Competitive Club Teams

NYC2021

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Jan 31, 2017
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Was wondering how challenging it is to make a competitive club team at USMA. Particularly boxing, fencing or marathon.
 
When picking a club there're a few things to consider. Choose a club you would enjoy. Choose a club that you find the other Cadets to your liking. And the big one, how much "Athos" will they get. Think of yourself as the CIC for that club. You will be required to take boxing during your Plebe year and this will help you understand the team aspect.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
If you are interested in boxing...work on conditioning...hmmm....yup...cannot overstate how important conditioning will be during tryouts. My 2018 and 2019 are on the team and it has been a great experience. They are ok if you do not have a ton of experience, they have a great coaching staff but to get a shot...condition. Best of luck! Btw...Not weights...run, run hills and focus on body weight exercises. I should add, yup, every plebe does take boxing however, the club team is different and you will have an opportunity to try out after the first week or so of classes.
 
If you are interested in boxing...work on conditioning...hmmm....yup...cannot overstate how important conditioning will be during tryouts. My 2018 and 2019 are on the team and it has been a great experience. They are ok if you do not have a ton of experience, they have a great coaching staff but to get a shot...condition. Best of luck! Btw...Not weights...run, run hills and focus on body weight exercises. I should add, yup, every plebe does take boxing however, the club team is different and you will have an opportunity to try out after the first week or so of classes.

Do they not have an opportunity to tryout during mass athletics during beast? What sports do have tryouts during that time?
 
Do they not have an opportunity to tryout during mass athletics during beast? What sports do have tryouts during that time?
I can only offer for boxing, the tryouts were held after beast and after reorg week...
 
If you are interested in boxing...work on conditioning...hmmm....yup...cannot overstate how important conditioning will be during tryouts. My 2018 and 2019 are on the team and it has been a great experience. They are ok if you do not have a ton of experience, they have a great coaching staff but to get a shot...condition. Best of luck! Btw...Not weights...run, run hills and focus on body weight exercises. I should add, yup, every plebe does take boxing however, the club team is different and you will have an opportunity to try out after the first week or so of classes.

This is helpful thank you. I'd imagine a ton of cadets tryout since everyone takes boxing as a class, is that accurate?
 
Actually, the term is "authos".....it's shorthand for "authorizations".

Thank you for correcting me! See kids don't rush through your homework!

"Authos" is like a field trip for Cadets. When the thick granite wall start to close in, academics give you a pounding headache, then its time for a field trip. The group you are a member of will take trips to compete with others and it can be a nice break from it all. MUN will travel, water polo will compete against other local teams. Its just an opportunity to change up things.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Was wondering how challenging it is to make a competitive club team at USMA. Particularly boxing, fencing or marathon.
My son is a Plebe. He was not recruited, but was an excellent multi-sport athlete in high school, earning all-league and all-district awards. He was in tremendous physical shape on R-day. During Beast he considered several sports, including soccer and baseball, but decided to try out for the WP Boxing team. He really liked it, and was hoping to make the team, but was cut. The tryouts were a ton of running, and it was hard, but he kept pace well. He was encouraged to continue working out with the team, and try out next year (my son not only had never boxed before, but had never even been in a fist fight, other than a few shoving matches during basketball, football or soccer games). So he ended up doing "functional fitness" as a company sport, because you lose the chance to compete for a spot on another team when you try out for a competitive sport and get cut. He was OK with Funky-fitness, but this semester tried out for Crew, and made it. He said the practices are very hard, but he really enjoys being on the team, and likes his teammates.

The competitive sports clubs and teams are great, but a lot of time and work. He will get to go on a lot of competitions in other cities, which is great. But he loses a lot of time in his schedule, and still has to keep up with the homework.
 
Another plug for crew is that the boathouse is kinda like a private clubhouse, a place away from the madding crowd. Lots of authos, and the crews are very, very tight. Downside is that crew is a relentless sport and sucks up a tremendous amount of time with two practices a day. It's not for the faint of heart or those struggling with academics.
 
Another plug for crew is that the boathouse is kinda like a private clubhouse, a place away from the madding crowd. Lots of authos, and the crews are very, very tight. Downside is that crew is a relentless sport and sucks up a tremendous amount of time with two practices a day. It's not for the faint of heart or those struggling with academics.
Just talked to my son last night, and your points are spot on. We asked him if he has been keeping in touch with his good friends from home, and he said he hasn't because he just doesn't have any time at all. He really enjoys the crew gang though. He is on the novice team, so not as much contact with varsity, since they practice separately most of the time. He is looking forward to the competitions. We are going to meet him in Philadelphia on Easter weekend for a competition, and he is taking a religious pass and will stay with us until Monday. Will be nice having the family all together for Easter, even if it is away from home.
 
Not to turn this into a crew thread, but want to make a point for new crew parents that crew is a challenging spectator sport -- you pick a spot and then hope you get a good view of your kid in the three seconds it takes him to pass by. And that's all you get. Best spectator spots are bridges (if there are any, you may get some nice pics of your kid passing below you), or close to the finish line. Ask your rower to find out where the recommended viewing spots are for the particular venue. The coaches and varsity rowers will be able to advise. When you get to the venue, you can check the latest post for the lane USMA is rowing in and that may further help you decide where to camp as some venues will have spots on both sides of the river.

Oh, and row2k.com is your best friend. The larger regattas and races are covered by professional photographers who will get great shots of your rower and boat in action. You can order some amazing photos from there. Unless you are a professional yourself, it is very hard to get good pics of shells in motion.
 
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Not to turn this into a crew thread, but want to make a point for new crew parents that crew is a challenging spectator sport -- you pick a spot and then hope you get a good view of your kid in the three seconds it takes him to pass by. And that's all you get. Best spectator spots are bridges (if there are any, you may get some nice pics of your kid passing below you), or close to the finish line. Ask your rower to find out where the recommended viewing spots are for the particular venue. The coaches and varsity rowers will be able to advise. When you get to the venue, you can check the latest post for the lane USMA is rowing in and that may further help you decide where to camp as some venues will have spots on both sides of the river.
Thanks for the insight, and we need it because our knowledge of rowing is limited to the few times I watched it in the Olympics. We found out he was on the crew team was when he called and said he won't be home for spring break, which caused disappointment, and worry, until he told us he was on the crew team and had a training program at Clemson.

If you have any other insight, I am all ears. Feel free to send me a PM.
 
A little clarification for "authos" and "trip section";

Authos is what gets you out of drill, which is where you practice marching and looking pretty for the crowds, and playing company athletics. If you have drill authos, like myself, you do not drill, but you still compete in company athletics (which is super fun, anyway.) Full authos (highly coveted) is generally reserved for Corps Squaders - no drill or company athletics.

Trip sections, on the other hand, are times where you are essentially authorized to miss anything Wests Point-related, except for the things pertaining to your trip section. For example, if you're on the track team and have a track meet, you'll get a trip section for the duration of the meet where your only obligation is to complete the tasks of the track meet, and nothing else. Trip sections also exist for conventions, such as the hacking convention that occurred recently for the STEM Cadets, meaning they really only had to go to the convention and weren't obligated to do duties or show up to formations.

Hopefully this clarifies these a little bit. Both are great things to have, just make sure you choose your team wisely!
 
When many clubs/teams travel on their trip selection, a tutor will travel with them. It helps keep your tempo with academics. Time management is a huge skill to keep pace and not fall behind.

Push Hard, Press Forward
 
Water Polo was mentioned up thread, do any of you know if there's a women's team? Just curious. Thanks.
 
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