Medical Turnback before I-day

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soccermii

5-Year Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2011
Messages
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HI! I had a question regarding injuries. I received my appointment a few months ago and now I am wrapping myself in bubble wrap :) My question is what happens if I have a freak accident a month before basic and am no longer medically qualified. I know that after you say the oath you have a spot in next years class (unless you quit), but what happens if you are turned back before then?
 
Congratulations on your appointment! :thumb: I believe if you get injured prior to I-Day, you are virtually guaranteed a spot in next year's class (as if you were a principal nominee). Of course, as you noted, it's better to avoid getting hurt to begin with. ;)
 
I highly recommend going on down to Home Depot, buying a big ole roll of bubble wrap.....

Seriously, enjoy your freedom, have a great time, weigh the risk of what you're about to do....like jumping off of a balcony into the hotel pool.
 
i think if you get injured before you take your oath, you have to reapply all over again and after you take your oath it will be a turnback to next years class. bottom line is try not to get injured. basic is hard enough and will be harder when you are nursing an injury. or worse aggravate an injury that will prevent you from finishing bct or getting let go because of that injury. hope this helps
 
One year a local appointee fractured his ankle prior to I day. He was a recruited athlete and was admitted to prep school. He still had to reapply and get nomination like other preppies.
I recommend that you don't do anything to get yourself injured, but accidents do happen, just try to be smart. Learn skydiving at the academy, not now!
One other very important thing that is in your control. Don't get in trouble! Don't drink, do drugs, hang out with people who do. Don't get a traffic violation (has to be paid/cleared prior to starting). If anything untoward happens notify your ALO ASAP!
As you know from this forum, you have a coveted spot! Don't waste it!


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You can't plan for freak accidents. Deal with it if it comes, but don't worry. What's mean to be, will be.

I knew I had a weak ankle going into my senior year tennis season, due to a bad sprain about 9 months before. Thought I'd tweaked it a week or so into preseason. Doc said I could play, but having a son at USNA, recommended against it. I weighed the risks and decided I would regret quitting my senior year. (I was a captain, #2 singles, and barely made it through the first match sitting on the sidelines.) I played, wore a brace for part of it but mostly just worked on strengthening my ankles and having good footwork. It all worked out.

Moral: Relax, have fun, hakuna matata.
 
Invisibility said:
You can't plan for freak accidents. Deal with it if it comes, but don't worry. What's mean to be, will be.

I knew I had a weak ankle going into my senior year tennis season, due to a bad sprain about 9 months before. Thought I'd tweaked it a week or so into preseason. Doc said I could play, but having a son at USNA, recommended against it. I weighed the risks and decided I would regret quitting my senior year. (I was a captain, #2 singles, and barely made it through the first match sitting on the sidelines.) I played, wore a brace for part of it but mostly just worked on strengthening my ankles and having good footwork. It all worked out.

Moral: Relax, have fun, hakuna matata.
Click to expand...

Haha! I read this that YOU had a son at USNA. That would have opened up a lot of questions!
 
As has been said, you can't plan for everything. At the same time; while "Bubble Wrap" sounds good, you still have to live your life and enjoy it. But in the same breath, there's no need to take unnecessary risks. If you've never gone sky diving before, or been mountain climbing, or played rugby, etc... I wouldn't recommend doing such things after receiving an appointment. Each person has to make up their mind. NOT their parents... NOT someone on this forum. Each individual appointee.

My son was a 3 sport athlete. He received his appointment at the end of october (2007) but didn't know 100%. He received the "Official notification" on the same day he played the state championship football game. It cleared his online portal and we received an official letter in the mail. He had already gone to the school to get ready for the "Big Game". We didn't tell him that he received the appointment until after the game. Was a great day for him. They won the state championship and he received his appointment. I told him while his team was celebrating on the field.

But after the dust settled, he had to sit down and think about the next 8 months. While he was a very talented and awarded football player, his #1 sport was soccer. Our state plays soccer in the spring because of the weather and lack of enough players to play soccer and football at the same time of year. So he had to decide if he would sit out soccer season that he's been playing for 12 years. He thought about it for a month until christmas, and made up his mind that he would indeed sit out soccer. He also sat out all other sports. He still had fun the 2nd half of his senior year, but "HE" chose to not risk an injury. He even had second thoughts about having his wisdom teeth removed, at his dentist's suggestion. "He did elect to do that".

Point is, it was "His" decision to not play his favorite sport his senior year. Between receiving an appointment to the academy and being recruited to play football for air force, he felt it wasn't worth the risk. (Considering he seemed to get injured more in soccer than in football). But it was a decision that he never regretted. His soccer coach and many of the players were disappointed that he didn't play. He was a varsity letter player with many state/conference accolades; and a leader of the team. But it was a "Mature" decision that he had to make for himself. A decision that could affect his entire future. He felt he let his friends, teammates, coach, and school down; but he lived with the decision. So no matter what decision you make once committing to the air force academy, make sure it's "YOUR" decision and it's one you can live with. Best of luck.
 
As always, Christcorp says it best. Enjoy life and choose what you think you should based on your own desires. I chose not and had a close call with my ankle one week prior only in a game with friends. I couldn't watch without playing so I would swim or head to the beach where less risk of injury was present.
 
Like others have said, you can't stop living your life because you've achieved something excellent. Don't take unnecessary risks, but if something happens, you deal with it. I fractured my wrist prior to I-day for USNA in a fun, end of school dodgeball tournament. Things happen. Live your life and don't worry!
 
Like everyone else is saying, stuff happens and you go where it takes you. However, that doesn't mean to just say "screw it" and put no effort into the matter. I got a foot injury a month before BCT began, and I immediately started working on healing it. I swam instead of running, moved on to the stationary bike a week later, and took a boatload of supplements to heal bones and joints (I recommend Cissus Quadrangularis extract). I was only running again a week before BCT started, but I was still accepted in.

If you have an injury that totally disqualifies you (i.e. one that will make it so you can't make it through basic) then you'll get turned around and you'll have to re-apply for the following year, but this is a much-shortened application. If you have to leave during basic for injuring yourself (e.g. breaking your femur, or something like that), which was something I was worried about with my foot injury and a hip injury I got earlier in senior year, then you'll be pretty much guaranteed a spot the following year. However, rest assured that once you've started BCT they'll do their best to keep you in. My foot injury regressed during the first part of second beast, and actually turned into a full-blown stress fracture just before going up to Jack's Valley, but I still made it through.

Despite all of the injuries that happened during basic plus a few more during fall semester, I'm still a successful 4-Degree here and I'll be getting recognized in three weeks. If something happens, just stay positive, keep your head up, and keep pushing towards the goal. Always remind yourself why you applied and why you've chosen this path in your life.
 
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