I-day recommendations for (very) small plebe?

4thgennavy

5-Year Member
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Apr 18, 2013
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My daughter has accepted her appointment to the class of 2017. She was a recruited athlete with an LOA, so most of our admission anxiety was about whether she would medically qualify with her height of only 4' 9". Her father and I are both USNA alumni, so we are well aware of the "sandblower" challenges that she will face, but our current concern is about uniform issue. I am afraid to assume that her sizes will just be there for her on I-day. She wears a size 3.5 shoe! Are the initial whiteworks fitted at issue? Can she get them hemmed immediately, or should she pack a pair of scissors and some hemstick to modify her uniforms - or maybe we should try and get a pair and have them tailored. The coach has assure us that somewhere in the Navy supply chain smaller shoes and sizes are available, but I'd hate to have her have to spend the first days wearing uniforms and shoes that don't fit until they can get her size in.

Am I worrying to much? The Academy is obviously aware of her height. Any recommendations?
 
There are some very small mids around here. She won't be the first one.
 
4thgennavy

Thanks for YOUR service. You already know more about what will happen I-Day than most people on this forum. She will get through whatever happens on I Day. Shoes too big? They'll fix it. Clothes too big? They'll fix it.

She may be uncomfortable for a day or two, but that will all be in her rear view mirror before you know it.

This is a great point though, even with your level of experience (both mom and dad) the anxiety is tremendous. The emotions are running high and elevating every day. Entering the academy is a big deal. Your child leaving home is a big deal. It's all going to work out.:smile:

Congratulations!
 
OK, I am worrying too much. Thanks for the replies. She will be a diver for the swimming and diving team. Truly I was caught completely off guard with how much anxiety I would have with this whole senior year and Academy application process.
 
35 years ago, women of all sizes had uniform issues. They've now had plenty of time to deal with the different sizes of women (vs. men) so I doubt there will be many issues.
 
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Truly I was caught completely off guard with how much anxiety I would have with this whole senior year and Academy application process.

When I attended my sons' (twins) I-Day, and finally saw them get off that bus in the Midstore parking lot (after processing) with that deer-in-the-headlights look that they all had, head shaven, looking dorky wearing that dixie cup and white works (Let's face it - that has got to be the most humiliating uniform of them all) - firsties barking instructions at them ... my pride evaporated and, unexpectedly, a new emotion arose. I was suddenly transported back in time to the summer of '75 when I was having my I-Day.

I had forgotten - but now I was remembering.

"Oh yeah, Plebe Summer really sucks."

My wife was still bubbling with pride while I was starting to experience a different, unexpected emotion - empathy.

In some ways, being an alum is worse because you know that it's not all patriotic music, flag waving, sharp uniforms, impressive parades and a beautifully manicured Yard. That's what people see outside the "white lines" where the signs say: No visitors authorized beyond this point. Thank you.

Inside Bancroft Hall you know that there will be lonely nights of self-doubt. "What the hell was I thinking?"

There will be some aches and pains.

There will be days when you are the unwanted focus of attention.

There will be a bit of depression where it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

It all passes, however.

[I guess I'm not much of a motivational speaker, eh?] :smile:
 
When I attended my sons' (twins) I-Day, and finally saw them get off that bus in the Midstore parking lot (after processing) with that deer-in-the-headlights look that they all had, head shaven, looking dorky wearing that dixie cup and white works (Let's face it - that has got to be the most humiliating uniform of them all) - firsties barking instructions at them ... my pride evaporated and, unexpectedly, a new emotion arose. I was suddenly transported back in time to the summer of '75 when I was having my I-Day.

I had forgotten - but now I was remembering.

"Oh yeah, Plebe Summer really sucks."

My wife was still bubbling with pride while I was starting to experience a different, unexpected emotion - empathy.



In some ways, being an alum is worse because you know that it's not all patriotic music, flag waving, sharp uniforms, impressive parades and a beautifully manicured Yard. That's what people see outside the "white lines" where the signs say: No visitors authorized beyond this point. Thank you.

Inside Bancroft Hall you know that there will be lonely nights of self-doubt. "What the hell was I thinking?"

There will be some aches and pains.

There will be days when you are the unwanted focus of attention.

There will be a bit of depression where it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

It all passes, however.

[I guess I'm not much of a motivational speaker, eh?] :smile:

No, you're not. I'm in tears and fearful and I don't even have a kid going to an Academy! :biggrin:
 
When I attended my sons' (twins) I-Day, and finally saw them get off that bus in the Midstore parking lot (after processing) with that deer-in-the-headlights look that they all had, head shaven, looking dorky wearing that dixie cup and white works (Let's face it - that has got to be the most humiliating uniform of them all) - firsties barking instructions at them ... my pride evaporated and, unexpectedly, a new emotion arose. I was suddenly transported back in time to the summer of '75 when I was having my I-Day.

I had forgotten - but now I was remembering.

"Oh yeah, Plebe Summer really sucks."

My wife was still bubbling with pride while I was starting to experience a different, unexpected emotion - empathy.

In some ways, being an alum is worse because you know that it's not all patriotic music, flag waving, sharp uniforms, impressive parades and a beautifully manicured Yard. That's what people see outside the "white lines" where the signs say: No visitors authorized beyond this point. Thank you.

Inside Bancroft Hall you know that there will be lonely nights of self-doubt. "What the hell was I thinking?"

There will be some aches and pains.

There will be days when you are the unwanted focus of attention.

There will be a bit of depression where it seems like there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

It all passes, however.

[I guess I'm not much of a motivational speaker, eh?] :smile:

"I was suddenly transported back in time to the summer of '75"....plebe summer now is nowhere near as bad as it was in 1975, even far "easier" than in the early 2000s. Now, to "punish" plebes detailers make them do writing assignments, like write out a paragraph 20 times. I bet 10 years ago detailers could PT the plebes whenever they desired, imagine how much harder and physically demanding it was in the 70s. Now the detailers must get special approval from the OIC (O-5) to do any extra PT session. Plebe summer has gotten so much "softer" in recent years and has lost much of the "boot-camp" and military indoctrination atmosphere.
 
"I was suddenly transported back in time to the summer of '75"....plebe summer now is nowhere near as bad as it was in 1975, even far "easier" than in the early 2000s. Now, to "punish" plebes detailers make them do writing assignments, like write out a paragraph 20 times. I bet 10 years ago detailers could PT the plebes whenever they desired, imagine how much harder and physically demanding it was in the 70s. Now the detailers must get special approval from the OIC (O-5) to do any extra PT session. Plebe summer has gotten so much "softer" in recent years and has lost much of the "boot-camp" and military indoctrination atmosphere.

Yes, I came to know that over time - after talking with my sons. But, at the time, I was thinking they were going to have a similar experience. Although it was 2009, in my mind, it was 1975 all over again.

My first clue that it was easier was when one of my sons told me that he didn't know what a "come around" was. They didn't know what it meant to "brace up" (that always gave me a headache). Bancroft Hall was now air-conditioned. My sons told me that the detailers were not allowed to do "one-on-one's", where a particular Plebe is single out. Hell, that was our biggest fear!

Back in our day, we did a lot of senseless stuff, however. I'm not sure it's better or worse these days. Maybe it's just different - better in some ways, worse in others.

About halfway through their Plebe year I stopped giving them "words of wisdom" when I realized that much of what I had to say was outdated. Instead, I found myself asking more questions than making comments.
 
My daughter has accepted her appointment to the class of 2017. She was a recruited athlete with an LOA, so most of our admission anxiety was about whether she would medically qualify with her height of only 4' 9".

Just curious -- did you have to see a waiver for her height? According to the Naval Academy Catalog, "The minimum qualifying height is 62 inches for men and 60 inches for women". It goes on to say that waivers "may be granted to a limited number of exceptional candidates whose height exceeds this standard" but it doesn't say anything about exceptional candidates (which your DD clearly is in many ways) whose height doesn't meet the minimum.

In any event, congratulations to your DD. When you mentioned her height, I thought perhaps she and my son would see each other at Hubbard Hall (boathouse for Crew).
 
No, she didn't end up getting/needing an actual medical waiver. We had read the listed height requirement as well, but had met a few women who were around 4'10, so I knew that they overlook the 5' requirement, I just didn't know how far down they would go. Early in the admissions process (Aug) we contacted the diving coach, Joe Suriano, who by the way was the coach when my husband and I were there from '86-'90, and asked him flat out if her height was disqualifying. We didn't want to build up hopes if there was no chance. He said he would check. He called back and said all he could tell us was to "proceed with her application". He inferred that "it depends sometimes on what side of the bed the Supe gets out on".


In response to some of the other replies on this thread, I've decided my new anxiety is to worry about things that I don't know about - how much have things changed? I'm coming to the realization that her struggles will probably be something that neither her father or I can yet concoct.
 
At NAPS, there is currently one girl who is at best, 4'11". She didn't need a waiver (that she knows of at least).
 
... our current concern is about uniform issue. ...Am I worrying to much? The Academy is obviously aware of her height. Any recommendations?


My 2/C is small too (though not as small as your daughter)...when she came to meet us after the swearing in ceremony it looked like they poured her into a sack, handed her a belt and said make it work...she did. Her shipmates did. Your's will too.

Three years later her bearing will be razor sharp as she leads her Company onto the parade field.
 
Height and weight are readily waived by USNA. They are not "medical" qualifications per se. However, one's size can limit service selection. It could be simple height (or lack thereof) but is also distances (i.e., sitting height), which can be important for things like pilot. But there are still lots of options and it's not uncommon to see very tall, very short, or very muscular (overweight but low body fat) mids.

Back in our day, we did a lot of senseless stuff, however. I'm not sure it's better or worse these days. Maybe it's just different - better in some ways, worse in others.

So true. It's easy to say that it was "harder" or "better" in the "good old days." But if things hadn't changed, we'd still be doing everything the way it was done in 1845 and I doubt anyone wants that. Each generation faces its challenges and I'm actually happy that the SAs do change and adapt, even if I do miss some of what we went through in the past.
 
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