Parents Weekend 2010

Mikeandcris

Mikeandcris

Parents of 2014 Grad and F-15 Pilot
10-Year Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2009
Messages
366
I'm looking for some advice about parents weekend. It appears C4C cadets can leave the Academy Friday evening, but I'm not sure if they can spend the night off Academy grounds or have to be back later that night. It then appears cadets can leave after the Saturday afternoon football game and must return by the evening on Monday. What are people doing during those 48 hours from Saturday to Monday evening? I've read that cadets mostly want to sleep and relax. Do most folks spend Sat and Sunday in Colorado Springs or do they venture out to Summit County or Denver, etc? Any recommendations or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks, Mike
 
you are correct. You can go out on Friday - but in the past, 4th class cadets have been required to report back Friday night. We always stayed in the Manitou Springs area and just hung out. Our family had vacationed to Colorado before, so most of the tourist type stuff was not of interest. If you do want to take in the local sites, there are plenty of things to do from Garden of the Gods, to Pikes Peak, to Cripple Creek, or even the Royal Gorge.

The downside for most 4th class cadets is the requirement that they be in their Service Dress uniform when out in public, or some form of uniform if the activity does not lend itself to Service Dress - like bike riding.

As such, some families elect to get away to Denver or Boulder. In these cases, you are still likely to run into other cadets, but the uniform requirement is generally not enforced the further you get away from campus. You could always run into a hardcore cadet that doesn't say anything in front of the parents, but let's them have it when they are back at the hill.

I have been both a 4* and a sponsor parent, so I have seen a pretty big spectrum of activities planned for that weekend. Depending on the start time of the football game, your Saturday is tough to plan because you may not get out of the stadium until mid afternoon. I would plan the weekend, but be prepared to possibly just hang out in your hotel depending on how your cadet feels. Some will just want to sleep and eat and may seem really quite as opposed to when they lived with you, while other cadets are not phased by their experiences up to that point and will behave just like they did when they lived under your roof.

You should check with your local Parents Club to see if they have any activities planned for families from your area. Some will plan dinners and give the cadets an opportunity to meet up with other folks they may know from your area that they may not have seen since getting to the Academy.

Good luck and congrats!
 
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most squads have some sort of function in the afternoon, after classes end, and then we are released friday evening. on saturday morning, your cadet will need to be at their football tailgate at whatever time their squadron says to be (usually 9:30 or something like that). once the football game is over, it's goodbye usafa until 7:00 monday evening. i reccommend you just ask your son/daughter what they want to do, because yeah all we pretty much want to do is eat and sleep and maybe buy stuff (or have you buy us stuff:biggrin:) if you go out of colorado springs/denver, around here, just keep in mind things like traffic and getting back to the academy on time. whatever you want, you can most likely find it, just remember now that over 4000 other people will be out doing it too!
 
plan to arrive Thursday night and meet your cadet at the chapel, field house, A-hall and have an informal dinner. Our parents group had a pizza dinner for families in A-hall and our son joined us there.
Friday morning we met him at the chapel and he escorted us into the cadet area. We were together the whole day. Went to squadron function around 4 or 5pm then headed to the hotel with him; reported back to the squadron meeting spot for football game. After the game he was ours til 7pm Mon night. We spent the 2 days in COS area - he wanted to sleep. see some movies, have us get him some food & such. Also did some laundry for him in the hotel -- he didn't like the way the laundry made his clothes feel, so he did his own laundry most of the year, even though paying for the AF to do it.
This year he wants to go away from COS area to Denver or Breckenridge after the game.
As for the wearing of his uniform in public -- there were a ton of C4C's at the movies, in the mall, in the hotel lobby, at Wal-Mart, etc. He's glad he doesn't have to wear it anymore when he goes out -- but he agrees it was probably the uniform that got him bumped up to first class twice leaving COS to come home.
 
Ours stayed with us Friday night at the hotel, and then husband ran him up to the football stadium early then came back to get us girls. After football game, we headed to Keystone and rented a condo at the ski slopes. On Sunday, we rented a Jeep and went up on the mountain trails. The condo was a 2 bedroom/2 bath with washer and dryer. It was so much better than being in a hotel room. I think he really got to relax and unwind. It was an awesome weekend!
 
That first Parent weekend we stayed at a ranch up in the mountains that had a 9 mile long "driveway." Had a relaxing weekend, and rode horses. So his uniform came off Sat after the football game and stayed off until it was time to go back on Monday. We were in such a remote spot there was no worry about having to wear service dress or athletic gear.
 
Go out and have fun over Parent’s Weekend and enjoy what C Springs has to offer. If that simply involves food and sleep, then go for it. There is not much time in a three day weekend though (especially with the football game) so it might be better to have a more relaxed and slow-paced schedule as to better enjoy the weekend.
 
There are a thousand different answers to the question – what to do during PW? You know your son or daughter the best and you will know what they want. You will be able to chat with them between A day and PW. Perhaps not by cell phone but probably by email or FB.

My son did not want to hibernate. He wanted to get out and about and do things. We went out to eat and did some shopping and even went to the movies. He didn’t mind wearing his uniform at all out in town. It’s not like they are the only ones. You will see many cadets out and the local folks see this every year so they don’t give it a second thought. The merchants are thrilled to have all the families spending their money. If shopping is your thing the stores around Academy Blvd are more crowded and tend to run out of the good electronics quicker. Head over to Powers and go to the shops there. I think the restaurants are less crowded over there too.

We took Chick-fil-a and “sweet tea” (yes, we are from the south) to our son Thursday evening and sat by the chapel area. He was thrilled to skip Mitchs for the night.

Attending classes with your cadet on Friday is an eye-opening experience. I realized quickly how much stuff I have forgotten over the years. The parade was fantastic. That’s a mom’s point of view, I’m sure the cadets think it’s a bother, especially the upper-class cadets. Don'tforget your camera. The sq open houses in the afternoon are nice as well. Many of them sell t-shirts and other stuff as fundraisers. They will be more than happy to help you part with some of your cash.

The game on Saturday will take up most of your day. I wouldn’t plan anything with a specific time afterwards, you will just be frustrated. The traffic backs up pretty early in the morning. One of the good things about your cadet being there early is you can avoid most of the traffic headaches. We just took all of our stuff and stayed there. NOTE: Make sure your cadet has all of his uniform pieces before you head to your hotel Friday night. We enjoyed hanging out at the tailgater and meeting the cadets and their families. The traffic after the game can be a bear so bring your patience.

We enjoyed the tour of Jack’s Valley on Sunday. My son didn’t have any issues about giving us the tour. We heard some pretty hilarious stories that made the tour worth the trip. I have heard that there are cadets that refuse to go back to JV.

One year we went to the hot air balloon show downtown. We had never been to one of these before. It was very interesting , lots of good photos ops.

One of the biggest tips that I can share is to wear comfortable walking shoes. Perhaps tennis shoes even, who cares if they don’t match your cute outfit. When you are walking quickly all over the place you will be glad that you did.
 
Get a couple of 24 packs of bottled water and keep them in your car and take them everywhere. It is the same that they tell the cadets in Basic - if you are not going to the bathroom alot then you are not drinking enough water in that high altitude. Stick to drinking water (and lots of it) the whole time you are there - getting altitude sickness is not pretty.
 
Think we'll just bring him home :smile::smile: and listen to the "stories".
It will be very nice that he's "local"!!!
 
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It really is a fun wkd for your son/daughter and family.... a much needed break to carry them through Thanksgiving and a great wrap-up to BCT and their first few weeks of academics.
 
SandyDandy -- Thanks....it is nice to be close AND live at 7260'.....yes, we are very lucky!
 
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