Showing up ready to go....

k2rider

10-Year Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
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I know we talk about this constantly on the board here and only a small percentage of future cadets actually even know about this website but it never ceases to amaze me how many people show up on Day 1 so unprepared. My son's unit has 14 freshmen with scholarships this year. They took thier first PFT on Sayurday and THREE cadets passed, not even 25%!!

I know it shouldn't bother me but I can't believe that scholarship cadets are showing up so out of shape. It's not like the standards needed for the scholarship to kick in are secret. I don't know if it's lazy kids or an ROTC command that's not getting the message out about how important is is to show up in shape and ready to go on Day 1 or what. With the new policies in place about not being issued any gear until you pass the test, it makes it harder to succeed as well.
 
I am not sure that many of them are out of shape, I think what trips up a lot of them is their form. They don't realize how important it is and that they have been not doing it to the ROTC standards, thus their numbers are much lower than anything they ever thought would be for them.
 
DS is starting SR year and always known he will serve since he was little. He is applying for SA and AROTC for fall 2016- We have found this forum to be such a valuable source. I had read it for a few years before actually joining. Before he took his pt test we kept questioning the numbers we saw for stats that scholarship winners posted ,as his were not quite there but he is extremely in shape and had been told by cadre at camps his form is perfect and doing less with perfect form now will pay off later when others around him hear 1,1,1,1,1, for 1 push-up and have actually exhorted the energy for 5 since done incorrectly. This forum touches base on so many different areas and has info on all parts of the process for SA and ROTC etc , I can't imagine not utilizing it and tell everyone that mentions they are interested in a military education..... Btw The advice here also sounds better to my DS when coming from a complete stranger than if I had said it but that's ok- we will take it!

I hope those retaking the PFT will all pass and contract and begin their adventure as soon as possible. They have all chosen an honorable path.
Have a great day everyone, I look forward to continue hearing about everyone's progress.
 
I can't speak for the makority of the group but 3 out of the 11 that didn't pass couldn't make the run in the required minimum time and that has nothing to do with form. One cadet did 21 push-ups and could only muster 23 sit-ups. Once again, not usually a form issue. I can only speak from *my* experience with our two kids in AROTC but neither one of them ever mentioned their particular cadre being especially strict on "form" although I frequently read about it being an issue here on the board.
 
In a way I'm not as surprised as I should be. Considering the application is online through the GoArmy.com site, the only contact that most applicants have with ROTC is the interview, and then they just sit and wait. When they are awarded a scholarship many don't hear much from the battalion they select until they receive the date they are to show up to any orientation. These kids do what they think is good enough exercise only to find out that they haven't done quite enough, even though they should have read what was required in their application packet.

My older son went through this process without us ever finding any of these online boards, he was lucky that his new battalion kept in contact and mentored him prior to starting school, I don't think most applicants have that benefit.

I wish more applicants visited boards like this so they could get the benefit of knowledge of those that have gone before them. At least those that do have a leg up.

I agree with K2, there should be no excuse for failing the run.

I have a feeling there will be a few out of those 14 that will not make it through the first year.
 
I spoke with my DS yesterday. He is in his first year with NROTC, and of the 26 in his group, 13 did not pass the unit's PT criteria, but were told that they did pass what the Navy wanted. He was one of the half that didn't pass, but was told that his scores (times) were within the limits of the official numbers. (Suffice to say, I was a bit confused by it, but if they told him that everything was OK, then I'm OK with it too.)
 
I spoke with my DS yesterday. He is in his first year with NROTC, and of the 26 in his group, 13 did not pass the unit's PT criteria, but were told that they did pass what the Navy wanted. He was one of the half that didn't pass, but was told that his scores (times) were within the limits of the official numbers. (Suffice to say, I was a bit confused by it, but if they told him that everything was OK, then I'm OK with it too.)

One must score at least a satisfactory score to meet Navy standards and contract. I don't know the Navy mins but I believe for Marine Options the minimum score is 105 and certain mins must be met for each event. A unit often sets goals for the average score in their unit that is much higher. My son's unit shot for an average score of 285 which you can see is much higher than the minimum. Over time the 285 is very achievable.

Anyway, I expect this is what your sons unit is referring to and I also expect until he reaches the score his unit wants that he'll be on remedial PT. He should be able to contract though which is the real concern here.
 
I have debated over and over whether to share my son's experience, and have decided that if it benefits even one mom or student it will be worth the potential "flaming" that will surely commence.

Last year, I desperately wanted to be a part of the smug group of parents who could recite the dreadful statistics of PT pass/fail, knowing that my son was one of the "good" ones... That didn't happen- instead we got a text from our son at a SMC, saying that although he had maxed the first two events, he failed his run.

My son (6 foot 2 inches and 160 lbs) was a four year varsity athlete, who holds two school records for swimming. Unfortunately, the athleticism he exhibits in the pool does not translate outside of it. He is, to put it nicely, an awkward runner. He knew this and ran every. single. day. of the entire summer before he left for school. So he was most assuredly neither unprepared nor out of shape, and yet he failed. I was shocked, bewildered, a little shameful, and more than a little scared.

I had read the forum horror stories...no book money, no tuition, no contract, and quite possibly my son was on the road to an inevitable life of failure.
I read back over my emails to him from this time and I'm embarrassed at how little support I offered him.

Two weeks later, he passed without any issues. He signed his contract at the same time all of his fellow classmates did. He will probably always struggle with the run. Failure happens for a myriad of reasons that don't all equal unprepared and out of shape. We do the people who come to this forum a grave injustice when we lump everyone together and make sweeping generalizations.

My point is there are a million stories in the big city (now flame away, LOL).
 
I have debated over and over whether to share my son's experience, and have decided that if it benefits even one mom or student it will be worth the potential "flaming" that will surely commence.

Last year, I desperately wanted to be a part of the smug group of parents who could recite the dreadful statistics of PT pass/fail, knowing that my son was one of the "good" ones... That didn't happen- instead we got a text from our son at a SMC, saying that although he had maxed the first two events, he failed his run.

My son (6 foot 2 inches and 160 lbs) was a four year varsity athlete, who holds two school records for swimming. Unfortunately, the athleticism he exhibits in the pool does not translate outside of it. He is, to put it nicely, an awkward runner. He knew this and ran every. single. day. of the entire summer before he left for school. So he was most assuredly neither unprepared nor out of shape, and yet he failed. I was shocked, bewildered, a little shameful, and more than a little scared.

I had read the forum horror stories...no book money, no tuition, no contract, and quite possibly my son was on the road to an inevitable life of failure.
I read back over my emails to him from this time and I'm embarrassed at how little support I offered him.

Two weeks later, he passed without any issues. He signed his contract at the same time all of his fellow classmates did. He will probably always struggle with the run. Failure happens for a myriad of reasons that don't all equal unprepared and out of shape. We do the people who come to this forum a grave injustice when we lump everyone together and make sweeping generalizations.

My point is there are a million stories in the big city (now flame away, LOL).

No Flames from me, looking back I think I was a bit quick to say there is no excuse for not passing the run.

A lot of new cadets that take their first full APFT at school put so much energy in doing as many PU and SUs they can, that they just don't have the energy to keep up their pace for the two mile run. If a cadet was a runner in school they have a much better idea of how to pace and what they need in the tank to complete a good run time. After a couple weeks of PT they get it down and are able to pace themselves through the entire test.

Sounds like your son worked hard to prepare, if he hadn't he would not have passed the two weeks later.

Your right, we should not lump everyone together, I think the frustration comes when you see so many that show up truly unprepared. Out of the 3 4 yr scholarship cadets that showed up freshman year at my son's school, two did not pass the first test, the issue was that they never passed the APFT and eventually left the program.

Congratulations to your son, just tell him to put in extra miles when he can and talk to other cadets that were runners for tips on improving his time, it doesn't happen overnight that's for sure.
 
No flaming here. My son failed his first test too. He passed the second a month later with a mediocre total score and activated his scholarship. Eventually he realized that if he wanted to achieve his goal of active duty he would have to work much harder.
 
Its been a while but my son (AROTC scholarship) failed his first 3 APFTs. He passed the last chance of his first semester. His problem was PU form even though he had worked all summer to prepare.

He is now a 2LT at BOLC excelling and having the time of his life.
 
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