2016 Class Statistics

I'm not an Academy alumnus, but I do have experience with the IC versus non-IC world at a large state university. Here's my take for what its worth (which isn't much):

Life itself is a t-zo gap - there is inequity everywhere and on all sides looking back and forth at the very same people. The fact that ALL of these kids even made it to USAFA is an inequity of opportunity versus many others who did not have the family, support and guidance needed to get there. Each person has to look within themselves and not at others around them for their measure of success and integrity. If you continually look at the unfairness around you, life will almost assuredly be miserable.
 
Wing77 said:
The fact that ALL of these kids even made it to USAFA is an inequity of opportunity versus many others who did not have the family, support and guidance needed to get there. Each person has to look within themselves and not at others around them for their measure of success and integrity. If you continually look at the unfairness around you, life will almost assuredly be miserable.
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:worship::yay::worship:

Seriously, do you all realize how petty this sounds?

10K+ opened files, 4K+ got noms, and only 1/4 of them arrived on I Day.

They get 1 hr free time and eat Chick Fila, because they are on the team, Whoopie Fing Do! Seriously, so what? When you are a C2C you will have more free time than them because you are not competing athletically. Will you than say you should have more hours of PT to even it out?

It works out in the end if you stick. If you are not on a team, remember that this beacching sounds like whining to those that got a TWE. They would gladly take your place tonight. Hate this system, walk in and DOR. Nobody has a gun to your head.

Is that what you want? I doubt it. You want to be there, and as Wing77 stated, life is unfair. Suck it in, that is the system. Be thankful for the fact you are there, not resentful. If you need a reminder here it is.

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=26781
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=26699
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=25335
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=25364

Do you want to trade places with any of these posters? Can you imagine how this thread is disturbing them?

I have no bone in this fight. DS commissioned in May with a rated slot. I am just trying to illuminate how this thread can be viewed as the haves vs the have nots, when both sides really HAVE IT ALL a cadet of the AFA 16.

OBTW, you all do realize that these same kids that were recruited, also applied the traditional college route. Notre Dame has a great football program, does that irk you they recruit athletes? Stanford has a great Golf program. GT has a great BBall program They take up slots too, and they get the nice dorms, plus perks. I used these colleges because they are academically on the same level and offer ROTC.

Don't be mad at AFA, if your mad, than be mad at the collegiate system.

Goose meet gander, gander meet goose.
 
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I agree with Wing77. The so called t-gap is ubiquitous in all aspects of life. For example, in the active duty AF, there is rated vs. non-rated. And then within the rated career field, there is pilot vs. nav. Each group has its advantages (and disadvantages) compared to the other. When I was a "sluggo" doolie years ago, it didn't bothered me that some of the IC doolies did not enjoy the Saturday triple-threat (SAMI, IRI, Parade) with the rest of us.
 
Pima said:
:worship::yay::worship:

Seriously, do you all realize how petty this sounds?

10K+ opened files, 4K+ got noms, and only 1/4 of them arrived on I Day.

They get 1 hr free time and eat Chick Fila, because they are on the team, Whoopie Fing Do! Seriously, so what? When you are a C2C you will have more free time than them because you are not competing athletically. Will you than say you should have more hours of PT to even it out?

It works out in the end if you stick. If you are not on a team, remember that this beacching sounds like whining to those that got a TWE. They would gladly take your place tonight. Hate this system, walk in and DOR. Nobody has a gun to your head.

Is that what you want? I doubt it. You want to be there, and as Wing77 stated, life is unfair. Suck it in, that is the system. Be thankful for the fact you are there, not resentful. If you need a reminder here it is.

http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=26781
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=26699
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=25335
http://www.serviceacademyforums.com/showthread.php?t=25364

Do you want to trade places with any of these posters? Can you imagine how this thread is disturbing them?

I have no bone in this fight. DS commissioned in May with a rated slot. I am just trying to illuminate how this thread can be viewed as the haves vs the have nots, when both sides really HAVE IT ALL a cadet of the AFA 16.

OBTW, you all do realize that these same kids that were recruited, also applied the traditional college route. Notre Dame has a great football program, does that irk you they recruit athletes? Stanford has a great Golf program. GT has a great BBall program They take up slots too, and they get the nice dorms, plus perks. I used these colleges because they are academically on the same level and offer ROTC.

Don't be mad at AFA, if your mad, than be mad at the collegiate system.

Goose meet gander, gander meet goose.
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LOL I do not have a bone in this either and can agree with all that is said. Actually it was my son eating the chik filet. I was talking about perspective of why it exist. I am not mad at anything about this, Just my 2 cents or whatever adusted inflation rate it is today.
 
Nav,

I have to say that was my 1st thought too, I held back because it muddies the waters.

It is true. Rated are seen as "golden", but than you go into fighter vs heavy, pilot vs. nav., IP vs P, WIC vs TPS. That doesn't include the PME in residence vs correspondence, or DP and P for promotions. Let's not forget that you can be the golden child for one commander and on the outs for the next.

Seriously, you can play this game to the Nth degree.

If this is an OMG issue, just wait until you are AD.

I think people are not seeing the forest for the trees.
 
Wing77 said:
I'm not an Academy alumnus, but I do have experience with the IC versus non-IC world at a large state university. Here's my take for what its worth (which isn't much):

Life itself is a t-zo gap - there is inequity everywhere and on all sides looking back and forth at the very same people. The fact that ALL of these kids even made it to USAFA is an inequity of opportunity versus many others who did not have the family, support and guidance needed to get there. Each person has to look within themselves and not at others around them for their measure of success and integrity. If you continually look at the unfairness around you, life will almost assuredly be miserable.
Click to expand...

Agreed
 
scraper,

Here is my problem with this thread.
It appears people want to kill the messenger (athletes), whereas the message is the issue.

Your son did not create the system. He spent yrs and yrs training to optimize it.
I am not saying it is right, nor it is wrong.

I am saying if you have a problem with it, contact your MOC. That is your right as a constituent. Don't blame those that got in, got perks. It is not their fault. Blame your MOC for allowing it. Don't lie to us or yourself, if you had that "IN" you would have used it. Goose/gander.

Honestly, I have an issue, not because of eating chick-fila, but when the SA's were created the idea of financial gain regarding television rights or Bowl games was not something they envisioned. The amt of money generated for a Bowl Game is hundreds of thousands. This is about money.

The SA is not about sports. It is about creating the best future military leaders. I believe they exist within the athletes, but I also believe that money talks, and maybe the prep school is becoming a way to do red shirt. If you agree with that premise, than you have to agree that the AFA has lost sight of their mission.
 
Not to mention the fact that when your school has good athletics, it is something to look forward to during the school year. Who wants to go to the football games if the team is hopeless? I don't mind that they recruit athletes. They have a special talent that represents the school. My dad told me the other day that teams are something for the alumni to connect to as well. Do we turn on the tv to see Notre Dame's math scores compared to USAFA, etc to see who wins? No, because no one would watch it. Good teams give schools something to be proud of, and athletes work hard to be good. Some things will be compromised in the process (they won't go through as many beatings as you), but I think it is worth it to have a team that represents the academy well.
 
Pima said:
scraper,

Here is my problem with this thread.
It appears people want to kill the messenger (athletes), whereas the message is the issue.

Your son did not create the system. He spent yrs and yrs training to optimize it.
I am not saying it is right, nor it is wrong.

I am saying if you have a problem with it, contact your MOC. That is your right as a constituent. Don't blame those that got in, got perks. It is not their fault. Blame your MOC for allowing it. Don't lie to us or yourself, if you had that "IN" you would have used it. Goose/gander.

Honestly, I have an issue, not because of eating chick-fila, but when the SA's were created the idea of financial gain regarding television rights or Bowl games was not something they envisioned. The amt of money generated for a Bowl Game is hundreds of thousands. This is about money.

The SA is not about sports. It is about creating the best future military leaders. I believe they exist within the athletes, but I also believe that money talks, and maybe the prep school is becoming a way to do red shirt. If you agree with that premise, than you have to agree that the AFA has lost sight of their mission.
Click to expand...

I understand and can agree with everything you have said.
 
My DD runs cross country and track. She works very hard to excel in her academics, her MPA and athletics. She does not take advantage of or flaunt her status as an IC. What I know of those groups of athletes, many of these comments, are way off the mark.
 
AHS74 said:
My DD runs cross country and track. She works very hard to excel in her academics, her MPA and athletics. She does not take advantage of or flaunt her status as an IC. What I know of those groups of athletes, many of these comments, are way off the mark.
Click to expand...
It only takes a few to perpetuate the stereotype and to "taint" the entire group.
 
I would venture to say that the situation with varsity athletes at SAs is pretty similar across the board -- i.e., from one SA to another. There are those only there to play their sport (the SA MAY have been the only school that recruited them). There are those who would have gone to an SA even if they couldn't play their sport. And a lot who chose a SA for a bit of both -- desire to attend and desire to play sport.

Once at the SA, some athletes are also tops in their class academically and in military/leadership. Some are slouches who do the very minimum and give the impression they are there only to be an athlete. And most are somewhere between the two extremes.

I would add that, on the whole, varsity athletes are no different from their non-varsity athlete peers. Some of the non-athletes work really hard and some are slackers. While not focusing on sports, they focus on not doing much of anything.:smile:

It's really not fair to stereotype varsity athletes. As with any stereotype, there are some who give credence to it and many who do not.
 
Life is unfair.

Get over it.

Do what you can do and that makes you happy!

I was going to chime in earlier with the cadet prospective. But Wing77 and Pima hit it on the head.

Leadership at USAFA is trying to bridge the gap with "Mission Partners" where academics sports and the squads all support each other. (IE my squad is CS10 and we have the history department and the shooting team as our sponsors).

But in reality, its always been there and will always be there. Learn from the people who flake out on training and improve yourself from it.
 
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