Sorry. Another CFA Score (Female) question...

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NeverSayNever

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Oct 3, 2022
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DD took CFA today and posted personal best scores on every event except the 1 mile which was disappointing for her.

Her progress:

Late Oct:
Bball Throw: 37
Flex Arm Hang: 6 Sec
Shuttle Run: 10.8
SitUps: 23
Push Ups: 11
1 Mile Run: 10:30

Late Dec:
Bball Throw: 41
Pull Up: 1
Shuttle Run: 9.6
SitUps: 63
Push Ups: 35
1 Mile Run: 9:15

She ran 8:50 three days ago and her PR is 8:44. However - after her last two runs she has started to complain of shin pain and we feel as though she needs to rest to avoid a stress fracture injury. She is a 5'0" female and likely will never be a middle distance track star but she has worked hard and made seemingly great gains. Her coach has said that if she wants she can retest after Christmas or he will submit the scores as they are right now. I'm sure he would be willing to make comments on her status/weather (cold) etc.

My biggest concern as a parent is injury...her biggest concern as the candidate is passing. Definitely below average...but is it enough so that she can submit it, move on and rest for a few weeks? The last thing I want her to face is a "retake" and feel like she has to train through injury which could set her back months or end this journey before it begins.

Thanks in advance for the inputs.
 
I have little experience with admissions and their decision-making when it comes to CFA scores. I'm also not an ALO, so I'll let those guys speculate on the scores themselves and stay off their toes.

What I will say is that she (and you) should be extremely proud of the progress she has made in the strength events in the span of two months. It's clear that she trained hard to achieve that and she should be commended for her dedication.

Your comments make it sound like she's not a natural runner. For better or worse, those of us (and there are a lot of us) not blessed with natural running talent need to have the same level of dedication to make the same kind of progress on improving run times. Regardless of whether she or admissions decide she needs a retake, she should see a doctor if the shin pain is bothering her that much. The doctor can evaluate whether the pain is from an underlying injury or if it's simply exercise-related soreness and then you can decide whether she should continue training immediately or shut it down for a while.
 
Being a Navy guy I have no dog in the fight for USAFA. But I wanted to just put it out there that DD more than tripled her push ups and nearly tripled sit ups.

If she isn't completely sold on Air Force she should consider USNA or NROTC. If she is a tier 1 major her chances would be pretty good I think.

And I guess I'm slightly poaching but in two months to triple scores should count for something. She could even mention in her essay answers.
 
GWU PNS said:
Being a Navy guy I have no dog in the fight for USAFA. But I wanted to just put it out there that DD more than tripled her push ups and nearly tripled sit ups.

If she isn't completely sold on Air Force she should consider USNA or NROTC. If she is a tier 1 major her chances would be pretty good I think.

And I guess I'm slightly poaching but in two months to triple scores should count for something. She could even mention in her essay answers.
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I too am a Navy guy and would be proud to see her choose USNA/NROTC. Her Grandfather and Uncle are both USMMA and pushed for that school. I don't think she would be opposed to USNA but Space Force is her goal. I had no input into this decision and was hopeful that she would choose a school that had a better academic reputation but after we took the big tour of all top tier colleges over the summer - one month later (out of the wild blue) she announces USAFA as her first choice. I don't even think she has opened a USNA app and that school is just 90 min from our house!
 
She can always put in for both. Lots of BGO peeps in these fora who can give way better advice than I on USNA. But at the end of the day when the birds fly from the nest they go where their hearts take them. Hoping for the best for you all.
 
That is great DD has been working on physical fitness and is making great progress. However, it takes years of diligent, hard work to get an appointment to a service academy, ROTC scholarship, or commission in any way. This includes physical fitness that will give you credibility to the enlisted and NCOs you will have to lead. No instant fixes. Might have to work her butt off and try again next year. She wouldn't be the first. I wish her luck but there are no shortcuts only hard work, determination, and discipline. I do not know much about female physical fitness expectations so I don't know how good or bad DD's scores are. If she gets the appointment/scholarship she wants, I can tell you if she shows up to a unit physically unfit she will be miserable, miserable, miserable. If she shows up in great shape she'll happy and not-stressed. So I hope her current efforts are a way of life and not temporary. I will also tell you I personally know a MORBIDLY OBESE hs junior who lost 150 pounds over the last 18 months and is now about the hardest, baddest, in-shape person within a hundred miles and competes in ultimate fitness challenges and MMA at the national level. He put in the long-term, consistent work and is reaping the rewards.
 
The NROTC AFROTC physical fitness tests are different but no less difficult than the CFA. 1 1/2 mile run, pushups and plank/situps. The scholarships are at least as competitive as appointments. ROTC should not be considered a backup / consolation prize, rather as another path to a commission. One can join ROTC as a non-scholarship, but you have to compete to advance.
 
Google shinsplints. You don’t give any of her athletic history, but a 10:30 mile is slow. If she was out of shape at the end of October, she may have increased her running workouts too much, too soon, to this point. This sometimes leads to shinsplints. So does running workouts in the wrong running shoes. Many factors could be the cause of shin pain.
 
IMHO that is not going to pass. Someone can correct me but I think the slowest passing run time I have seen was an 8:32. The other scores are all likely good enough, if not great.

It's great progress, but realistically not good enough yet. With a run time like that, she would REALLY struggle to keep up and stay off athletic probation as a cadet.
 
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