Preparing for Plebe Summer

skelly66

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2013
Messages
45
Hello all!

I received an awesome surprise this past Thursday, as my BFE arrived in the mail! I'm finally a bit more relaxed, as I don't have to put up with any more suspense.

With that aside, I did want to ask: what is everyone doing to prepare for Plebe Summer? I'm a high school football player, and am accustomed to 2-3 weeks of lengthy practices, but it realize this will be a fraction of the Plebe Summer experience.

I've been following the running plan provided by the Academy, but jumped in Week 2 according to my ability. I regularly lift weights, and have been doing quite a bit more pushups and crunches lately.

I'm looking to be in the best shape possible come July 1.

Thank you everyone for any assistance!
 
I'd say you are on the right track with the running, you should work up to 5-7 miles 3, 4, or 5 times a week with sprints in between. Put a weight vest on and run 10 repeat 400s. Do hills. etc. Don't worry, it's not that bad! If you are in decent shape you will be fine. I have been swimming a lot for about 2 years which has helped me immensely with overall physical shape, so I would recommend some cross training as well! keep it up
 
Skelly66,

I believe you will be okay. My regimen I am starting come March will consist of weight lifting (bench, squat, clean) 3 days a week accompanied by 2-3 mile runs under 7 min pace 5 days a week. As well as push ups, sit ups, and pull ups. Oh and I will swim 2 hours a day 6 days a week since I will be swimming for Navy come fall. Might I suggest you do a PRT a week before July 1st to see where you are at? (PRT is 2min push ups, 2min sit-up, 1.5 mile run under 10:30). Try to go for 100 push ups, 100 sit-ups and a sub 9:30 run. One last tip is flexibility! Injury will become a nightmare if it happens. I will be working out with some swim buddies and a friend who is going to USAFA this fall. Pull ups? I'm currently at 15 rep max but hoping to reach into the 20's. Unfortunately I have rather long arms...
Congrats on the appointment and stick with the provided running program, I'm sure it will help!
See you I-Day God willing.
 
Thank you both for the help.

I'll be running 6 days/week, on a slight variation of the provided program.

SwimmingMid - congrats on the swim team!! I'm considering Sprint Football, or potentially throwing the hammer on the track and field team.

Since receiving the Appointment, I've been so much more relaxed and just enjoying Senior Year. I'm truly excited for the experience to start this summer!
 
Believe Me: Run, Run, Run. In the heat and humidity of Annapolis that is the best advice for Plebe Summer.
 
Don't worry about it. Plebe summer will be a piece-of-cake. Just ask any graduate - they'll tell you that their PS was the last real one. :rolleyes:

Run, run and then run some more. But don't over do it; you don't want to get shinsplints or tendonitis from over use. Follow the guidance.

Most of all, enjoy time you have with family and friends. The physical part of PS is tough. For some, the emotional part is tougher.

Congratulations
 
The physical part of PS is tough. For some, the emotional part is tougher.

DS thought the PT part was the best/easiest part of plebe summer. The Rates and keeping military bearing were his nightmare come true.
 
If I may say one more thing,

Stay hydrated and stay healthy!

And a question for the thread, is it better to come to Navy with no prior shooting experience or practice beforehand? I am hoping for expert rifle and pistol ribbons. I have been shooting HK45's, AR-15's, VZ58's, and AK's. Just wondering if it helps to be able to nail 100 yard targets well with iron sights, firing one round a second, from the standing position.
 
If I may say one more thing,

Stay hydrated and stay healthy!

And a question for the thread, is it better to come to Navy with no prior shooting experience or practice beforehand? I am hoping for expert rifle and pistol ribbons. I have been shooting HK45's, AR-15's, VZ58's, and AK's. Just wondering if it helps to be able to nail 100 yard targets well with iron sights, firing one round a second, from the standing position.

I wouldn't worry about the shooting. If you have time to kill and want to work on it, fine, but I certainly wouldn't lie awake at night wondering about it. The PT will be far more important and is more perishable.
 
I wouldn't worry about the shooting.


+1

without exaggerating DS had never seen a gun in his life (except on tv or video games) He earned expert on pistol and sharpshooter on rifle. Not a big deal except a little bling.
 
In the Midwest not exposing your kids to guns by the time they were almost twenty would make you a failure of a parent! :D

Sent using the Service Academy Forums® mobile app
 
Here is a question that is sorta related (ok, not really). Can someone tell me the basic itinetary for parents on I-day?
 
Here is a question that is sorta related (ok, not really). Can someone tell me the basic itinetary for parents on I-day?

I wrote this last year after Iday:

Random Iday Thoughts/opinions and nonsense ramblings....

I would say overall Iday was harder for the entire family then we expected.

A general description of the day:
We dropped son off at his assigned report time (9:15am). We took him to the Alumni Hall hugged him goodbye and he went into the Hall. We tried to catch glimpses of him on the United States Naval Academy Yard throughout the day. But we couldn't find him (luckily friends found him and took some photos). We searched for him (no luck), went to the parents picnic (you buy tix in advance -the form is in the PTR packet), meandered around and watched other kids having to scream their rates from the roof of the midstore (it was a bummer because I knew this would be hard for my son-he later told us that this was very hard for him), we took a tour (go to the room that simulates being on a ship-I literally got seasick and had to leave), went to a parent briefing and then got him food at Chick & Ruths Delly for after the oath. basically we wandered around in a hot-sweaty-daze.

At 6:00pm we watched him march in with 1,000 other plebes take the oath and then we met for our allotted 45 minutes to say our goodbyes.


The good…

Preparation as parents:
When you get closer to report time parents get information about a class specific (in our case 2017) parents only face book page. We joined. It was RIDICULOUSLY HELPFUL. As a parent you get all of the information you need to make the entire process easier. From knowing what to have them pack to what you should bring. The moderator has four current/past mids and is full of great information and patiently re-answers every question asked multiple times. The number one thing that I had for me was a big floppy hat. The sun was very hot. They tell you that you will do a lot of walking. Everyone’s idea of a lot is different. I would say we walked 15 miles on Iday alone. We partnered up with good friends for the wkend who also had a 2017 and that mom guessed the same mileage. This was not a day for the younger aged siblings or the grandparents who would have trouble with the heat and walking. It is 18 hours straight in the sun and walking uphills, over bridges, up/downstairs.


The bad…
At 6:00pm we watched him take the oath, and then we met for our allotted 45 minutes to say our goodbyes. He met us at our designated spot completely bald with the ugliest glasses you've ever seen. We sat down on a disposable plastic table cloth and had the small picnic dinner we had brought him (thank goodness we were told to bring him dinner because he hadn't eaten the entire day. (they do get a boxed lunch but because his report time was so late he never got to it)

During our 45 minute goodbye picnic he told us how hard it was. He was stoic. There were other plebes crying and you could see them, so it could have been worse but is still seemed really bad to me (His mama). We were later told that some kids left right then and there.

My son was not really prepared. Honestly I read this forum all the time so I new and I warned him over and over and even showed him some posts from this forum, but he didn't comprehend or process or get it. He thought it would be like NASS (he reported that to be the best wk of his life). It was nothing like NASS. He thought it would be hard but didn't think it would be hard for him. Surprise. He had a very late report time which made things much harder (no food the entire day, always one step behind where he needed to be etc). He didn't to get his room yet, so hadn't yet meet his roommates, didn't know where his wallet was (and this stressed him out), they made him throw his contacts in the trash and he was mad about that. He wasn't overwhelmed by the yelling, he got yelled at by Russian coaches all day long (and I am a yeller) BUT He didn't like the feeling of failing at everything he did all day. I know this was hard for all of the kids. And I know the purpose of it. But it is a bit hard to watch.

I couldn't believe how much they already learned in one day. And there were already some differences. He kept asking what time it was. (in the past he considered 15 minutes late to actually be early).

But overall, it was harder than he expected which made it harder than I expected. Honestly that night my husband had nightmares and I had to keep waking him up. So I guess we weren't prepared either. Hopefully we will get a letter home that will be better or maybe when he gets to call home…

******************************


AS an update....we never did get that letter home. One OTHER way he wasnt prepared is that he honestly didnt know how to address an envelope. seriously?!? He put name,town and state, and that was it. We didn't hear from him until the first phone call two weeks later. He handed me those letters on PPW.

And as another update: my plebe now loves it there!
 
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"meandered around and watched other kids having to scream their rates from the roof of the midstore (it was a bummer because I knew this would be hard for my son-he later told us that this was very hard for him)"

Thanks for sharing this...can you explain "scream ther rates". What exactly does that mean?

Thanks
 
so there are many differnt aspects of plebe summer. not everyone finds the same things difficult. My son said the PT (running, pushups etc) the easiest part.

He had a much harder time learning his rates.

so in your PTR packet you get a page or two to memorize before you get there. YOU BETTER DO IT! so you stand on the roof of the midstore getting yelled at by detailers as you scream down the materiel that you had to memorize. The parents are on the ground watching and taking pictures. You get yelled at to scream louder, faster, clearer (my son was not a loud or fast or that clear of talker--NOW HE IS!)...and it is also kind of hard for some of them to not laugh...At one point he got yelled at to move faster by a bunch of detailers at once, he laughed and that was NOT GOOD.


Then you get your reef points which you have to memorize x amount of pages in one day and say it verbatim-every day over plebe summer. This was the hardest part for DS.
 
And a question for the thread, is it better to come to Navy with no prior shooting experience or practice beforehand? I am hoping for expert rifle and pistol ribbons. I have been shooting HK45's, AR-15's, VZ58's, and AK's. Just wondering if it helps to be able to nail 100 yard targets well with iron sights, firing one round a second, from the standing position.

We own no guns. Neither of my sons had ever fired a gun (other than a paint ball gun) prior to Plebe Summer. Both of them earned Expert (highest) ribbons for both pistol and rifle. Their explanation? "Video games!"

I think there may be some truth to that. It's simply a matter of having comfort with the weapon, dexterity, a good eye and steady hands. Shooting is a very small part of Plebe Summer. I wouldn't waste a single second worrying about it nor practicing for it. Run, instead.
 
Some more casual observations and memories from a plebe summer long ago.

Physical fitness is very important to a plebe's survival; Annapolis summers are terribly pernicious and if you aren't in your absolute top condition you will find yourself dragging most of the day. Follow the guide provided by the academy; it has a pretty good idea of what lies in wait for the new plebes. Endurance is very important - keep in mind that plebes have no daytime rack privileges.

A very big emphasis will be placed upon working together as a team; if you cannot work as part of a team you're life will be a whole lot worse for you. Think about it; teamwork is the basis for all of the services in the armed forces - it is the only way to get so many people working together to accomplish their missions. Teamwork starts with you and your roommates and eventually involves the whole Brigade.

Have a good sense of humor. Funny things do happen during PS, some planned and some accidental. Be prepared to enjoy them - just don't get caught laughing at an upperclassman.

Be prepared to err on most everything you attempt during the first few days and weeks, and be prepared to be told about your errors very explicitly. It is part of the process. Learn to listen carefully to instructions and do your best to do as instructed.

Consider the goal of PS; it is to take about 1,200 young men and women and prepare them to become members of the armed forces in a matter of a few weeks. They will teach you how to salute, wear and take care of your uniform properly, how to salute, receive and respond to orders, carry and use weapons, sail, swim, fight fires, keep a vessel from sinking, and a myriad of other tasks. Obviously as the summer goes on the detailers will focus on those plebes who are having trouble making the transition, so a word to the wise is to do your best to adopt to the new lifestyle as quickly as you can. Having served as a plebe summer detailer many years ago I can vouch for the fact that the detailers got together frequently to appraise the progress of our plebes and determine which ones were progressing as expected and who was lagging and requiring more attention. Trust me, you really don't want more attention from upperclassmen.

Candidly, the better prepared you are to be a plebe, the better you will transition to academic year. Contrary to an earlier posting in this forum, most upperclassmen are more engrossed in their academics and other aspect of midshipman life than in playing gotcha with the plebes - unless one is grossly under performing.

Enjoy the remainder of this academic year, but don't plan on coasting. Best wishes to all of you.
 
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