Kicked Out?
- Thread starter flowers33
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Once you're there you will have to pass periodical physical tests as part of the curriculum. They include the
"regular" physical tests like the rest of the service as well as special things unique to USMA.
It's certainly true at USNA and I'm sure true at USMA as well.
They are much more likely, if you fail repeated fitness tests, to assign you a physical fitness group to improve your physical abilities. Just as in academics they would rather work with you to help you succeed. Everyone shows up at different places on the physical abilities scale. If you have the basic physical abilities, demonstrated in a passing CFA, the academies attempt to improve your abilities and ramp everyone to a basic level of acceptable performance.
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The CFA is merely a threshold for a fitness-centric lifestyle:
At the SAs, cadets and midshipman can be mandatorily separated for failure to:
- maintain or meet academic standards
- ditto physical fitness evsluations
- ditto honor
- ditto military aptitude/performance (or whatever the USMA term is)
- personal conduct standards
- military aptitude
- or not pass the pre-comm physical and are DQ’ed
But the SAs work with you to overcome your areas of struggle, and don’t rush to separate as a first action, unless you have committed truly serious things.
At the SAs, cadets and midshipman can be mandatorily separated for failure to:
- maintain or meet academic standards
- ditto physical fitness evsluations
- ditto honor
- ditto military aptitude/performance (or whatever the USMA term is)
- personal conduct standards
- military aptitude
- or not pass the pre-comm physical and are DQ’ed
But the SAs work with you to overcome your areas of struggle, and don’t rush to separate as a first action, unless you have committed truly serious things.
JohnMcLane
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They won't kick you out for "not being an athlete". They will kick you out if you can't demonstrate physical strength and stamina or if you can't be a team player or have a bad attitude. Note "minimums" on fitness tests are not what any future officer should ever consider acceptable.
Not everyone is a Tom Brady no matter how much you practice or how hard you try. But physical fitness is available to anyone who puts in the work. There are no excuses for being physically unfit short of massive physical injury or long-term serious illness. Research Teddy Roosevelt's youth to get an idea of how to overcome any physical/medical obstacles and become a complete bad a$$.
Not everyone is a Tom Brady no matter how much you practice or how hard you try. But physical fitness is available to anyone who puts in the work. There are no excuses for being physically unfit short of massive physical injury or long-term serious illness. Research Teddy Roosevelt's youth to get an idea of how to overcome any physical/medical obstacles and become a complete bad a$$.
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Once you're in the academy there's a lot of support for getting you through the whole thing. Long gone are the days of 25% attrition, where they searched for reasons to cull the weakest part of the class. Today they choose who they want, who they think can make the grade, and then they push, pull, scare, encourage, tutor and do PT at dawn until you make it or quit. There have been cadets before you that were dumber, weaker, sadder, and most other shortcoming you want to choose, who managed to graduate with bars on their shoulders. As long as you accept the training in the spirit it's given (hauling you towards success, not trying to drive you out) and keep working there's a good chance you'll get through.
Heatherg21
USNA '24 Mom BGO Bacon Lover Dog Lover
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My kid was never a runner. A decade of martial arts and a fit human being but running? Nope.
End of plebe summer, chin splints, he ran through them (bad call) which meant dual long bone stress fractures in both legs. Crutches, physical therapy, medical chits, potential DQ surgery, long road.
He got the medical support he needed. He got the mental and emotional and PT help and support he needed. He sought help.
He does what is necessary to pass the running component of the PRT. He has always maxed the rest.
If you submit an honest CFA and are relatively fit, and have some grit, you will be okay. The academies are invested in you. They chose YOU. They think you have what it takes. They will support you when you struggle. There are so many resources available both academically, spiritually, physically, mentally etc. The mistake is not utilizing them.
At the end of the day if you don’t meet the bar that is expected, it won’t be because you didn’t have support.
End of plebe summer, chin splints, he ran through them (bad call) which meant dual long bone stress fractures in both legs. Crutches, physical therapy, medical chits, potential DQ surgery, long road.
He got the medical support he needed. He got the mental and emotional and PT help and support he needed. He sought help.
He does what is necessary to pass the running component of the PRT. He has always maxed the rest.
If you submit an honest CFA and are relatively fit, and have some grit, you will be okay. The academies are invested in you. They chose YOU. They think you have what it takes. They will support you when you struggle. There are so many resources available both academically, spiritually, physically, mentally etc. The mistake is not utilizing them.
At the end of the day if you don’t meet the bar that is expected, it won’t be because you didn’t have support.