"Authos" ?

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psun27

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I am an incoming member of USMA class of 2027 and am still very indecisive about which sport to choose going in. During a guided visit at USMA, an NCAA athlete told me she gets out of certain PT because she plays a sport and practice for that sport almost replaces PT. I believe she said these passes are called authos (if I'm not mistaken). However, I know that every cadet at USMA is supposed to be an athlete of some sort. Is this only for NCAA sports and not club/competitive sports/ how exactly do authos work? Thank you so much for the clarification!
 
A varsity sports type at any of the SAs gets out of a lot that other students do not. It’s the nature of being a D-1 sports type. It’s like having a major part time job.

They also are required to do a,lot that the other students do not do.

Since you are picking a sport you are going to be a club or intramural sports type.

You would need to talk to those who play your club or intramural sport but I would guess you will not be missing much of the PT or marching or anything else the regular student body does.
 
According to westpoint.edu website, authos is authorizations, and they are blanket authorizations to miss something, usually for athletes in season to miss parades or other required activities.

At USNA, D1 athletes get them during their season.

Are you a D1 level athlete in any sport?

It is good to prepare. Know what sports you are interested in. But realize you might not get the sports you want. They are highly competitive, some have limited openings, and there are 1000+ other cadets that could be better at your interests.

Edit - posted before I saw @Small Team Bacsi.

I would add I wouldn’t overthink it. You might want to do a different sport when you get there based on what your roommates and classmates are playing.
 
A1Janitor said:
According to westpoint.edu website, authos is authorizations, and they are blanket authorizations to miss something, usually for athletes in season to miss parades or other required activities.

At USNA, D1 athletes get them during their season.

Are you a D1 level athlete in any sport?

It is good to prepare. Know what sports you are interested in. But realize you might not get the sports you want. They are highly competitive, some have limited openings, and there are 1000+ other cadets that could be better at your interests.

Edit - posted before I saw @Small Team Bacsi.

I would add I wouldn’t overthink it. You might want to do a different sport when you get there based on what your roommates and classmates are playing.
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Thank you so much for the advice, that helps a whole lot. I am not a D1 level athlete but I know that there are many sports to choose from otherwise. I'll continue my research and hope for the best!
 
“during their season”

The mandatory fall season, the mandatory winter season, the mandatory spring season?

D-1 at a SA is a 3 season job.

For a spring sport there is a very full fall season of training and some games. Winter training skills and strength etc. Then a very busy spring season of training , games that count and travel.

I have seen it done I have no idea how they manage to do it.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
“during their season”

The mandatory fall season, the mandatory winter season, the mandatory spring season?

D-1 at a SA is a 3 season job.

For a spring sport there is a very full fall season of training and some games. Winter training skills and strength etc. Then a very busy spring season of training , games that count and travel.

I have seen it done I have no idea how they manage to do it.
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A D1 athlete can tell us when they get their authos. That is what westpoint.edu wrote.

Did your kids get off outside their season?

 
Our son enjoyed authos privileges as a rower at USMA with the additional perk of the boathouse as the rower's personal club space. It's away from the fray down by the river and often provided some much needed respite from the daily grind. Rowing has no off-season; regatta in the fall, erging all winter, racing in the spring, and more erg brutality in the summer when not engaged in field exercises. He'd be in a shell any free time he got.
 
psun27 said:
I am an incoming member of USMA class of 2027 and am still very indecisive about which sport to choose going in. During a guided visit at USMA, an NCAA athlete told me she gets out of certain PT because she plays a sport and practice for that sport almost replaces PT. I believe she said these passes are called authos (if I'm not mistaken). However, I know that every cadet at USMA is supposed to be an athlete of some sort. Is this only for NCAA sports and not club/competitive sports/ how exactly do authos work? Thank you so much for the clarification!
Click to expand...
Try something new! There are so many different opportunities…beyond varsity….why not try something that interests you? An athletic person can do almost anything.

Different SA, but my oldest kid had the MOST fun he ever had playing dodge ball with his buddies. My youngest is having the time of his life playing basketball with HIS buddies.

Be open to the journey. You will form friendships that also may sway your interest. Maybe you annd your buddies form a volleyball team. And? You can do different things each year.

Go in open minded. In. All things. Sports, ECA’s, trainings, majors. Don’t concern yourself with it now. Let it happen organically. That’s my advice. Intramural sports is one place that you can have a lot of plain old fun.
 
Small Team Bacsi said:
“during their season”
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For the sake of definitions with authos, most D1 sports have a season (when the bulk of their competitions are) that provides them additional exclusions from duties/cadet activities. They practice year-round, but have extra privileges to accommodate for the increased requirement in-season.
 
It really depends on the sport what is “in season”. Rugby is pretty much year round with 15s in the fall and 7s in the spring, so they are “in season” all year except the winter.
Some Cadets and Midshipmen resent the “authos”, but as others have written there is a payback. Sure, you may get out of company PT, but you’re also probably in the weight room before your company even forms up for PT. You might get out of marching before the football game, but you miss the tailgates as you have a scrimmage. Baseball you can count on being gone from January-May… maybe June. While not common, it’s not unusual for some spring sport athletes to miss graduation and get commissioned in a locker room before a game. Yes, newly commissioned LTs/ensigns can play in the games.
Winter sports such as basketball, don’t count on being home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Many Plebes start out playing a sport but soon find the commitment to be too much.
 
UHBlackhawk said:
there is a payback
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True. We did not get to take our Plebe home with us from Plebe Parent Weekend as he left directly for crew spring training, no spring breaks. Also, though the team may have been excused from some formations and PT, they may have been breaking up the ice at the edge of the river with bare feet before lowering their shells into freezing water at O'dark thirty. Pick your torture.
 
Authos for D1 athletes has no bearing on my son and his requirements. They are his friends and peers. So he doesn’t care.
 
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