crew but you could email a specific coach and express interest.

Best workout for you now-RUN RUN RUN. PS consists of a lot of running so being prepared for that will take care of a lot of the rest.
 
Both rowing and sailing have plenty of folks who start out with zero experience prior to plebe summer. Over plebe summer there is a sports period most days where you will have the opportunity to try out either of these sports if you continue to be interested.
 
My S was on VOST for 4 years and had a great time, with very little prior experience.

Two trips to Bermuda aren't too bad - one Marion-Bermuda and one Newport-Bermuda. Toss in a Marblehead-Halifax, three NYYC weekends in Newport, RI, one Round Long Island Race, etc.
 
All mids not involved in a varsity sport are required to participate in club/intra-mural type sports (the sports vary by season). As mentioned above, during plebe summer you will have a chance to try-out for various varsity sports that have openings for walk-ons. If you are not a recruited athlete for a varsity sport, there is no need to contact any of the coaches prior to Plebe Summer. Varsity sports can be a BIG time drain, so you need to make sure you can handle everything else going on including remaining in good academic standing. That isn't something you can assess before you actually start USNA.
 
All mids not involved in a varsity sport are required to participate in club/intra-mural type sports (the sports vary by season). As mentioned above, during plebe summer you will have a chance to try-out for various varsity sports that have openings for walk-ons. If you are not a recruited athlete for a varsity sport, there is no need to contact any of the coaches prior to Plebe Summer. Varsity sports can be a BIG time drain, so you need to make sure you can handle everything else going on including remaining in good academic standing. That isn't something you can assess before you actually start USNA.

I agree but it is something I can better prepare for. The rowing coach responded to my emails and we have been talking, he's provided me with some great help! Thanks everyone for the feedback!
 
our son tried out for rowing.. made the team and then hated it so he quit.
he tried out for triathlon and did not make it
he tried out for rugby second semester.. made it and is loving it

I have heard of many mid shipman being recruited for one sport and then quitting during plebe year and trying another sport and loving it. There are plenty of opportunities to try new things. We told our son to go in eyes wide open to new opportunities!
 
our son tried out for rowing.. made the team and then hated it so he quit.
he tried out for triathlon and did not make it
he tried out for rugby second semester.. made it and is loving it

I have heard of many mid shipman being recruited for one sport and then quitting during plebe year and trying another sport and loving it. There are plenty of opportunities to try new things. We told our son to go in eyes wide open to new opportunities!
What are tryouts like for triathlon?


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our son tried out for rowing.. made the team and then hated it so he quit.
he tried out for triathlon and did not make it
he tried out for rugby second semester.. made it and is loving it

I have heard of many mid shipman being recruited for one sport and then quitting during plebe year and trying another sport and loving it. There are plenty of opportunities to try new things. We told our son to go in eyes wide open to new opportunities!
What are tryouts like for triathlon?


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tryouts for triathlon team are a "run, bike, run" . After a short break they do a swim. There were 40 guys trying out for 4 spots. It was a good experience for my son.
 
our son tried out for rowing.. made the team and then hated it so he quit.
he tried out for triathlon and did not make it
he tried out for rugby second semester.. made it and is loving it

I have heard of many mid shipman being recruited for one sport and then quitting during plebe year and trying another sport and loving it. There are plenty of opportunities to try new things. We told our son to go in eyes wide open to new opportunities!
What are tryouts like for triathlon?


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tryouts for triathlon team are a "run, bike, run" . After a short break they do a swim. There were 40 guys trying out for 4 spots. It was a good experience for my son.

The coach is a great guy. Former USNA grad and Marine. He was part of the military team in the RAAM bike race a couple of years ago that set a world record for crossing the US by bike. 8 guys alternating turns made 3000 miles in about the same time it takes people to drive it. He told me that the tri team is getting increasingly competitive and would like to become a varsity sport. IIRC, they recently got a grant to try to make that happen.
 
Can the position of coxswain be taught? I joke with my DS that he should try out for crew. He's 115 soaking wet. We're actually trying to put more weight on him in preparation for PS but it's a battle with his metabolism and him playing soccer and running to get ready for PS. But he's never crewed. Thoughts?


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Are student athletic trainers positions still available? Great for those mids who are pre-med or want to go to medical school.

All mids not involved in a varsity sport are required to participate in club/intra-mural type sports (the sports vary by season).
 
Can the position of coxswain be taught? I joke with my DS that he should try out for crew. He's 115 soaking wet. ... But he's never crewed.
Absolutely. Sports period over PS is quite helpful in figuring out if you want to get involved with rowing or not.

Are student athletic trainers positions still available? Great for those mids who are pre-med or want to go to medical school.
As far as I know it's still an option. One of my 2/C friends has worked with the football team as a trainer year-round since her plebe year and absolutely loves it.
 
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