Can a parent conduct the AFA?

[Braves fan]

My NROTC Scholarship coordinator told me that a parent could conduct the AFA. I have only ever heard of a coach being able to do it and was wondering if a parent doing it was something new.

 

[Herman_Snerd]

My NROTC Scholarship coordinator told me that a parent could conduct the AFA. I have only ever heard of a coach being able to do it and was wondering if a parent doing it was something new.

It may be factual that due to COVID they now allow parents to administer but if you’re asking I would keep it clean and use one of these: “At the applicant's request, the test can be administered by any physical education instructor, athletics coach, an active duty officer, active duty E-7 or NJROTC instructor.”

Recently a couple of the Navy-NO national scholarship winners and one young lady NROTC-MO winner showed up at Great Lakes for NSI so intensely out of shape that they very very likely fudged their PFT or AFA or whatever it was called then. I mean big time and they stole scholarship spots. Such a waste of everyone’s time. *nearly all DOR’d. I bet a relative did their PT test, know what’m sayin? Just take it with the official channel so you’re above suspicion. Good luck!

 

[PRBWJB]

It may be factual that due to COVID they now allow parents to administer but if you’re asking I would keep it clean and use one of these: “At the applicant's request, the test can be administered by any physical education instructor, athletics coach, an active duty officer, active duty E-7 or NJROTC instructor.”

Recently a couple of the Navy-NO national scholarship winners and one young lady NROTC-MO winner showed up at Great Lakes for NSI so intensely out of shape that they very very likely fudged their PFT or AFA or whatever it was called then. I mean big time and they stole scholarship spots. Such a waste of everyone’s time. *nearly all DOR’d. I bet a relative did their PT test, know what’m sayin? Just take it with the official channel so you’re above suspicion. Good luck!

This is so maddening! So many honest young adults who could have had that coveted spot.

 

[SOG-SA]

It may be factual that due to COVID they now allow parents to administer but if you’re asking I would keep it clean and use one of these: “At the applicant's request, the test can be administered by any physical education instructor, athletics coach, an active duty officer, active duty E-7 or NJROTC instructor.”

Recently a couple of the Navy-NO national scholarship winners and one young lady NROTC-MO winner showed up at Great Lakes for NSI so intensely out of shape that they very very likely fudged their PFT or AFA or whatever it was called then. I mean big time and they stole scholarship spots. Such a waste of everyone’s time. *nearly all DOR’d. I bet a relative did their PT test, know what’m sayin? Just take it with the official channel so you’re above suspicion. Good luck!

So many equally tragic outcomes from this, if those AFA scores were "fudged" by family members (or the applicants, themselves).

I monitored several, for my boy, during his prep...but would NEVER sign my name to the actual fitness test being submitted. Best case...additional scrutiny from the board, thus creating additional (and unwanted) attention.

Worst case...the outcome you mentioned, which has adverse impact on just about everyone even loosely associated to the applicant...to include classmates at the school.

Tragic.

 

[LacrosseDad]

Let's assume that the applicant's fitness test scores were fudged. Did they not think that they would eventually "pay the piper" once they arrived at either NSI or their respective units? Either a total lack of self awareness on their part or plain ignorance on the part of the applicant and their parent. I'm sorry I don't have any sympathy but my DS busted his ass training for the fitness test and has continued training both on his own and with his unit. He didn't attend NSI as it was cancelled due to COVID last year but he was damn sure prepared. My youngest DS is applying for NROTC MO and is doing the same. To even think that a parent or applicant would fudge the physical fitness test is frankly unbelievable to me.

 

[jaglvr]

My NROTC Scholarship coordinator told me that a parent could conduct the AFA. I have only ever heard of a coach being able to do it and was wondering if a parent doing it was something new.

I think they allowed it during COVID, but it's not routinely allowed.

 

[dadinnc]

Let's assume that the applicant's fitness test scores were fudged. Did they not think that they would eventually "pay the piper" once they arrived at either NSI or their respective units? Either a total lack of self awareness on their part or plain ignorance on the part of the applicant and their parent. I'm sorry I don't have any sympathy but my DS busted his *** training for the fitness test and has continued training both on his own and with his unit. He didn't attend NSI as it was cancelled due to COVID last year but he was damn sure prepared. My youngest DS is applying for NROTC MO and is doing the same. To even think that a parent or applicant would fudge the physical fitness test is frankly unbelievable to me.

We’ve all seen this behavior from parents. Not surprising. Sad, but not surprising.

 

[Capt MJ]

Or the midshipman treated it as a one-time deal to ramp up for and then lapsed back into butterball mode, not realizing that daily fitness is part of military culture and life.

 

[MohawkArmyROTC]

My NROTC Scholarship coordinator told me that a parent could conduct the AFA. I have only ever heard of a coach being able to do it and was wondering if a parent doing it was something new.

For the Army, it is not the preferred method, but was made allowable due to COVID. My assumption that is what the Navy and USAF are doing as well.

 

[flieger83]

For the Army, it is not the preferred method, but was made allowable due to COVID. My assumption that is what the Navy and USAF are doing as well.

While I am an ALO for USAFA primarily, we also service AFROTC candidates. I searched my emails and I didn't find anything about a parent being allowed to administer the assessment. The form used, and still available online says: "Test Administrator Information (ONLY high school officials may administer the Physical Fitness Assessment (PFA) and certify results." I also know that ALO's are in that category as I've done more than a few of these for AFROTC scholarship applicants, along with SA assessments.

MohawkArmyROTC may be correct (they are definitely an authority for AROTC), but I would ask the question from someone in authority with AFROTC before I made the assumption.

Or just call an ALO. We're pretty good at being available with a little notice.

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

 

[99Gold]

This year's instructions say for AFROTC that only a high school official or a parent/guardian may administer the PFA. AROTC instructions do not say that a parent may administer it.

 

[flieger83]

WOW! Okay then, so a parent can administer the PFA? Interesting.

Thank you!

Steve
USAFA ALO
USAFA '83

 

[Heatherg21]

As others have stated, just because a parent 'may' administer doesn't mean they should. Our DS had me proctor all of his prep CFA's, but even had I been approved to sign off on it, neither he nor I would have chosen that route.

The appearance of impropriety in itself is enough, IMHO to be an issue. Keeping things at arm's length and making sure that you do everything with absolutely no room for integrity to be questioned is huge. In all things in life.