3rd Varsity Sport

Any advice on this would be appreciated.

I am currently a sophomore and a Varsity Swimmer, and I'm looking to be Junior Captain next year and Captain my senior year. I am also about to receive my second varsity letter in Tennis, but my issue arises with a fall sport.

I was thinking about joining Cross Country, it would help me improve my running and the requirements for Varsity I should be able to attain, but I don't know how West Point would look at me joining a sport my Junior year.

I would assume that joining a sport and getting Varsity my junior year is better than not doing it at all, but I wanted some advice from the community on this. Regardless I will be running daily as I prep to try and max out the CFA as much as I can. Thank you all for reading this.

I lettered in football my freshman year before my school cut the team, I then joined JV soccer the following year followed by 2 years of varsity. I joined track my junior year and did reasonably well. Moral of the story: joining sports later in high school don't reflect negatively on you, especially if you aren't quitting another one to join. They want to see that you are involved with athletics, and it is a great way to get in shape. I say go for it.

You’re a swimmer and a tennis player, running cross country can definitely help with tennis, as well as looking good on an application and just keeping you in shape. I’d do it if you’re a decent runner and have time to practice techniques, etc

I believe USNA will see you joining a third sport junior year as neither here nor there. The fact that you’re in two varsity sports already — with potential to be captain — is plenty good in USMA’s eyes. Adding a third at this point likely won’t add much. I like your reasoning for joining XC: that it will help you prepare for CFA and, presumably, for Beast.

DD did something similar. She was on an elite-level traveling hockey club and played varsity tennis. But then she added XC as a senior for the workouts. She was no standout by any means, but it helped improve her CFA run by quite a bit.

I appreciate all you guy's replies, and I probably will go through with XC. I just wanted to make sure that USMA or any other academy won't look at it as like I'm doing a third sport just to get it on my resume, which is a benefit, but I didn't think it would pose any burden. Thank you all.

USMA2025Cadet said:

I appreciate all you guy's replies, and I probably will go through with XC. I just wanted to make sure that USMA or any other academy won't look at it as like I'm doing a third sport just to get it on my resume, which is a benefit, but I didn't think it would pose any burden. Thank you all.

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My daughter was a varsity swimmer all through HS. When we moved to a different state in the fall of 2017 the club swim team was on break when we got here. She wanted to cross train and meet people and so joined the XC team though she’d never run more than a mile at a time. She loved the team and ran for 2 years. She was captain of her swim team this year but was a middle of the road runner. She did earn a V in XC this year but probably more for leadership than speed. She did improve and it certainly helped prepare her for the CFA. She never joined a 3rd sport as she chose to swim club. She has an appointment to USMA for the class of 2023, so apparently it didn’t seem to impact her application negatively. I doubt she really considered the impact on her application when she joined. She was just looking to meet kids and belong in a new town and new school. I think the XC kids remain her closest friends. Interestingly, her HS had a record of 5 SA appointments this year, 6 if you include a college reapplicant (so 2 each to USMA, USNA, and USAFA). Of the 5 from 2019, 3 were current XC runners, 2 were swimmers (my DD and another student who also ran XC his first 2 years). The 5th was a football player. None were 3 sport athletes but they all were committed to their sport and 4 were captains. I think all lettered. Most importantly do things because you enjoy them and get satisfaction out of them. Junior year is tough if you start adding APs to your course load. Make sure you do things you enjoy or else you will burn out. Best of luck to you!

XC is one of those sports that many athletes join to keep in or get in better shape for their primary sport. All coaches know and appreciate that, so there is no reason to fear joining XC as a junior. If you end up doing well enough to get a varsity letter, that's icing on the cake!

It doesn't matter. If you want to join, join. If not, don't. You will have already proven athleticism by lettering and leadership by captaining. Go raise some money for a worthy charity, start a group that tutors poor kids, invent something...do something out of the ordinary to get noticed.

DS was a 3 sport athlete all 4 years. IMHO this was a great way to learn the time management and self discipline that is perhaps the biggest key to SA success. If you can pull off honors grades and test scores while playing varsity sports year round you have an inkling of what awaits. If nothing else you learn to cope with the lack of free time to goof off.

There is no downside if it won't hurt your grades.

I completely understand what you guys are saying, thank you all. I will definitely be doing Cross Country this Fall, working on improving my running for the CFA.

I would think that USMA would look at it as you wanted to get better at running.

bopper said:

I would think that USMA would look at it as you wanted to get better at running.

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That’s exactly what I’m thinking, hopefully it works out for the better!