Could any of you please do me a favor?

As I discussed in a previous post, my grandma (my current legal guardian) is trying to force me not to do cross country or track my senior year (sports which I have done since I was a freshman). Although I was a varsity runner , I was not the fastest and did not place. She does not think it is important for me to do these sports my senior year because she says that I am not good enough for it matter to colleges or the academy. If I was in the sports this year, I would very likely would be team captain for both, and would definitely be varsity. Could any of you write something up explaining why sustained participation in school sports is important to admission to the academy?

Lillian, I advise you to gather info on the service academies and rotc to present to her. Good luck.

lillian said:

As I discussed in a previous post, my grandma (my current legal guardian) is trying to force me not to do cross country or track my senior year (sports which I have done since I was a freshman). Although I was a varsity runner , I was not the fastest and did not place. She does not think it is important for me to do these sports my senior year because she says that I am not good enough for it matter to colleges or the academy. If I was in the sports this year, I would very likely would be team captain for both, and would definitely be varsity. Could any of you write something up explaining why sustained participation in school sports is important to admission to the academy?

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It takes determination and endurance to do cross country whether you're competitive or not. The mere fact that you've stayed in it since you were a freshman says a lot and it has it's benefits. Other than the obvious physical fitness and discipline, running will get you ready and is a major component of CFA and PFT. My DS was in cross country and track. Although he didn't win any medals or set records he kept improving his PR and like anything else you do from here on, as long as you're giving it your best effort-you will reap benefits down the road whether you get into a SA or not. Do not let anyone force you to do something you don't want to. Taking responsibility for one's choices and standing for what you believe in are prerequisites for growing up. Good luck and keep striving for your goals.

Fitness, persistence, and leadership are all VERY valuable to the academies. Unless there is something that is more beneficial to you (personally and preparation wise), I'd suggest that you not quit.

Perhaps suggest your grandmother read the things posted on these forums to understand the typical background of applicants to a service academy.

It's not only the service academies where participation in a sport in looked on favorably. Any college wants you to participate in something and a sport is just as good as anything else. Besides it builds character. Now if grandma wants you to drop the sport to focus on getting better grades that might be a debatable point depending on what your grades are. But if you hope to go to an academy you should keep up the sport.

Lots of good answers here...only a small percentage of HS athletes are recruited for an athletic scholarship... Same at the academies.

However, having a busy schedule with sports and academics demonstrates the ability to time manage.

And physical fitness is very important in today's military.

I've posted this list a few times before. Usually when the debate of intercollegiate athletes and the academy are discussed. The NCAA believes in this list of attributes found in athletes, and the academies feel the same way.

Remember, the military is a very "physical" environment. Fitness is very important. Also, the military basically lives on the concept of "Team Work". Everything about the military revolves around that. While some things can be taught, there are certain experiences that only being involved with athletic teams can be learned. That is why the academy stresses so much that applicants be involved in team sports. We have seen the 4.0 gpa student, with off the chart ACT/SAT scores, get rejected from the academy because that's all they had. They had only academics. They didn't have athletics, clubs, volunteering, etc...

Anyway; here's the list of attributes of an athlete. Hope your grandmother reads it an understands why athletics is so important to the military.

What does athletics teach individuals:
Attention to detail , Awareness of diversity, Challenging yourself , Commitment, Communication, Competition , Confidence , Cooperation , Coordination , Decision making , Dedication, Determination , Diligence, Discipline, Endurance, Fitness, Flexibility, Focus, Following plans/directions, Give/take feedback and criticism, Goal-directed, Improvement, Integrity, Individual/group effort, Keeping records, Leadership, Learning from failure, Management, Multitasking, Organization, Overcome obstacles, Pain/fatigue management, Patience,Performance, Persistence, Positive attitude, Prioritizing, Problem solving,Punctuality, Pursuit of excellence, Respect, Responsibility, Scheduling, Self-directed, Self-esteem, Set goals, Strategies, Stress management, Supervision, Tactics (offense/defense), Teaching, Teamwork , Thinking on your feet, Time management, Training motivation, Work ethic.

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All of your answers are very helpful
Thank you!! She seems to think she knows everything about service academy admissions since her son got admitted to West Point...although she neither really supported his decision, nor helped at all with the admissions process. I've told her all the things you guys have said, but it kind of helps me to show her it's not just me saying this. I really hope I can participate in my sports this year..