My wife and mother-in-law will be flying in from Hawaii for A-Day without the men.
I would like to get some information regarding the A-Day to limit the lost, frantic calls I would get that day. I won't be able to be there to limit the surprise level for my wife and mother-in-law so any information regarding A-Day will be helpful. They don't travel by themselves and this would be there first trip to Colorado Springs without any male figure around to take them around.
1. What gate can they enter from and what time is the best time to arrive to get good seats? I usually enter through the North Gate but I was just wondering if they could go through the South Gate if that is easier.
2. Where will the ceremony be located and where would they park if they are too early for the parking attendants to be there.
3. Where is a good place to get food for the cadets for after the ceremony? Are a lot tables and benches available or should they bring something to site on?
4. Will there be a designated area to eat with your cadet or could they go anywhere on campus to eat? Where on campus would be a good place for them to eat or do the squadrons usually eat in the same location together?
5. Any suggestions on where to get lunch from around the area?
Thanks for the responses
Hey there 808Dad! As an "808" mom, I would like to do whatever I can to help make the tripe easier for your wife and mom-in-law. I too insisted that I go to A-Day whether my husband wanted to or not...and he ended up going with me. It was the best thing that I did that summer, hands down. You can also ask the 2 808 moms from the class of 2017 who went last year! Some tips:
1. if you can have them fly into CO Springs, that's easier. However, Denver is really fine and the rental car locations are easy to get out of.
2. Come the day before to make a trip to Walmart for school supplies, blanket, plastic tub for snacks and toiletries that need stocking up. Your cadet will have email by then and will be able to email a list of stuff he/she needs.
3. Order food the day before. We went to Panera at Briargate and ordered sandwiches. Went to Walmart and got chips/salsa, brought homemade cookies from home. Chick Fil A is also open early so could order food there.
4. Bring a softsided cooler tote or 2 for ice/drinks and to keep the food cold during the parade. Or you can buy them at Walmart when you get there.
5. Scope out the location of the ice machine at the hotel and plan your raid with a secondary ice source! There were a couple of us families in the same hotel and we pretty much cleaned out the ice machines early!
6. Bring a blanket to throw on the ground for the cadets to sit on.
7. What do the 808 cadets love for you to bring them from home? 2 words: HAWAIIAN SUN! We brought a case for 3 cadets, and each drank like 2 in about 1 minute.
8. In the morning, fill your tote with ice, put in your drinks, pick up food, head to North Gate. Park as close as you can to Stillman field (you may end up parking near the field house but there are signs) and leave food in the car. Don't take stuff with you as I believe they don't allow big bags.
9. I had a map beforehand that showed where the cadets would be for the ceremony and sat in the section in front of their squadron. Look at the USAFA BCT page...I'll try to find it and post. It was fun to meet all the squadron parents and chat. While it might seem like a stretch for us to come from Hawaii, some parents drove for 10 hours to get there! It was fun to get to know everyone.
10. They may not have their phones, so tell your cadet that your party will go to him...and stay with his squadron. Your wife will want to get photos of the shoulder boards anyway.
11. You will then go back to the car, grab the food and stuff and find a shady spot to throw your blanket. Don't waste too much time finding that perfect spot; the kids don't care. Just stay adjacent to the parking lot area.
12. Pack up in plenty of time to take the coolers back to the car, pick up the school supplies and help carry them back to the dorm. You can do this; we were able to go with our cadet, but then she had to escort us back out. So leave plenty of time for this. if they have to report in at 1:00 pm for example, start cleaning up and heading back at 12:15. The times may be different for you so make sure you know for sure.
13. Out of order, but we stayed at the north gate end to be close to food pickup and North Gate. Hilton Garden Inn. We grabbed our food quickly and coffee at Starbucks and were on the road very easily.
I know it is a big expense for 2-3 hours, but it was so worth it for us to see our cadet coming out of BCT. I'm glad your wife and mom-in-law are going! Send me a private message if you want to discuss any further! Congratulations and Aloha!