Hello!
Over the last month I've been reading and compiling a list of things I need to take to be able to attempt to get into the USNA. Through my reading I've come to a few questions that I imagine a number of you here could help with.
First off, some background. Currently I'm 16 and throughout my life I've either been homeschooled or inside of a alternative program that doesn't offer sports. While I did swim on a swim team in middle school and play a number of sports as a kid, when it came to my highschool career starting I ended up completely unable to participate in a highschool sport. Because of this I never had the chance to play on or join a varsity team. I feel worried because a large majority of applicants will have varsity sports on their application.
What I have done though is achieve 270+ dives (all logged, with about 70 inside cold Washington water), earn my master scuba diver certification from PADI, Pass a number of PADI diving courses (Underwater navigation, Dry Suit Diving and search and rescue), Climb multiple mountains across Washington state (Glacier Peak, Mount Adams) and I'm currently prepping for a June attempt at Mount Rainier with my venture crew. I'm also within a month or two of getting my Eagle rank in boy scouts.
so, my major questions are these:
Any input at all will be greatly appreciated!
Over the last month I've been reading and compiling a list of things I need to take to be able to attempt to get into the USNA. Through my reading I've come to a few questions that I imagine a number of you here could help with.
First off, some background. Currently I'm 16 and throughout my life I've either been homeschooled or inside of a alternative program that doesn't offer sports. While I did swim on a swim team in middle school and play a number of sports as a kid, when it came to my highschool career starting I ended up completely unable to participate in a highschool sport. Because of this I never had the chance to play on or join a varsity team. I feel worried because a large majority of applicants will have varsity sports on their application.
What I have done though is achieve 270+ dives (all logged, with about 70 inside cold Washington water), earn my master scuba diver certification from PADI, Pass a number of PADI diving courses (Underwater navigation, Dry Suit Diving and search and rescue), Climb multiple mountains across Washington state (Glacier Peak, Mount Adams) and I'm currently prepping for a June attempt at Mount Rainier with my venture crew. I'm also within a month or two of getting my Eagle rank in boy scouts.
so, my major questions are these:
- Could my long dedication to scuba diving and mountaineering help supplement my lack of varsity sports?
- Considering I'm "homeschooled", would that affect how they view these activities? I understand that they take people in my sort of situation in a case by case basis but I'm not quite sure exactly what that means.
- While I know that scuba diving (I'm not sure about mountaineering) is usually considered an Extra-Curricular activity, how would I go about presenting it as my sport? I have dove with the same people for 6 years now.
Any input at all will be greatly appreciated!