AROTC and Div I sport

Depends on the Cadet/Athlete, on the program willing to make concessions, and the sport. Personally I think it is, but many, including my boss are skeptical. I believe the "making an Army Officer" video on the Army ROTC website features a football player from UCLA who is also a Cadet. I would also argue that athletes at the Academies are D1 in many cases and they seem to do OK. I have had a D1 women's hockey player in my program and she was able to balance everything, but she never fully committed to ROTC or contracted.
 
My DS "walked on" to the baseball team last year. They were NAIA and went to the NAIA World Series last year (going to Div 2 next year) Being a catcher requires a bit more time practicing than most of the players and he found the 30 ++ hours the sport required from each week incredibly demanding.

He did not practice with the team during the fall semester and as a tech major had a 3.77 GPA. The Spring semester he joined the team and his GPA dropped nearly an entire point and he found himself retaking Physics over the summer bringing his D up to an A (99% in the class).

He also found his health declined due to the demanding schedule. Towards the end of the semester he found himself in the infirmary, out of class for nearly a week with some bug that landed in his chest. His body has yet to come back 100% from that bout and he has found himself just short of being able to come up with that coveted 100 on his PFA by a few seconds on the 1 1/2 mile run.

He decided his ROTC career was more important than his baseball career. (He had previously declined baseball scholarships from other colleges to attend his 1st choice in colleges).

Knowing that going to SFT this upcoming summer was imperative to his ROTC and AF career he chose to "retire" from baseball.....This has given him more time to participate within his very large detachment and doing so better able to display his commitment to the program as well as open up the hours for studying.

Although he loves baseball and while it is not out of the question that he may rejoin the baseball team after becoming a POC he believes that joining the team when he did was probably the only decision that he regrets making as a college AFROTC student.

While it is possible to play multiple varsity sports in high school and hold down multiple leadership positions in other student activities while never missing a beat know that college and ROTC is a completely different beast.

Only you know what your main goals are as you begin college. If you are the typical student that needs to devote time to studying to get those A's and as an ROTC student those grades are important to your future (especially with what's going on with the budget and downsizing) be assured that playing a sport will definitely impede these goals, but not make them impossible.

It's up to you to decide what you want and how bad you want it. and I'll once again refer to my son's favorite quote


Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it";
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.
 
From what I observed in my college days, the Army was far more flexible than the Division I sports program was.

We had a few cadets playing DI-AA football, but that team REALLY gave them a hard time. (I can't believe it is any easier now.) Most of those coaches will publicly say "Players are students first, athlete second"... but in reality they believe players are athletes first, second and third! Getting an education is just a means for players to play for the college and that coach. The idea of adding the "Army" as a priority will likely be an issue.
 
It's also a bit disconcerting that the coach just got suspended for practicing too much and when they weren't supposed to....
 
Yes, many programs LOVE athletes and thus exempt them from PT during their sports season. You can only be a college athlete once so go for it. ROTC in general is pretty flexible. Scholar-athlete-leader
 
But PT time commitment vs time commitment of a Varsity sport doesn't compare......
 
ERAUMattmom said:
But PT time commitment vs time commitment of a Varsity sport doesn't compare......
Click to expand...

So? It frees up an athlete to no to beat up their body any more then they have to and allows them to go to morning lifting sessions. Any other time commitments outside of ROTC class are labs and FTX which can be made up with other schools or at different times.

I played sports in college for a few years and it's doable. It heavily depends on the ROTC program, D1 program, and the sport being played
 
At orientation last fall, this question came up at son's battalion. The answer was "it depends". :smile: Mostly, it depends on the sport and the coaches. At this school, track and crew worked well with ROTC and there had been several cadets on those teams. Other sports - not so much (baseball was mentioned).
 
I think undead got it right. It all depends on your major

Sent using the Service Academy Forums® mobile app
 
ERAUMattmom said:
I think undead got it right. It all depends on your major

Sent using the Service Academy Forums® mobile app
Click to expand...

Thanks for the vote of confidence, ERAUMattmom. My DS's future battalion intimated that the college's Cross Country and Track coaches (two of my DS's high school varsity sports) love ROTC scholarship cadets as walk-ons because they (the coaches) can get them for "free," and they are usually already in good shape. Also, I believe PT is adjusted slightly for cadets who are on the teams because they are already working out quite a bit (but I'm not positive on that). It can be a "win-win" for all concerned, but only if it is not at the expense of GPA. My DS will have a pretty intense schedule, so he will have to see how it goes regarding participating in the athletic program.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top