Accepted but injured - How do I respond?

[teksmith]

Thank you for the response. This is very interesting. I had assumed that there was no “easy” option for BCT - that is, that if you would have to step out from a few drills then you could not go at all.

There isn't an easy option, you still have to participate in BCT. They will evaluate and decide. If you have to sit out too much, you go home. For example, coming off ACL surgery, you have to be able to run, but they might not make you do drills where you have to make sharp cuts or turns. The point is, and I think someone said it above, don't remove yourself. Let the system do its thing.

 

[Small Team Bacsi]

I appreciate the comment but to be blunt I trust my doctors more than a 2nd hand story from the internet. As far as I am aware now, I will be drilling and lightly training by next fall, and I will be fully playing by next winter. The following ~ 9 months of drilling and ~ 6 months of competing that I would miss at prep school are very significant to me. Even if, God forbid, something went wrong with my surgery and recovery process, I would miss out on the upper body and mental aspect of my sport that I could practice with a coach.

Figure out what you are going to be doing next year.

IMO it’s not going to be a SA and it’s not going to be Prep School based on you not wanting prep school And you not being offered prep school.

Prep school is not a choice for the student to make as such it’s an offer from the SA for the student to accept.

And the SA coach knowing your injury already gave you an answer. Good luck on the class of 2028.

This is not internet rumors or good wishes from your doctor it’s IMO almost certainly what will be happening.

So while you keep hope alive for what you want this year , it’s best to start planning for what is almost certainly to happen. Lots and lots of rehab . , And Reapplying for the following year.

 

[NeverSayNever]

Thank you for the response. I will consider the prep school a little more. But, to explain my position against attending prep school a little more:

1) My primary goal at this point in my life is to regain my health and become an elite level athlete, hopefully on the international stage within the next several years. Although I’d like to be an air force officer, it would be disingenuous to say it is my primary goal.

Going out on a limb here with what may be an unpopular opinion.

If being an elite athlete is your #1 goal then a service academy is not a good fit for you. Just my opinion on an anonymous Internet forum. I say go focus on your sport. At an academy it is likely that you will feel the additional military work as a distraction from what is more important to you and underperform to your expectations and probably pretty unhappy.

 

[Tigers2023]

Thank you for the response. This is very interesting. I had assumed that there was no “easy” option for BCT - that is, that if you would have to step out from a few drills then you could not go at all.

The best advice I’ve heard here is the easiest. Gather your questions and pick up the phone and speak to a human. They’ll guide you and give you the next steps.

 

[bananafish]

Going out on a limb here with what may be an unpopular opinion.

If being an elite athlete is your #1 goal then a service academy is not a good fit for you. Just my opinion on an anonymous Internet forum. I say go focus on your sport. At an academy it is likely that you will feel the additional military work as a distraction from what is more important to you and underperform to your expectations and probably pretty unhappy.

Really? I was interested in USAFA for athletics because of its D1 team. But beyond that I liked the sounds of the WCAP program. Also, the coaches explained to me that USAFA would build my schedule around athletics, whereas at other schools I would have to figure out on my own how to get to practice and class. And I was told that the academy would fully support travel to tournaments (even non NCAA national tournaments, if I were a top athlete). Then finally I was interested in all of the resources at the academy (nutrition help, oxygen and sight training equipment, lasik support, etc).

If you advise against USAFA for athletics, I would like to hear more. Currently my only info is what the USAFA athletics told me, which is obviously just what they want me to hear

 

[Capt MJ]

The mission of the Air Force Academy:

“To educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers of character motivated to lead the United States Air Force and Space Force in service to our Nation. The vision of the United States Air Force Academy is to serve as the Air and Space Forces' premier institution for developing leaders of character.”

Everything else is secondary and tertiary to that process, though athletic participation is part of that preparation.

 

[Gnarlygoat27]

Really? I was interested in USAFA for athletics because of its D1 team.

I think the first thing you need to decide is do you want to be in the Air Force? Or any military branch? Because that's what you'll be doing upon graduation as it is a very tiny number of SA grads who get to continue competitively in their sport and even then it's usually just a delay before military service.

 

[Bigrod]

If being an officer isn’t your number one goal in going to and graduating from a service academy then you need to check your priorities. Playing a D1 sport is just a benefit you have at attending such an institution. If it’s your only D1 offer and that is why you want to go then that is another story in itself. For some it’s their only chance to continue to play at a D1 level. That shouldn’t be your goal in attending a SA at all. You say you want to continue International in the future, well odds are that isn’t going to happen. If that were the case you’d be a top recruit in your sport and you’d have an insane amount of D1 offers from all the top schools in your sport. Also, needs of AF will come first. I just bring this up, not knowing anything about you but making you think and consider everything before you take the plunge. Being at a SA isn’t a joy in the first place and you will have multiple other duties besides your sport and that is why you need to really think things through. I wish you the best in your endeavors whatever you choose but get healthy and prosper in your ultimate decision.

 

[justdoit19]

Really? I was interested in USAFA for athletics because of its D1 team. But beyond that I liked the sounds of the WCAP program. Also, the coaches explained to me that USAFA would build my schedule around athletics, whereas at other schools I would have to figure out on my own how to get to practice and class. And I was told that the academy would fully support travel to tournaments (even non NCAA national tournaments, if I were a top athlete). Then finally I was interested in all of the resources at the academy (nutrition help, oxygen and sight training equipment, lasik support, etc).

If you advise against USAFA for athletics, I would like to hear more. Currently my only info is what the USAFA athletics told me, which is obviously just what they want me to hear

Are you aware of the post commissioning commitment to serve?

I would highly suggest really looking into what it’s all about. Go in eyes wide open. Bc it’s waaaaay more than athletics.

 

[bananafish]

Are you aware of the post commissioning commitment to serve?

I would highly suggest really looking into what it’s all about. Go in eyes wide open. Bc it’s waaaaay more than athletics.

To you and others yes I’m aware of the commitment to serve. I want to serve in the air force. I would like to be a pilot or a doctor. I would prefer to be in the WCAP program before I serve. I have researched USAFA fairly well and am fully aware of the service obligation. I don’t even know how I could get an acceptance oblivious to the fact that it’s a *military* service academy

 

[justdoit19]

Really? I was interested in USAFA for athletics because of its D1 team. But beyond that I liked the sounds of the WCAP program. Also, the coaches explained to me that USAFA would build my schedule around athletics, whereas at other schools I would have to figure out on my own how to get to practice and class. And I was told that the academy would fully support travel to tournaments (even non NCAA national tournaments, if I were a top athlete). Then finally I was interested in all of the resources at the academy (nutrition help, oxygen and sight training equipment, lasik support, etc).

If you advise against USAFA for athletics, I would like to hear more. Currently my only info is what the USAFA athletics told me, which is obviously just what they want me to hear

I was responding to this….which lends itself to not fully understanding what’s entailed, is all.

It’s not uncommon or unheard of, that an incoming appointee not have a solid understanding of the the ‘whole thing’, and ultimately leaving. Happens every year.

People are only trying to help and support. Your posts indicate a lack of full understanding. Glad that’s not the case, and you do. Because it’s a huge commitment. And there are no guarantees as far as your service assignment.

Good luck!!

 

[Capt MJ]

Continue to research primary sources as you evaluate various aspects of this path.

Obligated service is 10 years, and the counter for that starts after flight training, which might be roughly 2 years (I am familiar with Navy, but service obligation start times and flight training length work roughly similarly there).

Pilot - Requirements and Benefits - U.S. Air Force

Learn what it takes to become a pilot. These skilled professionals deploy to wherever there’s a need as fighters, trainers, bombers, advisers and more.

www.airforce.com

For AF doctor, there are the obligated service years for USAFA, for med school and residency, and the counter starts after residency years. It can be many years down the road before obligated service requirements are complete. These are only very broad brush strokes. Leaving out a lot of detail. But the takeaway is the counter can start waaaay down the road. It’s a great path, but you essentially have to know you want to be an AF doc for a long time.

The good news is you get briefs about all these things at USAFA, you’ll be exposed to officers in various officer specialties and watch upperclass work through their decisions. And, you can walk away anytime during the first 2 years without incurring a service obligation.

 

[bananafish]

I was responding to this….which lends itself to not fully understanding what’s entailed, is all.

It’s not uncommon or unheard of, that an incoming appointee not have a solid understanding of the the ‘whole thing’, and ultimately leaving. Happens every year.

People are only trying to help and support. Your posts indicate a lack of full understanding. Glad that’s not the case, and you do. Because it’s a huge commitment. And there are no guarantees as far as your service assignment.

Good luck!!

Right - I do not fully understand every aspect of USAFA, which is why I’m asking for advice here. I phrased my response poorly. I lack understanding in the appointment/medical eval approval process and timeline. And all of my info on AFA athletics comes form biased sources (ie AFA coaches & other staff). But I have done a lot of research into military life, the experience at the academy, and the general “deal” with service academies.

 

[Bigrod]

I know of one person, I’ll just say in last couple years to not out him. His swimming coach told him he was definitely gonna be WCAP after graduation, swam in the Olympic trials while at Academy, set up at the University he was gonna train at with the coach and everything and guess what, it didn’t happen and he is serving his time right now in his AFSC.

 

[In-the-Know]

Today I received my acceptance (on the condition of a passing medical evaluation). I have not submitted any part of DODMERB.

Over a month ago I tore my ACL. Around then I talked to a coach at USAFA who informed me that with my injury there was absolutely zero way that I could attend the academy for class of 27. I emailed my mentor ALO explaining my situation and asking if there was a withdrawal process. She said yes but I never received an explanation of what the process was. So I did absolutely nothing with my application.

Now here I am with an acceptance in hand. Previously, I had eradicated any notion of attending USAFA as class of 27 from my mind. But now that I actually have a conditional acceptance I can’t bear declining it. Is there any way that I could attend USAFA next year? Any advantage to waiting to decline the acceptance?

I am getting surgery this week. It’s estimated that I’ll be running by July or August, fully returning to sports by November or December, and 100% recovered in a year. This timeline obviously would not work well with attending basic. But, if I dedicated all of my time and resources to recovering, and moved up each recovery checkpoint by a few months, is it conceivable that I could find a way to attend as class of 27?

I assume the answer is no. However, is there any other reason that I should wait before declining the acceptance? Should I communicate with USAFA that I want to attend but will certainly be medically disqualified if I follow through with the medical evaluation process? Is there a certain way that I should go about this if I am planning on reapplying?

I would appreciate advice on navigating this and anecdotes from those with similar experiences.

Call your counseling team and let then know your situation. If you are really interested in USAFA, you will need to complete your exam and report your injury to DoDMERB. Given the nature of your injury you will be DQed by DoDMERB and a waiver requested since you were offered an appointment. It is likely your waiver will be denied. If this happens, you will be denied admission this year for failure to meet medical standards. If that's the case, you can reapply next year. USAFA will track you. Acceptance the following year is not guaranteed, but if the coach still recruits you the odds go up--dramatically. If you really don't want to go through this process, save everyone the trouble and decline your offer now. If you do that, USAFA won't track you. If you don't complete the DoDMERB process, you will be considered non-responsive and the odds of appointment decline dramatically next year because you did not follow the process. The decision is yours. However, If you want to keep the USAFA option open. Accept your appointment and follow the process I just outlined. Make a decision--Don't waste USAFA's time. Decline now or accept now and go thru the medical process. That's all you need to know to make a decision.

 

[Small Team Bacsi]

Really? I was interested in USAFA for athletics because of its D1 team. But beyond that I liked the sounds of the WCAP program. Also, the coaches explained to me that USAFA would build my schedule around athletics, whereas at other schools I would have to figure out on my own how to get to practice and class. And I was told that the academy would fully support travel to tournaments (even non NCAA national tournaments, if I were a top athlete). Then finally I was interested in all of the resources at the academy (nutrition help, oxygen and sight training equipment, lasik support, etc).

If you advise against USAFA for athletics, I would like to hear more. Currently my only info is what the USAFA athletics told me, which is obviously just what they want me to hear

Lots of top sports recruits pick a SA. Not as many as the SAs would like. But a lot. And many of these sports recruits pick a particular SA because of the coaches or the sports program.

These are big time D1 sports programs at the SAs. And they require a lot of time the regular students do not have to give.

Its spring leave at the USNA. You know where their spring sports teams are——-on the Yard practicing and playing not at the beach enjoying spring leave,

And over history many of the best combat leaders have come from SA sports teams.

Now if you want a professional career after college a SA is not for you.



The easiest way to get into a SA? Be real good at a D1 sport.

And there is a real good reason for that——they are badly wanted

But I’d never suggest a SA for someone like yourself that seems to have your sport first and becoming a USAF Officer kind of not so much based on your previous comments.

You may be happier elsewhere.