Sponsor Family?

I was wondering if a plebe can request a sponsor family? My son has a friend at his college who is from Annapolis and her family has been a sponsor before and told him they would like to be sponsor to DD. Can it work this way?

Yes. There are instructions in the PTR packet. Both the plebe and the sponsor must request each other.

Sponsor needs to activate request for this year and indicate special requests.

https://www.usna.edu/Sponsor/index.php

Sponsor should look at hamburger menu on top left. They may need to update their sponsor profile and attend training session.

Plebe MUST request same via PTR or match will not happen.

Exactly what CAPT MJ said. Our own plebe was told (by another adult, who is ‘in the know’ about such things, and would have their own Plebe also assigned to a particular sponsor they had an existing relationship with) it was “all taken care of” as far as requesting him as a sponsor ‘son’.

It didn’t work. He was assigned another sponsor (which is fine and perfect). The point here is that they both didn’t request each other as instructed on the form.

BTW, they do a really good job of matching Mids and sponsors! Absent special requests. And sometimes I think it was a really good thing my DS received his own, as he can still hang with the ‘unofficial’ sponsor. He basically has two options. IMO, it’s kind of nice to have an ‘anonymous’ option, where the sponsor isn’t close with “mom and dad”.

Sponsors are very special people.

There are many times when Sponsors sort of "absorb" Mids not officially assigned to them as well. Your Mid may very well visit their assigned Sponsor, and another Mid's Sponsor as well. Sponsors are pretty wonderful, that way.

We’ve had many adoptees over the years, a better fit. We have also lost them to other sponsors, same reason. Sometimes prior enlisted personnel can’t quite get comfortable with the fast switch from being junior enlisted on a ship or in nuke school to suddenly being part of the family and close to two Navy retired captains. They often do better with a straight civilian sponsor or senior enlisted sponsor. It’s a mutual fit, with no offense taken.
We are having an alumni sponsor daughter, now out, and her AD AF husband come take over the guest rooms next week with their kids. Time for the “M&M” (monuments and museums) trip to DC.
These are rewarding life-time relationships, and the joy of seeing them thrive in many different paths is priceless. We get visitors at least once or twice a month, and have 3 alumni on DC duty, who come to their “Annapolis country getaway” often. Four weddings to attend this year. Three new sponsor grandchildren. Two alumni in operational command. One headed back for USNA BattO duty, where this all started for me!

Suggest they make the friend an unofficial sponsor and also pick up an official sponsor. Spread the wealth, if you will: wealth of knowledge, wealth of support, wealth of liberty destinations, wealth of fun. It’s worked very well for my DD, especially because the official sponsor is military and the unofficial is civilian. Best of both worlds.