Application and Sports

I think that admissions is really the only ones who can determine if your chances were HURT. Having said that, we can safely say that you didn't actually HELP yourself with quitting your school sport. However, that doesn't mean you've completely messed up your chances. You say that you're practicing martial arts/knife fighting? Have you considered organizing a self defense program at your school? You'll have the opportunity to teach some basic defense, organize an activity, LEAD the classes, train some trainers, etc. And do what you love to do. Just a suggestion.
 
I love the suggestion USAFA83, but can you imagine, if our OP goes to a public school where even drawing a picture of a knife would get one suspended - how a martial arts class would go over?
 
FencersMom, so true! Ok OP, check first with your school! And focus on the self-defense, not the knife fighting (unless its how to defend against a knife attack.)

My DD tore her ACL during her rising junior year and couldn't play sports. She has a black belt in Taekwondo and decided to create a self defense program for middle school kids. She had to "train the trainers" since she really couldn't do it all herself with her injury. It was well received and the parents loved it; especially the parents of the little girls. Seeing a girl with a black belt inspired a lot of those girls and made them realize that they don't have to be helpless.
 
USAFA83,

What your DD is also something that every SA and college loves in their profile.

She took lemons in her life and gave lemonade to every one else. I can just imagine how she could use that for her essays or interviews regarding....tell me a time you overcame hardship.
~ Here's my picture. A room of 6-9 people for the MoC committee interview.
~~ I tore my ACL playing girls softball (just an example). I was told by my doctors I could not play any sports. I went to my Master at my Dojo and said, I would like to instruct A Girls only TKD. I did this to motivate young girls to prove to them that they too had power over their own lives regardless if they were born with an XX or XY chromosome.
~~~ I think if Jeannie Flynn Leavitt or Nicole "FiFi" Malachowski heard that she would have had them cheering.

I am not someone that will say don't quit. I believe it is wrong for strangers on a forum to give that kind of advice.

I will say that it is smart to read the advice before you decide.
~ Hate it, than quit, but being willing to pay the toll later on.
~~ What if is the question only you can answer. If I grin and bear it and get an appointment will you regret it? Will you ask next April after getting a TWE, had I just sucked it up for 1 more year maybe I would have received the BFE?

For the 0.0197532 cents my opinion is worth, I am with Stealth. Stick it out for 1 more year. My reason is different, but has been stated already. Life as a kid in HS is different than life as someone in a career at 23 years old in the military. 17 you get that option to say I quit with very little impact on your future. 23 in the military not so much.

Your choice, but just remember paying 60 bucks a month for a membership is not the same as competing.

I get you love flying, are you in CAP?
 
Last edited:
IMO reading what you have already accomplished tells me you should have no trouble to balance a "modified" martial arts program or your flying cert and a team sport. Your martial arts is a layer to your success. As someone already said, over 80% of the ones admitted were varsity athletes, multiple years multiple sports. Did they have the check box for mma fighter?

Here is the rub to think about. You quit something you were successful at. I would say that was a hit for your team. Although your separation from the team was understandable to pursue a stronger GPA you left your team. Was it really a compelling reason? It may look like you could not balance it all or you lacked dedication for being part of a team. Martial Arts is very individualized. ^To add on USAF said and contrast her reason from martial arts and yours. She developed something which helps an entire group she essentially put together a team. Being the instructor made her team captain. There was a layer of individual value with providing value to a group.

It is no doubt in my the military values team concept at a very high level. I would tell you to go back to your schools team and get that captain position with modified martial arts program to keep your skills sets up or your flying options.
 
Ok this is one I can answer from the personal experience of my own DS who didn't play a single sport in High School.

You have been given great advice and the only real thing I can add to this conversation is this. You're also forgetting how not playing a sport will affect your MoC nominations as well. Affecting your AFA application is just one aspect of this whole thing.

Long story short he was lucky enough to get a Prep School slot at the AFA out of HS. I personally believe that if he did play a sport he would be in the no brainer category but that's just me so take with a grain of salt.

While at Prep you apply to all possible nomination sources again. And again he DID NOT receive one, even though he attended Prep school had the academic and military ropes and passed his PFT. He's at BCT Class of 2019 right now and having a great time.

The lesson is that it can affect more than just the AFA application and you're putting yourself in a smaller category of applicants. It worked out for my DS and he himself said that he wouldn't change the path he took for anything but he also full understood in HS what not playing a sport could cost him.
 
And remember, when you are applying to the academy, you are in 3 categories usually. The first, is does your application meet the minimum standards. Chances are for most people on the forum, the answer is yes. Even without a sport, you meet the minimum qualification. So that took you from approximately 12,000 to about 6,000.

Now, it gets interesting. Out of those 6000 pretty much all of them WILL have nominations. About 5500+ moc nominations and the rest presidential and other military related. This is where the other 2 categories come in. Will you get the 1 appointment from your Mocs slate of 10 nominations, or the 100 appointments from the presidential list? Or will you be competing with the remaining 5500 competing nationally.

In other words, WHO is your competition? I've seen many individuals with super gpa and act and sat scores still not receive an appointment. Either because their competition was better or because academics was all they had. Example.... A guy had a 4.0gpa all ap classes and a 34-35 act. But that's all he had. Little leadership. No sports. Little if any volunteer time or extra curricular activities. And yet, he was still upset that he didn't receive an appointment. I asked him if there were reasons for only doing academics. He didn't have any good reasons other than believing being in the top 1% academically would get him into any top university. I'm telling you right now, it won't. Not even Harvard, Yale, or many others. You need great academics, sports, clubs, leadership, definitely volunteer hours, and other unique qualities that set you apart from everyone else. In case you didn't know, the average entering gpa is 3.86. And that's with IB and AP classes. Also, just about everyone coming in had some athletics. Then all the leadership, volunteer time, and extra activities. It's a lot of competition.

Don't worry about what we say. Don't even worry too much about the nomination. The top kids will get those. You need to worry about your competition. There isn't a checklist you're trying to fill. The applicants for the academies are so far above the minimum standards, that it's totally useless to even look at standards. Best of luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top