Knee Sprain and NROTC AFA

Sigma4

5-Year Member
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May 31, 2014
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8
Hello!

So I recently sprained my knee while playing soccer.:confused: I am recovering relatively quickly, problem is, this injury may affect my ability to complete the running portion of the AFA. I can perform the sit-ups and push ups perfectly fine, but my knee is not ready to bear the weight of running.

I'm concerned because I don't know if I should delay the AFA, and thus my entire application. My NROTC recruiter has given me a week to submit my forms (I don't know why exactly), and I can't be fully up to speed by then. Advice?

Thanks in advance
 
Hello!

So I recently sprained my knee while playing soccer.:confused: I am recovering relatively quickly, problem is, this injury may affect my ability to complete the running portion of the AFA. I can perform the sit-ups and push ups perfectly fine, but my knee is not ready to bear the weight of running.

I'm concerned because I don't know if I should delay the AFA, and thus my entire application. My NROTC recruiter has given me a week to submit my forms (I don't know why exactly), and I can't be fully up to speed by then. Advice?

Thanks in advance

Does the recruiter know about the knee injury? I'm assuming your Navy Option since you reference the AFA, in which case I don't know why he would insist on results in a week. If he doesn't know about the knee injury then it sounds like a discussion is in order. Perhaps a further discussion is in order in any case.

In the meantime work hard on that knee and keep in mind that receiving a scholarship is not a requirement to participate in NROTC.
 
Hello!

My NROTC recruiter has given me a week to submit my forms (I don't know why exactly)

This seems to be the MO with NROTC. The guy hounded my DS to get everything in quick. My son finished his interview on a Wednesday, and the next day the recruiter said he needed the AFA by noon on Friday. :frown:
 
It has been years And I can't recall the process of which goes when...run/sit ups/push ups...push ups.sit ups run!

I would absolutely not do it until the knee is healed.

Let's assume the sit ups are first. That sprained knee may now get tight being stressed in that position and because of the limited time for downtime between that and a run it is now tight, thus the run is slower than his usual pace.

Same is true for pushups...you have to lock those knees.

Run first, and the knee will take a hit...that means the pain while doing push ups and sit ups will flare and you will have to bear through it.

Is it worth scoring lower, and even if it is only 5 points,are you that confident you are a sure thing?

If the answer is No, wait a week and ignore them!

I know for the SAs they never publish the mins for the CFA. However, I also know if you fail one portion of the CFA you BUST! I don't know if that is true for NROTC and their AFA.

Your child may not be applying for USNA, but 95% of USNA candidates apply for NRPOTC as plan B. They are going to be competition.

I believe USNA appointee and NROTC scholarship awards are statistically the same. 16-18%

Just saying that there are times/reasons why you should submit faster and times you wait.

This maybe the time you wait!

OBTW G forbid he runs on the sprain knee, endures the pain through the pain...awarded a scholarship and did damage requiring medical attention. Now you have to deal with DoDMERB and maybe waiver/remedial process.
~ Food for thought
 
This seems to be the MO with NROTC. The guy hounded my DS to get everything in quick. My son finished his interview on a Wednesday, and the next day the recruiter said he needed the AFA by noon on Friday. :frown:

Well if it is Marine Option (and I thought they did the Marine PFT and not the AFA) then I can somewhat understand the push. There are only 2 Marine Option boards and the first one should be quickly approaching.
 
Sigma4: the pressure to get your packet completed may be an effort to get you in the stack for upcoming boards. Perhaps your coordinator sees you as a high potential? IT makes sense.

I am going to offer a slightly different perspective. First off, I want to make it clear that I am not advocating "cooking the books" by cheating or lying - having a coach "sign off" for you. DO NOT do this for your own integrity and honor's sake.

However, you may approach your NROTC coordinator and ask if a provisional time based on previous run times (witnessed by your coach) could be used. You could still do the sit ups and push ups in real time. Your coordinator will have advice on that option. Perhaps they will request a letter from your coach? Who knows?

Secondly, you should ask the coordinator about your situation and get advice. Wait or run injured. What do they recommend?

Third, if you have clearance to run but are just concerned about your time, check the standards. If the combination of your sit ups and push ups gets you a high score you should assess what run time you need to get a above average score. Perhaps for an athlete like you, your "slow and injured" time might still pull a good overall score. I want to stress that you don't want to go that route if it will in any way aggravate or prolong your injury.

You are in a bind but I can assure you that you are not the first to have faced this. There is probably some process to deal with it. Don't be afraid to ask.

Good luck!
 
Well if it is Marine Option (and I thought they did the Marine PFT and not the AFA) then I can somewhat understand the push. There are only 2 Marine Option boards and the first one should be quickly approaching.

Kinnem: I read that as "MO" = modus operandi not Marine Option.
 
Wow! Thanks for all your responses. My coordinator was unaware of my knee injury but I will inform him later today. Just for clarification, I'm applying Navy Option. Oh, and I am a girl for the sake of pronouns.

I'm very confident in my academics, ECs, etc. but I really want to perform well on the AFA to round out my application. Right now, I'm just a little bothered by the sudden change of pace. I've been called by two different recruiters in a week!

One last question: Is there any chance that reporting this could show up later in the process (DODMERB)? I will not lie on my application, but I would hate for this minor issue to explode into something bigger down the road.
 
One last question: Is there any chance that reporting this could show up later in the process (DODMERB)? I will not lie on my application, but I would hate for this minor issue to explode into something bigger down the road.

Sigma4: Reporting this now will not affect the DODMERB process. However, it will most assuredly be a part of the DODMERB process as you will have to self-report "any bone or joint problems, injuries, surgery or medical treatment." This was question #50 on the "Report of Medical History" at the time of my DS' paperwork and I am sure it still exists.

No biggie.

If I remember correctly, this self-reporting condition triggered another form (Orthopedic Questionnaire) which required further information. We proactively gathered copies of all the doctor's forms, medical records, x-rays, etc and sent them when prompted.

The people applying for these scholarships are active, energetic and competitive athletes. They are bound to have some bumps, bruises, broken bones, sprains, etc.

Good luck!
 
So, quick update on my situation:

I told my recruiters about my knee injury and I have been told that if I this injury will require more than a few weeks of healing I can send in a doctor's note in place of a fitness assessment.

Should I wait a few weeks, see how my knee recovers, then weigh both options? Or, should I just go for the doctor's note and submit my application?

Also, has anyone ever been DQ'd for a normal knee sprain? I'm just curious.

Thanks for all your help!
 
+1 TO THIS:
This seems to be the MO with NROTC. The guy hounded my DS to get everything in quick. My son finished his interview on a Wednesday, and the next day the recruiter said he needed the AFA by noon on Friday.

DS was hounded to get all of his stuff in for the first boards. Recruiter then had him go interupt his tennis coaches class to get a letter of recommendation! I find this somewhat funny in that they are the WORST about notifiying scholarship canidates if they have earned a scholarship and generally drag out the process.
 
Wow! Thanks for all your responses. My coordinator was unaware of my knee injury but I will inform him later today. Just for clarification, I'm applying Navy Option. Oh, and I am a girl for the sake of pronouns.

I'm very confident in my academics, ECs, etc. but I really want to perform well on the AFA to round out my application. Right now, I'm just a little bothered by the sudden change of pace. I've been called by two different recruiters in a week!

One last question: Is there any chance that reporting this could show up later in the process (DODMERB)? I will not lie on my application, but I would hate for this minor issue to explode into something bigger down the road.

Sigma4,

I'm kind of in the same boat as you. I've applied for the NROTC - Marine Option scholarship (my back up to West Point and maybe ROTC) but I had literally pulled my hamstring during Taekwondo class the same week my physical fitness test was scheduled. I believe this Friday is the latest I could take the test but I'm still not feeling on track to take it and get the scores I have been getting during my self test. I'm probably going to have to reschedule it to late November or early December. I already took my DODMERB and passed. My doctor said that my hamstring wasn't severe so there was no need to worry about reporting it because it was more a less like a severe cramp.

I wish you the best of luck.

-Kelsi
 
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