AROTC Cadet AND NCAA Athlete

TrpRMom

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Jul 30, 2010
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I would like to hear some thoughts on the idea of being an AROTC Cadet and NCAA athlete.

My DS has accepted an AROTC scholarship to an state university. Now there is a possible opportunity to try out as a walk on for university sport team. When we first met with the ROO DS asked about athletics and was told that ROTC would work with the team in terms of workouts, etc. The coach also wants some clarity on how these 2 major commitments would mesh as well.

Is this a good idea? Would it hurt DS's overall Army points/scores? Would it be possible to manage the commitment to the Army, academics and a sport?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.
 
Personally being an NCAA athlete and a scholarship cadet, I'd say it is tricky not only to balance my sport, ROTC, and schooling, but also to do well in all those areas. My cadre are willing to work with my schedule pertaining to my sport. My practices come first, except for lab days where I have a conflict, but for that day I attend my lab. Here's my scenario:
I have practice in the mornings during season, therefore the sport takes precedence over PT.
For preseason, I attended my practices for my sport as I was trying out for the team and had to be in condition for my sport.
For post season, I attend half of my sport's practice, then head directly over to PT, it just so happens both of them happen in about the same time frame in the mornings.
It will all depend on the scheduling of your practices, some people will prefer you to attend both your practice and PT, depending on your PT score, or they will exclude you from PT. Just keep in shape for PT during your sport's season, it will kill you if you don't. Trust me. Here's a sample schedule of one of my days for the off season: (I now have to balance both practices as I'm improving my PT score)
Wake up : 0525
Sport practice (conditioning): 0600-0635
ROTC PT: 0635-0730
Sport practice (Lifting): 0730-0830
Classes: 1000- 1500
Relaxation: 1500-1800
Selected activity (Intramural's with ROTC/ Work on PT score): 1800- 1930
Homework: 1930-?
Bedtime: 2230

I hope this helps, if your able to make a schedule for yourself and abide by it you can do these things. It's all about time management.
 
A friend of mine who is an MSIII here and also on the UofA track team makes it work. He is up front with both his MSIII instructor and track coach about conflicting events and it has always worked out. There are also cadets who are on varsity cheer teams and other athletics that can be worked around with ROTC.
 
I would like to hear some thoughts on the idea of being an AROTC Cadet and NCAA athlete.

My DS has accepted an AROTC scholarship to an state university. Now there is a possible opportunity to try out as a walk on for university sport team. When we first met with the ROO DS asked about athletics and was told that ROTC would work with the team in terms of workouts, etc. The coach also wants some clarity on how these 2 major commitments would mesh as well.

Is this a good idea? Would it hurt DS's overall Army points/scores? Would it be possible to manage the commitment to the Army, academics and a sport?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

It will all depend on your son's ability to have good Time Management skills. The freshmen year is not as demanding in ROTC, the following years will be busier depending on how involved he is and what leadership positions he holds.

There are extra activities like Ranger Challenge taht he may not be able to be involved with because of his involvement in the sport.

Some will say that he will lose points for his OML because he cannot participate in Ranger Challenge or other activities. The thing to remember is that they do add point to the OML for being a school athelte so it will balance out.

Several ROTC batallions boast that they have NCAA athelte cadets, if your son is prepared for having a busy schedule and can manage his time he should not pass up the opportunity to at least try and make it work, if it doesn't he can always drop the sport. If he doesn't try it he will always wonder what it would have been like to be a NCAA athelte, regrets can haunt you for a long time.

What sport is he considering.

Best of luck to him.
 
I would like to hear some thoughts on the idea of being an AROTC Cadet and NCAA athlete.

My DS has accepted an AROTC scholarship to an state university. Now there is a possible opportunity to try out as a walk on for university sport team. When we first met with the ROO DS asked about athletics and was told that ROTC would work with the team in terms of workouts, etc. The coach also wants some clarity on how these 2 major commitments would mesh as well.

Is this a good idea? Would it hurt DS's overall Army points/scores? Would it be possible to manage the commitment to the Army, academics and a sport?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.


Oh I forgot to mention, it won't hurt you unless you are unable to balance all three. i.e. failing in one of these areas would not be good. It will actually help your OML score as one of the areas (I think it's like 10%) is athletics. Just be able to keep up in army, schooling and your sport.
My cadre actually try to recruit athletes as athletes are naturally inclined to do well in activities such as these (or at least in my company).
 
Personally being an NCAA athlete and a scholarship cadet, I'd say it is tricky not only to balance my sport, ROTC, and schooling, but also to do well in all those areas. My cadre are willing to work with my schedule pertaining to my sport. My practices come first, except for lab days where I have a conflict, but for that day I attend my lab. Here's my scenario:
I have practice in the mornings during season, therefore the sport takes precedence over PT.
For preseason, I attended my practices for my sport as I was trying out for the team and had to be in condition for my sport.
For post season, I attend half of my sport's practice, then head directly over to PT, it just so happens both of them happen in about the same time frame in the mornings.
It will all depend on the scheduling of your practices, some people will prefer you to attend both your practice and PT, depending on your PT score, or they will exclude you from PT. Just keep in shape for PT during your sport's season, it will kill you if you don't. Trust me. Here's a sample schedule of one of my days for the off season: (I now have to balance both practices as I'm improving my PT score)
Wake up : 0525
Sport practice (conditioning): 0600-0635
ROTC PT: 0635-0730
Sport practice (Lifting): 0730-0830
Classes: 1000- 1500
Relaxation: 1500-1800
Selected activity (Intramural's with ROTC/ Work on PT score): 1800- 1930
Homework: 1930-?
Bedtime: 2230

I hope this helps, if your able to make a schedule for yourself and abide by it you can do these things. It's all about time management.

Thanks - it's great to hear from someone actually pulling this off. I really appreciate you sharing your schedule - very helpful. If you don't mind me asking - which sport do you play?
 
It will all depend on your son's ability to have good Time Management skills. The freshmen year is not as demanding in ROTC, the following years will be busier depending on how involved he is and what leadership positions he holds.

There are extra activities like Ranger Challenge taht he may not be able to be involved with because of his involvement in the sport.

Some will say that he will lose points for his OML because he cannot participate in Ranger Challenge or other activities. The thing to remember is that they do add point to the OML for being a school athelte so it will balance out.

Several ROTC batallions boast that they have NCAA athelte cadets, if your son is prepared for having a busy schedule and can manage his time he should not pass up the opportunity to at least try and make it work, if it doesn't he can always drop the sport. If he doesn't try it he will always wonder what it would have been like to be a NCAA athelte, regrets can haunt you for a long time.

What sport is he considering.

Best of luck to him.

He is a soccer player! I really liked what you said about trying and the regrets that come from not trying. I think DS will take one step at a time and see what happens.
 
Thanks - it's great to hear from someone actually pulling this off. I really appreciate you sharing your schedule - very helpful. If you don't mind me asking - which sport do you play?

I play ice hockey. Off season= off ice, so I don't have to run from the rink to ROTC. Instead, we are doing cardio and lifting.
 
I've got football players, lacrosse players, track runners (still waiting for a DI hockey player). All above is correct. If you go to the armyrotc website and watch the "making of an Army Officer" video you will see an interview with one of the captains of the UCLA football team.
 
I've got football players, lacrosse players, track runners (still waiting for a DI hockey player). All above is correct. If you go to the armyrotc website and watch the "making of an Army Officer" video you will see an interview with one of the captains of the UCLA football team.

Thanks Clarkson - we'll look that up.
 
Dang 0635 that is a late pt time! The pt at the school I'm going to next year is at 0535
 
Oh wow, we get done just in time for the people who have 8am classes (take a quick shower and out the door). We used to start at 0615, but they changed it so we can see the sun rise :biggrin:
 
I know at our DS's school it is 0600. He is AFROTC, but AROTC is out there with them.

If you become a leader in the command your report time is 0500 because you do your meetings from 0500 to 0600.
 
Curious of why Jr yr., does it have to do with summer training?

Also when you say jr yr., many athletes red shirt, so does that play into the equation? For example, that would be a 5 yr program, like engineering, thus are they traditional jrs from a 4 yr perspective? I always get confused what you call a student who is on a 5 yr program, freshman is freshman, senior is senior, but there are 3 yrs between, so are they sophomores, juniors, and juniors 2, or are they sophomore, sophomore 2 and juniors? Hence, if they red shirt where academically are they from a traditional perspective?

Just asking because I think it is interesting, no bone in the fight.
 
Unless Cadet Command has approved a 5 year plan for the athlete, they must commission within 4 years. I have never had a special program / athlete combo. I am sure they exist, but probably only at elite engineering schools. I do not know how they would be handled.

Juniors (MSIIIs) have specific pre-LDAC training that must be completed. If this training conflicts with a practice, they miss practice. If this training conflicts with a game, we try to schedule them to conduct training at another ROTC program. Getting to and from the training with another Battalion becomes their responsibility. It usually involves a two hour drive both ways in their POV. If the alternate training conflicts with a different game, they make a choice....miss the game against Eastern U or Western U. Typically they choose to miss the away game.
 
Junior year is the year they should be focused on LDAC (Summer Camp). I would say that the word "many" with regards to red shirt is probably not correct, especially at a DIII school. I would imagine there would be some bending of the rules if a cadet/athlete also wanted to add red shirt into the equation. I think at that point some choices would have to be made.
 
Thanks, that was what I was trying to figure out. If I understood you correctly, JR yr is because the unit is prepping them for LDAC. That would be like AFROTC, but for them it is Sophomore yr and SFT.

It is all about prepping the cadet for training.

Quick question.

How does it work for jobs within the BN? How hard is it to juggle a position in the BN and sports, plus ROTC and school?

In other words, will they have to eventually choose? DS is AFROTC, flight lead, POC, he has to be at PT @ 1 hr prior, and has to write reports for every cadet in his flight monthly, plus attend command meetings. Is this just AFROTC or does AROTC do the same.

Believe it or not, I am not trying to compete Army against AF. I have another DS who is an athlete and very interested in forensic science. He is not an AF type, but just recently has discussed Army CID. So, it is time for me to figure out how the system works regarding sports, ROTC and school.
 
Thanks, that was what I was trying to figure out. If I understood you correctly, JR yr is because the unit is prepping them for LDAC. That would be like AFROTC, but for them it is Sophomore yr and SFT.

It is all about prepping the cadet for training.

Quick question.

How does it work for jobs within the BN? How hard is it to juggle a position in the BN and sports, plus ROTC and school?

In other words, will they have to eventually choose? DS is AFROTC, flight lead, POC, he has to be at PT @ 1 hr prior, and has to write reports for every cadet in his flight monthly, plus attend command meetings. Is this just AFROTC or does AROTC do the same.

Believe it or not, I am not trying to compete Army against AF. I have another DS who is an athlete and very interested in forensic science. He is not an AF type, but just recently has discussed Army CID. So, it is time for me to figure out how the system works regarding sports, ROTC and school.

Hard science major + sport + ROTC = 1 very large challenge especially if it is D1 sport. Is he looking D1 or D3? And what sport? Also to put in a shameless plug for the University of Tennessee's Forensic Science program. It is the home of the body farm. AROTC and AFROTC on campus.
 
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