Sports Advice?

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madfad

5-Year Member
Joined
May 2, 2018
Messages
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Hello. I’ve read many articles on here trying to find advice for my specific situation but I’ve yet to find a sufficient one.

Right now, I am struggling with my AP Physics, AP English, and AP Calc classes. The workload is rough and I’m attempting to manage all my classes, extracurriculars, class president duties, a job, as well as volleyball and basketball. I understand that this is nothing special to any service academy candidate and that I most definitely should be able to “handle the load” and survive this high stress situation. However, I am failing miserably. I believe that in a service academy environment, I could succeed.

My issue comes with the decision whether to continue playing basketball this year. Our program is a mess and it is not as fulfilling as it once was, but I feel like I owe it to my teammates and coaches to play. However, after this past volleyball season, the balance is not as easy as I have assumed. To attempt (and fail) to keep up my studies, I’ve cut my sleep and missed meals to try and finish everything, to no avail. It physically hurts to try to keep my head in the right state of mind while balancing all of this.

This would be my 4th year lettering as a varsity player and I am team-captain. I’ve also entered it on all of my applications thus far, both congressional and for the service academies. I know that an athletic leadership position is definitely a great thing to have on the application, and it feels like this is the only reason why I’m playing.

I feel inadequate because I am someone struggling to balance all of this, and I am ashamed to even consider quitting this year. I’m not sure I can handle it, but I’m wondering if I should continue playing and suck it up because I should be able to manage my time correctly, or if I should quit and focus on schoolwork, interviews, being healthy, and the CFA.

Please help me with advice.
 
This is a tough dilemma. Your health and well-being obviously come first. If you’re having significant physical issues — or mental ones such as anxiety or depression — that should drive your decision. Beyond that...

On one hand, your applications are in and your participation in basketball, and team captaincy, are being noted on your WCS. On the other hand, should those topics come up in your BGO and nomination interviews, you’ll need to talk about why you quit (if that’s what you end up doing). Saying you had trouble with time management is not a positive signal, specifically for the BGO. As you already noted, USNA favors candidates who overload themselves and succeed.

Now, say you’re able to overcome all this and receive offer of appointment. You’ll still need to achieve acceptable grades, because you’ll submit your final transcripts and USNA can revoke an offer if things are not up to snuff. So if you do quit basketball, the benefit to academics had better be evident.

I do wish you the best. But I also must disabuse you of the notion that you’ll somehow figure things out once at USNA. Your courses will be far harder than AP. You’ll have mandatory athletics and military obligations. Plebes who excelled amid tough schedules in high school find themselves underwater. In other words, they tend to go backwards. So my final advice is this: Somehow find a way to make things work NOW. Find a way to fulfill all your responsibilities. Because if you can’t do it now, quite honestly, chances are you won’t be able to do it at USNA. Again, best wishes.
 
MidCakePa said:
This is a tough dilemma. Your health and well-being obviously come first. If you’re having significant physical issues — or mental ones such as anxiety or depression — that should drive your decision. Beyond that...

On one hand, your applications are in and your participation in basketball, and team captaincy, are being noted on your WCS. On the other hand, should those topics come up in your BGO and nomination interviews, you’ll need to talk about why you quit (if that’s what you end up doing). Saying you had trouble with time management is not a positive signal, specifically for the BGO. As you already noted, USNA favors candidates who overload themselves and succeed.

Now, say you’re able to overcome all this and receive offer of appointment. You’ll still need to achieve acceptable grades, because you’ll submit your final transcripts and USNA can revoke an offer if things are not up to snuff. So if you do quit basketball, the benefit to academics had better be evident.

I do wish you the best. But I also must disabuse you of the notion that you’ll somehow figure things out once at USNA. Your courses will be far harder than AP. You’ll have mandatory athletics and military obligations. Plebes who excelled amid tough schedules in high school find themselves underwater. In other words, they tend to go backwards. So my final advice is this: Somehow find a way to make things work NOW. Find a way to fulfill all your responsibilities. Because if you can’t do it now, quite honestly, chances are you won’t be able to do it at USNA. Again, best wishes.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the words of advice. It really made me think about my decision and definitely motivated me to get back in check. I am working every day to manage my life better, and I will not quit basketball I’ve decided. Thank you again for the stern push.
 
@madfad, thank you for the update. Glad you decided to push on. I think you’ll find, with smart focus and prioritization, that you’re capable of more than you’d thought. Best wishes.
 
+1 to MidCakePa.

I had to look up "disabuse". Never heard that word before. Never read it, anywhere.
I have been known to do the London Daily Times crossword for fun, too. ;)
 
THParent said:
+1 to MidCakePa.

I had to look up "disabuse". Never heard that word before. Never read it, anywhere.
I have been known to do the London Daily Times crossword for fun, too. ;)
Click to expand...

I have usually seen it in literature, as in “he was quickly disabused of that notion.” Not one of those you run into in everyday speech...
 
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