USNA Sprint Football vs. USCGA Football

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Apr 14, 2015
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I am applying to both USNA and USCGA, and should I be able to receive an appointment to both, I am trying to determine which is my number one. Obviously, I want to serve and always have. Educationally, I want to be a naval architect, and both schools have this major as well. Service-wise, I want to be on a ship/boat in some form or fashion. Therefore, both schools seem to be pretty even, and football could be a possibly deciding factor as the more important factors seem to apply to both schools. I would love any advice about the possible advantages of being on either team (should I make the team), as well as any personal experiences from those who have participated in either sports program.
 
Well I am a mom of a Navy Sprint Football player. Navy Sprint Football is for players 171lbs and under. They are a D1 Varsity team and they get treated very well. I believe the other schools is not a D1 school so they will have a few differences there as well as weight class. Either way it's a win win situation both schools and programs are stellar!!! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!!!
 
Well I am a mom of a Navy Sprint Football player. Navy Sprint Football is for players 171lbs and under. They are a D1 Varsity team and they get treated very well. I believe the other schools is not a D1 school so they will have a few differences there as well as weight class. Either way it's a win win situation both schools and programs are stellar!!! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask!!!
Do you know if the level of play of Sprint Football considerably higher, if at all higher, than that of High School football?
 
@jculligan - I think you are misquoting the OP - he said "should I be able to get an appointment to both" - which I interpreted as "if I am lucky enough to get an appointment to both" and not "I should be able to get an appointment to both".

Thanks. Looks like I read it too quickly
 
Do you know if the level of play of Sprint Football considerably higher, if at all higher, than that of High School football?

Yes it's defiantly college level play and very competitive. Most Sprint players end up going towards the marine option at the academy. Prepare for a lot of working out...
 
I am applying to both USNA and USCGA, and should I be able to receive an appointment to both, I am trying to determine which is my number one. Obviously, I want to serve and always have. Educationally, I want to be a naval architect, and both schools have this major as well. Service-wise, I want to be on a ship/boat in some form or fashion. Therefore, both schools seem to be pretty even, and football could be a possibly deciding factor as the more important factors seem to apply to both schools. I would love any advice about the possible advantages of being on either team (should I make the team), as well as any personal experiences from those who have participated in either sports program.

USCGA is D3. I would say contact the coaches. But you really should visit both academies and decide which one feels like the best fit for you. Despite their similarities, they are vastly different.
 
What do you want to do with your NA/ME degree? Are you planning to use this degree during or after your time in the service? Seeing that most aspects of the US maritime industry are regulated by the USCG, there might be some opportunities to use your degree while in the service. Have you considered civilian colleges such as Webb or Michigan for NA/ME? Both have excellent programs.
 
USCGA is D3. I would say contact the coaches. But you really should visit both academies and decide which one feels like the best fit for you. Despite their similarities, they are vastly different.

Yes ma'am, and I definitely will. I've attended a CVW and will be going to NASS, and hopefully I will be going to AIM for USCGA. These should greatly help my decision if I am lucky enough to get into both. Thanks for the advice!
 
What do you want to do with your NA/ME degree? Are you planning to use this degree during or after your time in the service? Seeing that most aspects of the US maritime industry are regulated by the USCG, there might be some opportunities to use your degree while in the service. Have you considered civilian colleges such as Webb or Michigan for NA/ME? Both have excellent programs.

I would love to be involved in the design of ships, in almost any way, shape, or form, as boats have always been a huge interest for me. Also, I would love to stay in the service as a naval architect rather than go to the private sector, so your advice about USCG helps a ton. Finally, I have considered Webb and Michigan, but Webb is too small and with Michigan, as a South Georgia boy, I honestly just don't want to go all the way up there. Most importantly though, I want to serve and that is the biggest draw for me to go to a service academy and get a naval architecture degree there rather than from other institutions. I will be applying to the Stevens Institute of Technology, however, as a plan C as it also has a good program and is the home of the Atlantic Center for the Innovative Design and Control of Small Ships which is funded by the Office of Naval Research.
 
DS is finishing up his first year at USCGA. His intended major is NA/ME. He, like you, has always been interested in boats and started sailing at a very young age. He applied to USCGA, USNA, Webb, Michigan, Stevens and SUNY Maritime. A Naval Architect friend gave him the advice to, "treat every school you apply to as your Plan A, because in the end, where you decide to go will be your Plan A". Yes, Webb is small, but the program is very focused and hands on. Michigan and Annapolis are quite large. DS's grammar school and high school were under 1000 total students. and so the USCGA was a familiar size for him. Think of the whole USCG approval process for systems for boats and ships, accident investigations, stability and load calculations, etc. Plenty of opportunities to put that knowledge to work.
 
I highly recommend you pick the school withe service you want to serve in, not on football. The Naval Architecture program at Navy is small, but very good. I had an ex who majored in it. We are friends to this day and he still works in that field. He was actually non-commissionable when we graduated so he entered the civilian section. His professors helped him land a job in DC as defense contractor working at NSWC Carderock. He now works as a civilian there working hull design and other things. He loves his job. USNA has some of the greatest labs and wave pools for testing in the nation. I am not sure how USCGA facilities and labs stack up, definitely something to explore. As far as post grad opportunities remember you are going to serve in the fleet as an unrestricted line officer in some capacity first and foremost in the Navy. Not sure on the USCG but probably the same thing. The Navy does have an Engineering Duty Officer option and not sure if NA grads are eligible for that. If you are and you are selected, you would spend a tour on a ship earning your pin then head to acquisition/engineering type duty and spend your career there. If you aren't selected for that you could definitely still spend tours in DC working these fields. They always need officers who want to do this work. Also can lead to a natural transition to the Dept of Navy as a civilian working in these fields. NAVSEA and NSWC Carderock are probably the two main areas this work comes in. I shear size the Navy probably spends more money and time developing ships than the USCG does so there is that to consider.

Mostly you need to compare services. What is a better fit? USCGA has a unique mission set as does the Navy. They are both great, but one might stand out more as a better fit. School sizes and services sizes are much different too. Navy has more options at graduation. Leave football out of the equation to be honest for a final decision. USCGA is DIII, take a look at their schedule and rosters. Get a good idea of where your talent would land you on that squad. Sprint football is a unique sport and really can't be compared to regular football in my honest opinion. There are strict weight requirements so if you are one of the "big guys" you might land you on the line. The game is very fast and really fun to watch. The season is around 7-8 games and there are only roughly 8 teams in the league (this has shrunk and grown over time). There are some great sprint players and they are a tight team. It is coached by an active duty Marine Officer so you see alot of their players take that path at graduation.
 
As a mom of 3 Mids I can see that your pretty squared away and it's good that you are inquiring about your extracurricular activity. My son wanted more than anything to play Football for Navy, but more than anything he wanted to be an Officer. It's ok to ask about the programs that you maybe involved in. No matter which way you go you will still be living your dream and playing football...Beat Army!!!!
 
The Navy does have an Engineering Duty Officer option and not sure if NA grads are eligible for that. If you are and you are selected, you would spend a tour on a ship earning your pin then head to acquisition/engineering type duty and spend your career there. If you aren't selected for that you could definitely still spend tours in DC working these fields. They always need officers who want to do this work. Also can lead to a natural transition to the Dept of Navy as a civilian working in these fields. NAVSEA and NSWC Carderock are probably the two main areas this work comes in. I shear size the Navy probably spends more money and time developing ships than the USCG does so there is that to consider.

Thanks for all this great advice! To be honest, I hadn't been able to find out a whole lot about possibilities for naval architects in conjunction with the Navy following graduation, so this information has been a great help. Thanks again for spending time to comment.
 
@SAMom, hats off to you - 3 mids? DD is a rising 9th grader who has been inspired by DS to think about a SA and I'm thinking...
 
Remember the goal of the Acadmies is to produce unrestricted line officers. Very few Mids go restricted line. Usually the things that would involve naval architecture and design type of work be done on shore tours. EDO would give you the option to stay in these fields for your career after your initial sea tour. Remember though as an officer you will spend more time leading teams, serving as lead interface to contractor teams building stuff and other items. You won't be the guy using programs to design hulls yourself. You will be the guy responsible for a team doing this, coordinating things and reviewing products that your contractors produce. Don't get me wrong you will be surrounded by it everyday in those fields, but you won't be the guy using some software to draft this stuff. Your educational background will help you lead these things.
 
Remember the goal of the Academies is to produce unrestricted line officers. Very few Mids go restricted line. Usually the things that would involve naval architecture and design type of work be done on shore tours. EDO would give you the option to stay in these fields for your career after your initial sea tour. Remember though as an officer you will spend more time leading teams, serving as lead interface to contractor teams building stuff and other items. You won't be the guy using programs to design hulls yourself. You will be the guy responsible for a team doing this, coordinating things and reviewing products that your contractors produce. Don't get me wrong you will be surrounded by it everyday in those fields, but you won't be the guy using some software to draft this stuff. Your educational background will help you lead these things.

Wow, can't tell you how many questions this has answered. This will help greatly in my decisions and planning/hope for the future.
 
OP, did a little digging and NA appears to qualify for EDO. USNA does give the option to go SWO (not sure about subs) with EDO option directly out of USNA if qualified. So essentially it's a guarantee to go that track once you finish your first sea tour. Check out the link I found. It addresses reserve stuff too so ignore that part. But gives an idea of what they do.

https://www.navalengineers.org/southernindiana/events/Documents/NREDO Overview.pptx
 
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