CFA in the Era of COVID-19

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AZDad2024

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Mar 7, 2020
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DS is re-applying as a college freshman, now in NROTC. The last item left in his application is the CFA but it seems that his B&G officer is "not doing them this year" and neither is last year's B&G officer. The USNA states that "high school/prep school physical education teacher, a coach, a current JROTC instructor, an active duty commissioned officer, or the candidate's Blue and Gold Officer" may perform the testing. However, he has asked a bunch of folks but it seems people are hesitant this year. Is anyone obligated to perform the test or should the just keep asking around? It isn't clear to me how to submit the scores if it is done by someone who doesn't have access to the on-line admissions portal. Appreciate the advice.
 
Good thought however he spoke with the XO about it and was told that all "in-person" activities for the unit were on hold until the later part of February. I suppose he could re-approach the issue with more insistence. Going to the CO about this (around the XO) might not be the right thing but I don't know.
 
Time to get creative and even more proactive.
Contact Army or AF ROTC units at that school or other nearby college? Yes, he’d have to throw himself on their mercy and explain the awkwardness of the Navy unit not supporting him. Advocating for himself is a life skill.
Coaches or athletic instructors at his college?
Has he contacted local high schools with JROTC units to explain his situation and ask for assistance?
Can he come home on a quick trip and do it with his former HS coach or a PE teacher?
Has he presented a written proposal/request to his XO detailing the CFA, the venue, the required equipment, and his plan for social distancing and masking, including all deadlines and the consequences of not submitting a CFA?

It is getting very late in the day to get this done. No CFA, no complete application, no appointment. I am not asking for an answer, at all, but I do admit to wondering why, since he did a CFA the first time around and has known since he refreshed his portal for the next cycle that he would have to do another one, he is now in a difficult situation. Is there any chance - again rhetorical - that in his heart of hearts, he is actually just fine at his NROTC unit, but he felt he had to re-apply through pressure he applied to himself or felt externally, and if he can’t get the CFA done, he’d actually be okay with stepping off the USNA path?

As for the admin, let your son solve that. I think the way it works is he supplies contact info for his CFA administrator to USNA, and they send an email with appropriate links or where to send test results, but someone who is a current applicant or BGO can confirm.
 
To piggyback on CaptMJ, this is one major reason candidates don’t want to procrastinate. Keep in mind that administering the CFA is burden for the person doing it, even in non-COVID times. Most coaches, PE teachers, etc. are appy to help out. But when you, the candidate, back them into a corner at the end of the admissions cycle, because you didn’t plan ahead, they’re not going to be too happy. And they simply may not be able to make it work with their schedule. And that leaves the candidate in a bind.

I understand the desire of a candidate to get the best CFA score possible. But when you have 9+ months, there’s usually no excuse for waiting until the last minute to get in shape, practice, and take the test.

For the OP, you could contact the Area Coordinator. Some regions may be running group CFAs or there may be another BGO willing to do it.
 
AZDad2024 said:
Good thought however he spoke with the XO about it and was told that all "in-person" activities for the unit were on hold until the later part of February. I suppose he could re-approach the issue with more insistence. Going to the CO about this (around the XO) might not be the right thing but I don't know.
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[Audience intrigue and suspense] Ok ... so I will place this thread in the audience is eager to know “When will it be delivered or What is in the enclosure” category .... I am hooked.

OP — Can you kindly provide us with a regular status update? Maybe check-in once a day. I need a happy ending to this story.
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I feel your pain. We have had the same issue. Luckily, DS is senior in high school and athletics have started back up and the HS Athletic Director who originally banned all student contact, has changed positions. Our next step was to contact a JROTC unit here in the area so that was a good suggestion.
 
Not sure where you live but I second @libbywag. Is there a HS AD that can help? If it’s not icy can you find an outdoor park w/ a pull-up bar? All can be done outside w/ a pull-up bar. The AD @ the HS of DS was less than helpful 🙄 - I’ll refrain from going off on a tangent on that but DH asked AD in his school district (DH is a teacher) & that AD was happy to help but we were out of time - like down to the hour...The COVID situation is real - if you are in a state w/ closed down schools , like IL. They literally wouldn't let any student inside the building no matter what. That’s why I suggest a park, if possible. This Fall, schools were shutting down from the 2 days of Hybrid they “tried” 🙄 - DS had to complete CFA about 2 wks before he planned (after a failed practice attempt) & early on a Sunday morning because as of that Monday schools were closed to all students. He was going to have to figure out a park if that didn’t work. Your DS is going to have to fight to get this done - it’s sucks but that’s reality for these kids during COVID. If there is a will there is a way 😊. DS lost his breakfast 3x that morning 🤮 ....
 
AZDad2024 said:
Going to the CO about this (around the XO) might not be the right thing but I don't know.
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> Going around the XO and directly to the Skipper is NEVER the right thing to do. (OK, there might be a situation where the XO has a personal stake in a matter where it might be excuseable, but this isn't one of them !)

usna1985 said:
For the OP, you could contact the Area Coordinator. Some regions may be running group CFAs or there may be another BGO willing to do it.
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> Concur. USNA has left it up to individual BGO's whether they want to administer the CFA. There has been some guidance on how to safely administer the CFA, such as ensuring the Candidate brings a family member to hold legs on sit ups and avoiding proximity.
 
It can be impossible if you are not in high school because the schools do not allow guests right now. The added restrictions (at least for USAFA) of it being someone with a P.E. degree if not the applicant's coach make it ever harder. It was extremely stressful trying to find a place to test, he needed it to apply for a MOC nomination, he MOC nomination rep was not understanding he didn't have access to a facility.
I don't know why the SA seem to understand the difficulties with chasing cancelled SAT exams around the state but not this.
 
lipton_hot_tea said:
It can be impossible if you are not in high school because the schools do not allow guests right now. The added restrictions (at least for USAFA) of it being someone with a P.E. degree if not the applicant's coach make it ever harder. It was extremely stressful trying to find a place to test, he needed it to apply for a MOC nomination, he MOC nomination rep was not understanding he didn't have access to a facility.
I don't know why the SA seem to understand the difficulties with chasing cancelled SAT exams around the state but not this.
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💯...we got lucky in that DH is a teacher & the AD in his district opened the school for DS the Sunday morning before students/guests could no longer enter/the schools were shut down. In states that are shutdown, trying to get this done is tough!
 
What about a recruiter at a recruiting office? Marines are still working out here locally. Or an ROTC unit?
 
Thank you everyone for the advice; really shows me the power of leveraging the community to expand my view. There certainly have been a lot of life lessons during the pandemic for all of us on to how to think creatively & problem solve in unexpected situations. I will distill the recommendations given above and give him the highlights in order to move forward.

CaptMJ makes an astute observation about this process for sure. My sincere hope is that DS is not delaying the CFA out of an unspoken or subconscious desire to stay at NROTC mostly because I've felt he has been open with us about his motivation to attend USNA and want him to know that this is his dream to have and that there is no wrong way to set your own life goals. His college and NROTC experience this year has been good (given the restraints of COVID of course) and I think he would find it a rewarding route to commissioning. Like most parents going through the project of raising young people (both going to SA or just out into the world) my wife and I have to find the appropriate amount of encouragement, advice and support without it crossing into a dysfunctional situation where we make undue demands and expectations stemming from our own needs.

I will update the post to when we see which pathway forward gives us success! Thanks again to all.
 
AZDad2024 said:
DS is re-applying as a college freshman, now in NROTC. The last item left in his application is the CFA but it seems that his B&G officer is "not doing them this year" and neither is last year's B&G officer. The USNA states that "high school/prep school physical education teacher, a coach, a current JROTC instructor, an active duty commissioned officer, or the candidate's Blue and Gold Officer" may perform the testing. However, he has asked a bunch of folks but it seems people are hesitant this year. Is anyone obligated to perform the test or should the just keep asking around? It isn't clear to me how to submit the scores if it is done by someone who doesn't have access to the on-line admissions portal. Appreciate the advice.
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Talk to the academy regional admissions counselor.
 
I had the same problem here in the Puget Sound region. All schools in our district are closed. The BGO didn't volunteer to conduct the CFA when asked last summer, but stated to go look for someone. It took three months and emailing every high school PE teacher in the surrounding area. Most declined, but finally one said sure, no problem. We met early Sunday morning at the school track, 44 degrees F and slight rain. I built a home made pull up stand and brought it in my truck. We did the entire CFA outside on the track and football field. It was stressful trying to get that done and checked off.
 
That is some impressive stuff Mercury7; we were fortunate to have his B&G officer from last year get it done this week. It took some calling around to find a high school track that would allow us on (since he wasn't an active student) but it seemed like when people heard the story they were really trying to be as helpful as they could. That was the last box to get checked so luckily the scores were some of his best so we sent it in and now just have to wait! Good luck to everyone !
 
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