Having No Sports, but Lots of Leadership Experience

[datemplet01]

I am currently a sophomore in high school, hoping to go to USNA. I have one problem. I understand and have read countless threads about the importance of sports in admission to the academy. Once I am applying to the academy, my record will look like this. Wind ensemble percussion section leader, drumline snare section leader, drum captain, drum major, eagle scout, as well as scribe and outdoor ethics guide in my troop. But, as you can see no "sports". I would do sports, but every sport I would like to do is right after school, the same time drumline practice is everyday. If I did very well, as in nearly maxing my CFA and getting 700s on SAT, would not having sports experience really have that bad of an effect on me because from what I understand, sports is really only a fast way to tell if someone has leadership and fitness.

 

[fullspeedahead]

The important thing to remember is that leadership comes from making an impact, not holding a position. It’s great that you are going to have tons of leadership in marching band, but you need to be able to describe what impact you had while in that position. I’ve seen people who had no leadership “roles” such as club president or captain still get into the academy because they had an impact.
You are going to be holding a ton of positions and you need to be able to describe what impact you had in those roles.

When the academies look at applicants with sports it’s not just about “leadership and fitness.” Playing a sport requires mental and physical toughness in order to make it through the day which is similar to life in the military. For you in the drumline, I bet holding heavy instruments while marching is physically demanding as well. In my opinion I think you will be fine without sports because you devote a lot of time to boy scouts and band. Obviously it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a club sport or do something like martial arts on the weekends. Remember that every midshipman has to be involved in a sport whether that be at the varsity, club, or intramural level. So when you get in, crossing my fingers, you must be prepared to be involved in a sport.

 

[cypressaggie86]

As a band and Scout a parent, I know the commitment it takes to be in band and Scouts. Drumline is another level of commitment. My son is in same situation you are. My son would love to play a sport, but there is absolutely no time. Enjoy high school, pursue your dreams. Apply! Best wishes.

 

[usna1985]

It IS important that you both like sports and are physically fit. At USNA, even if you do D&B, you’ll still be responsible for keeping fit and still take phys Ed and the PRT.

Do VERY well on your CFA. Also, look into whether there might be a summer league or camp in which you could participate. Lack of sports isn’t fatal, but it is a hurdle to overcome. And lots of successful candidates do overcome various hurdles.

 

[time2]

^^ I agree. Band/drumline are musical related ECA's and you need to think about how you budget your time during high school. 90% of those attending SA's were h.s. varsity athletes. While 10% were not, you will still be expected to keep up with your peers once you start these physically demanding programs. You won't suddenly become athletic on I-day if you have never been physically fit or involved in sports during high school. If you plan to be a music major, most likely the SA's would not be on your chosen career path. Lots of h.s. activities can consume a significant amount of your time, but you have to consider the VALUE these bring.

Your competition for an appointment are those who ARE able to be successful in leadership, ECA's, sports and academics, so you need to find the right balance of activities if this is the path you are choosing.

 

[datemplet01]

The important thing to remember is that leadership comes from making an impact, not holding a position. It’s great that you are going to have tons of leadership in marching band, but you need to be able to describe what impact you had while in that position. I’ve seen people who had no leadership “roles” such as club president or captain still get into the academy because they had an impact.
You are going to be holding a ton of positions and you need to be able to describe what impact you had in those roles.

When the academies look at applicants with sports it’s not just about “leadership and fitness.” Playing a sport requires mental and physical toughness in order to make it through the day which is similar to life in the military. For you in the drumline, I bet holding heavy instruments while marching is physically demanding as well. In my opinion I think you will be fine without sports because you devote a lot of time to boy scouts and band. Obviously it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a club sport or do something like martial arts on the weekends. Remember that every midshipman has to be involved in a sport whether that be at the varsity, club, or intramural level. So when you get in, crossing my fingers, you must be prepared to be involved in a sport.

Thanks, I'll ensure that I will make an impact and be ready to explain how I did that. And I'm all for doing a sport if I get accepted. I'll also think about doing a martial arts or something of that nature. Thanks.

 

[datemplet01]

As a band and Scout a parent, I know the commitment it takes to be in band and Scouts. Drumline is another level of commitment. My son is in same situation you are. My son would love to play a sport, but there is absolutely no time. Enjoy high school, pursue your dreams. Apply! Best wishes.

Thank you. The last thing I want to do is get rid of my passions just to slightly boost my application.

 

[datemplet01]

^^ I agree. Band/drumline are musical related ECA's and you need to think about how you budget your time during high school. 90% of those attending SA's were h.s. varsity athletes. While 10% were not, you will still be expected to keep up with your peers once you start these physically demanding programs. You won't suddenly become athletic on I-day if you have never been physically fit or involved in sports during high school. If you plan to be a music major, most likely the SA's would not be on your chosen career path. Lots of h.s. activities can consume a significant amount of your time, but you have to consider the VALUE these bring.

Your competition for an appointment are those who ARE able to be successful in leadership, ECA's, sports and academics, so you need to find the right balance of activities if this is the path you are choosing.

Thanks. I've been thinking of if it's right for me. I know it is, if I wasn't to be accepted then my next choice would still be majoring in engineering and minoring in music/marching band. I just really enjoy music and engineering and all aspects of the academy, so I know it would be a great fit for me, as long as I put in the effort.

 

[NavyHoops]

Sports are not the only way to demonstrate leadership. I think with the activities you have you have lots of leadership opportunities. I think SAs weight sports, especially team sports, because its one of the few ways someone can demonstrate leadership under pressure, in snap real time moments and decision making, and sometimes under tough conditions. I think your CFA will really be evaluated. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in some 5ks possibly to demonstrate you are physically active and can push yourself. Do what makes you happy, look for opportunities to stand out, and then find ways to strengthen your application for areas you may fall short (like sports). Good luck.

 

[datemplet01]

Sports are not the only way to demonstrate leadership. I think with the activities you have you have lots of leadership opportunities. I think SAs weight sports, especially team sports, because its one of the few ways someone can demonstrate leadership under pressure, in snap real time moments and decision making, and sometimes under tough conditions. I think your CFA will really be evaluated. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in some 5ks possibly to demonstrate you are physically active and can push yourself. Do what makes you happy, look for opportunities to stand out, and then find ways to strengthen your application for areas you may fall short (like sports). Good luck.

Thanks, I'll take that advice!

 

[OldRetSWO]

As a band and Scout a parent, I know the commitment it takes to be in band and Scouts. Drumline is another level of commitment. My son is in same situation you are. My son would love to play a sport, but there is absolutely no time. Enjoy high school, pursue your dreams. Apply! Best wishes.

There are kids that manage to put it all together though. Scouts, band AND sports. I've had candidates who combined tons of very disparate activities and then saw my son do it. I'd done it in high school back in the Middle Ages but much more recently, my son did all of them. In his first few years of High School, He was able to run Cross Country while being in Marching band. Winter and Spring Track did not conflict as badly as Marching Band so that was less of an issue. As a Junior, he had to choose between Asst' Drum Major and X Country team Capt and went for the Team Captaincy with an eye toward USNA and had to drop Marching band for the fall but still was in the other bands for the rest of High School while also earning his Eagle and holding a part time job for Jr/Sr years.
.
Everyone here will tell you to follow your passions and I certainly don't disagree.
.
BUT
.
You should understand that your passions might not match up squarely with USNA's "passions"

 

[datemplet01]

There are kids that manage to put it all together though. Scouts, band AND sports. I've had candidates who combined tons of very disparate activities and then saw my son do it. I'd done it in high school back in the Middle Ages but much more recently, my son did all of them. In his first few years of High School, He was able to run Cross Country while being in Marching band. Winter and Spring Track did not conflict as badly as Marching Band so that was less of an issue. As a Junior, he had to choose between Asst' Drum Major and X Country team Capt and went for the Team Captaincy with an eye toward USNA and had to drop Marching band for the fall but still was in the other bands for the rest of High School while also earning his Eagle and holding a part time job for Jr/Sr years.
.
Everyone here will tell you to follow your passions and I certainly don't disagree.
.
BUT
.
You should understand that your passions might not match up squarely with USNA's "passions"

I know there has to be a way to squeeze in sports, it's just searching for it and being willing to do it.

 

[Norfolk63]

Agree with the above. Suggest the OP consider a slightly different perspective... At the Academy, plebes do a lot of running, running, and more running. They are also required to take wrestling, boxing, and swimming... lots of swimming. In addition to this, participation in Drum & Bugle Corps (band) at the Academy counts as a sport for the mandatory daily sports period required of all mids. So... if a candidate who excels in band in high school were to ask him/herself the question: "What can I do now in high school that will best prepare me for success at the Academy? -- They would probably find a way to squeeze in a season or two of cross country, swimming, track, wrestling, and/or boxing (or any other sport you may prefer). It may be tough, scheduling wise, but it can be done. And, who knows, you may discover you excel at these as well. Don't give up the ship!

 

[ders_dad]

I don’t know what your current physical condition is but if you want to transform yourself physically and build serious mental toughness, consider wrestling. When in season, it can be very time consuming.

 

[datemplet01]

Agree with the above. Suggest the OP consider a slightly different perspective... At the Academy, plebes do a lot of running, running, and more running. They are also required to take wrestling, boxing, and swimming... lots of swimming. In addition to this, participation in Drum & Bugle Corps (band) at the Academy counts as a sport for the mandatory daily sports period required of all mids. So... if a candidate who excels in band in high school were to ask him/herself the question: "What can I do now in high school that will best prepare me for success at the Academy? -- They would probably find a way to squeeze in a season or two of cross country, swimming, track, wrestling, and/or boxing (or any other sport you may prefer). It may be tough, scheduling wise, but it can be done. And, who knows, you may discover you excel at these as well. Don't give up the ship!

Thanks for the advice. I was actually already planning to send an email to the swim team coach tomorrow to see what kind of time commitment it takes to be on the team, and if it would fit in with drumline.

 

[Old Navy BGO]

I'm going to take another angle on the importance of sports to the Service Academy application. I recognize the time commitment that comes with Band and Scouts, and you can certainly demonstrate your Leadership, Organizational Skills and Responsibility through these activities, but another characteristic I think is important is "competitiveness." Most successful Midshipmen are very competitive--they want to win in whatever they do.

Yes, you can get into a Service Academy without a sport, but admission to a Service Academy is itself competitive. If Admissions is going to choose between two persons with relatively equal academics, leadership, etc. and one has sports and the other doesn't , the answer is obvious. Bottom line, , if you don't have a sport, you will have to be exceptional in other areas.

 

[Desert2USNA]

I agree with all the wise advice posted that in addition to stellar academics and demonstration of leadership, team sports and being as athletically fit as possible is important in your SA application. However I did want to give the OP a bit of optimism that it is possible to earn an appointment being in Marching Band and not participating in other HS sports. My DS played multiple sports growing up including years of martial arts and running cross country grades 6-8. However he is also a talented musician and played all four years in his HS Marching Band. (As a former HS and college XC runner, this ran counter to my guidance. ) His HS marching band was quite large and highly competitive winning the state big school marching band title all four years he played and placing high in multi-state regional competitions. Along with this came many opportunities to development and demonstrate leadership and teamwork skills. He worked hard preparing for his CFA which he took at NASS, maxing out on 3/6 events and doing well on the others. While at NASS he had the opportunity to meet with one of the D&B instructors and that was the first time he even considered the possibility of playing in a Marching Band after high school. Now he is a Plebe and playing in the Drum & Bugle Corp and couldn't be happier.

 

[elorodelmar4]

I don’t know what your current physical condition is but if you want to transform yourself physically and build serious mental toughness, consider wrestling. When in season, it can be very time consuming.

I can attest to this, on the mental and physical toughness.