Why the tension between the athletes and the rest of the Corps? I’ve been recruited and given a LOA and would like to have some insight. Thank you!
Corps squad (and competitive club) athletes will get certain “authos” that excuse them from things “slugs” (cadets who participate in intramurals) have to do based on their practice/competition schedule. A lot of those things can be the suckier side of being a cadet like drilling/parading, participating in certain plebe duties, or how their classes are arranged (ie never having last period). That can cause tension when slugs think their peers are shamming, or abusing, these privileges beyond what they’re meant to account for, because there are definitely cadets who hide behind their authos to avoid doing said things, because yea, they usually aren’t fun. No one wants to sort upperclass laundry or take out someone else’s trash, but everyone who is an upperclass has done it before you. It’s part of the system so participate; otherwise how can you expect someone else to do it for three years for you if you never did it yourself? I’m speaking generically here, not assuming you in particular would do this. I was an athlete back at school that I think had a pretty good relationship with my company mates but I also know cadets who I found hiding in their room when it came to stuff like this when I was a cadet platoon sergeant having to round folks up for various details. It gets old, very quick. You will very quickly build your reputation at school, and it will carry with you after plebe year and even after graduation, of whether or not you can be counted to be a team player.
Also it sounds trivial, but there are other perks that might not jump out but can make a big difference as well. Corps squad uniform items, in particular the sweats, are way more comfy than any kind of cadet uniform. I still have a set of my sweats, and I absolutely love them. When you are restricted to uniform items only, it can make a big morale difference to have clothes that feel normal, particularly as a plebe or yearling. Also, as a plebe, no one can tell rank if you’re wearing sweats which can be a huge plus when you’re outside your company AO because who can tell if you’re supposed to not be talking or cupping your hands and greeting outside? But there will also typically be pretty explicit rules about when/where/how you can wear these sweats. When you start pushing those boundaries, it can cause your peers who are stuck in gym alpha in their downtime to think you feel better than them out of jealousy. Don’t stand out from the crowd where you can.
All this said, there is a very good reason Corps squaders get the authos they do. Being a D1 athlete at the Academy is a crazy busy schedule. Time management is just as important for athletes as anyone else, but I will always push back on the concept that an athlete’s life is harder than a slug’s. Everyone has their time taken away from them at the Academy, just in different ways. The few times I had to drill, I wished I was back running suicides on the court at practice, because it is honestly one of the most horrible, time draining experiences I’ve had to waste my time with. Yet slugs have to do it every other day throughout the football season and it takes up their weekends when their regiment has to parade before a football game.
Be empathetic to your slug classmates when they might think you are getting off “easy” with authos that neither of you really understand the time commitments the other is having to put into graduate. They may or may not be putting in the same time at the gym or on the court, but their time is being taken away differently. Your classmates will be able to tell if you’re putting a good effort to participate in company events as a plebe and after or if you only ever hang out with your team and sham away from helping out when you can. It’s very easy to tell who are the shammers and who aren’t. The slugs will give you grace for not being their all, or even most of the time, if they think you’re trying, and you won’t have to be bitter about the busyness in your schedule if you realize theirs is too.
