Sports, and your academy application

How important is it for my DS to be a varsity team captain in his sports of choice? He has/will have participated in a total of all 4 yrs football (2 as jv...during part of which he WAS a defensive team captain) with 2 yrs varsity (with letter) and this past year receiving All-District Scholar (they were bi-district champs and he maintained a 4.0 throughout). He has also participated 4 yrs in track (2 yrs jv, 2 yrs varsity, lettering) and part of 1 year in cross country (the boy's team ended up being axed for lack of participation...only my son and one other boy wanted to participate). We live in a very small rural community and, with only one year of hs to go, it is possible that he will not be allowed to assume a team captain spot. We won't know until next year, but we do know that the coaches do have their "favorites." That doesn't mean that my son hasn't played his heart out or failed to give 100%, or even that the coaches don't see him as an important contributor...just that he wasn't selected as a captain. If that happens (not being chosen as a captain), how much weight does being in a leadership role in sports play? Obviously, not everyone on the team can be a captain.

Are there any other ways my son could demonstrate to the coaches and the team (and, ultimately, his ALO) that he is capable of demonstrating leadership qualities in his sports endeavors?
 
Being the "Captain" of a team; e.g. football, baseball, basketball, etc. is definitely a good thing. The academy and everyone else knows however that everyone can't be the captain. On my son's football team, his senior year of high school, there were only about 15 seniors on the team. (We have a small town/school). But even with 15, it's hard to have everyone as a captain. Even if you had 2 for offense, 2 for defense, and 2 for special teams, that still leaves 9 who aren't/weren't captains.

But if by chance, your son was the captain on the JV team, I'd make mention of that. Or maybe your son lead/was in charge of certain portions of practice. E.g. Lead the receivers in drills. There are a lot of places on a sports team where leadership can be exercised and demonstrated. Not just being the captain of the team. Just think outside the box a little. But the most important thing is that he's been involved in the sport for a number of years. It shows his commitment, determination, sense of team work, etc. Those and all the other attributes I posted in the initial post, is what's important to the academy. Being the captain is just an additional accolade. Sort of like being in the top 5% of your class academically and being the valedictorian, Only one student can be that. If you aren't, that's not a bad thing.

Best of luck. Mike.
 
Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the response. We will consider all of the above and do as suggested. The fact that he was asked yesterday to participate in a 7 on 7 "for fun" tournament that is hosted in our region each summer does tell me that his coach and teammates value his contribution to the team. He got about 5 texts yesterday asking, "Is our kick-*** safety coming??" LOL (I would not advise to anyone listing "I was a kick-*** safety" on a SA app, LOL).
 
I am homeschooled and live in the country, and the closest town to me has a population of 700. Needless to say, not much opportunities for sports. I did join a 4H archery club, and I'm eyeing president of said club next year. It is somewhat team oriented. We practice as a team, help each other out, and even though we compete for ourselves, it is considered a win for the club if someone wins a competition (I have won 1st, 3rd, and 4th in the 3 competitions I have competed in.) The competitions are part of 4H, and clubs come from out of state to compete. Practices are weekly, and it is spent mostly shooting arrows and helping others. I have recorded all of this in a record book for 4H, which I have won 1st in county, district, and I will know if I win state on Monday.

Would this count as a sport in the sense you are talking about?
 
I am not sure archery would count as a sport, though your leadership in such a club is valuable.
 
If you look at my opening post, you will see a major list of attributes given to colleges and universities by the NCAA as to why they consider sports so important for the individual and growth. I won't restate it now, but it's more than just physical fitness. Leadership, team work, discipline, maturing, time management, following orders, etc. read it.

As such, if you have an activity, that you consider to be a sport, or similar, because you can show how all of those attributes listed in the first post applies to your activity, then by all means list it, tell your alo, explain it, justify it, etc. basically you need to SELL IT to the academy. Sports just happens to be an activity that can easily demonstrate and measure those attributes.

Don't confuse what I say with an activity that has some of those attributes. Almost every activity on the planet, including work, church, hiking, etc. demonstrates some of those activities. But sports, depending on your level within the sport, demonstrates all of the ones listed. If you're looking to substitute sports, then you need to be able to show 90-100% of those attributes are covered. And explain how. Best of luck.
 
Hello,
I have a question for everyone in regard to sports on my application.
I ran track last year, but because of issues at home I wasn't able to do it this year. I ran track in a sanctioned club. I Plan to do it again next year. I also plan to play golf at my school. Extra: I was on the PT Team for JROTC as well.
Does this sound like enough sports? I am also very involved throughout the school. I am in 14 Organizations. I will be a senior next year.
 
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As long as you're doing at least one sport, especially a team sport, each year you should be OK. Keep in mind though that it is a competition. Thats doesn't mean you have to be someone out on sports, but that you need to beat someone out on your whole person score. Be well rounded. Show leadership. Get good graders and high ACT/SAT scores. Quality is more important than quantity.
 
Remember from the beginning post in this thread. "Sports" isn't so much about the physical activity as it is about the teamwork and leadership involvement. As well as all the other attributes mentioned in the opening post. So as long as you can show in your application the team and leadership involvement, it doesn't matter on the quantity. Of course, showing the same sport for numerous years looks a lot better than a different sport each year. You can't really get leadership positions and experience in something if it's only your first year. I.e. 4 years of high school track is better than 4 separate sports with 1 year each.

Also remember. With over 12,000 initial applicants, there's very little that you'll go through, good and bad, that others haven't gone through also. So make sure on your application and with your ALO, that you emphasize what makes you unique. Why should you be the person receiving an appointment instead of someone else. This isn't a traditional school, where if basically you have the money, they'll let you in. It's more like a job interview where there's only so many positions. And you have to sell yourself to being the best one for the job.

And while I'm not asking you to explain you "issues at home" as to why you couldn't continue with track; make sure you're able to justify that decision when you've apparently had time to be involved with 14 organizations. Again, I'm NOT ASKING you to explain it here. Matter of fact, I'd prefer you didn't. Simply stating, that when the ALO and your application shows you had time for 14 organizations, someone will probably ask why you didn't concentrate on a few less things and build up the leadership and teamwork in that. EXAMPLE: It's better to be involved in 2 high school level sports and be the captain of one; and be involved in 2-3 extra curricular activities like class officer, president of a club, etc. than to be involved in 10-14 organizations and not be in charge of any of them or have any leadership experience.

But as an approaching senior, there's not much you can do with your resume. And being I'm not you or your ALO, I can't really tell how strong a resume it is. I'm simply stating that your ALO and the academy asks the question "WHY" about 100 times for each candidate. Many times to themselves. WHY didn't they do this.? WHY did they have the time for this, but not for that? WHY did they quit this and take this up? Why did they spread themselves so thin? Why didn't they do more? The list goes on. I'm not asking you to answer any of that here. Simply recommended that you keep all the WHY's in your head so you can explain it on your application and to your ALO.

Trust me, for every applicant that thinks their life/schedule/etc. is so busy, there's hundreds of other candidates doing more and with a busier schedule. You mentioned track last year. And you mention golf this coming year. And the club track; not sure if that's the same track last year or a 2nd year of track. Just be able to answer why so little, and basically little to no leadership in those sports; but how you had time to be involved in 14 organizations. Remember: the reason the academy wants to see sports is because of the teamwork and leadership involved; as well as the many other attributes listed in the first post in this thread. It's not the sports itself. They can tell if you're physically fit. So, if you don't have a lot of sports, you need to be able to show how you got all those attributes listed in the first post, some other way. Best of luck.
 
Thank you for your feedback.

Christcorp said:
Remember from the beginning post in this thread. "Sports" isn't so much about the physical activity as it is about the teamwork and leadership involvement. As well as all the other attributes mentioned in the opening post. So as long as you can show in your application the team and leadership involvement, it doesn't matter on the quantity. Of course, showing the same sport for numerous years looks a lot better than a different sport each year. You can't really get leadership positions and experience in something if it's only
your first year. I.e. 4 years of high school track is better than 4 separate sports with 1 year each.

Also remember. With over 12,000 initial applicants, there's very little that you'll go through, good and bad, that others haven't gone through also. So make sure on your application and with your ALO, that you emphasize what makes you unique. Why should you be the person receiving an appointment instead of someone else. This isn't a traditional school, where if basically you have the money, they'll let you in. It's more like a job interview where there's only so many positions. And you have to sell yourself to being the best one for the job.

And while I'm not asking you to explain you "issues at home" as to why you couldn't continue with track; make sure you're able to justify that decision when you've apparently had time to be involved with 14 organizations. Again, I'm NOT ASKING you to explain it here. Matter of fact, I'd prefer you didn't. Simply stating, that when the ALO and your application shows you had time for 14 organizations, someone will probably ask why you didn't concentrate on a few less things and build up the leadership and teamwork in that. EXAMPLE: It's better to be involved in 2 high school level sports and be the captain of one; and be involved in 2-3 extra curricular activities like class officer, president of a club, etc. than to be involved in 10-14 organizations and not be in charge of any of them or have any leadership experience.

But as an approaching senior, there's not much you can do with your resume. And being I'm not you or your ALO, I can't really tell how strong a resume it is. I'm simply stating that your ALO and the academy asks the question "WHY" about 100 times for each candidate. Many times to themselves. WHY didn't they do this.? WHY did they have the time for this, but not for that? WHY did they quit this and take this up? Why did they spread themselves so thin? Why didn't they do more? The list goes on. I'm not asking you to answer any of that here. Simply recommended that you keep all the WHY's in your head so you can explain it on your application and to your ALO.

Trust me, for every applicant that thinks their life/schedule/etc. is so busy, there's hundreds of other candidates doing more and with a busier schedule. You mentioned track last year. And you mention golf this coming year. And the club track; not sure if that's the same track last year or a 2nd year of track. Just be able to answer why so little, and basically little to no leadership in those sports; but how you had time to be involved in 14 organizations. Remember: the reason the academy wants to see sports is because of the teamwork and leadership involved; as well as the many other attributes listed in the first post in this thread. It's not the sports itself. They can tell if you're physically fit. So, if you don't have a lot of sports, you need to be able to show how you got all those attributes listed in the first post, some other way. Best of luck.
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Christcorp said:
This isn't in response to any particular thread of poster. I'm simply writing it in the hopes that any new people will find it when, or if they do a search on the topic.

It seems that in recent years, more and more applicants are asking questions about sports, or rather the lack of sports, in their application. Granted, this forum is a very small sample of air force academy applicants. Probably less than 1% of all applicants. E.g. 12,000 initial applicants; probably no more than 100 posters/lurkers for any given academy application year on this forum. For some reason however, there seems to be a lot of individuals, or their parents, who post questions concerning their lack of sports during their high school years.

Honestly, I don't really need to know or hear reasons why you didn't do some sports. Personally, I think sports are quite important to the development of young people. The academies and the NCAA feel the same way. Here is a list of attributes the NCAA has provided to universities nationally to demonstrate why sports is so important.

"What does athletics teach individuals:
Attention to detail , Awareness of diversity, Challenging yourself , Commitment, Communication, Competition , Confidence , Cooperation , Coordination , Decision making , Dedication, Determination , Diligence, Discipline, Endurance, Fitness, Flexibility, Focus, Following plans/directions, Give/take feedback and criticism, Goal-directed, Improvement, Integrity, Individual/group effort, Keeping records, Leadership, Learning from failure, Management, Multitasking, Organization, Overcome obstacles, Pain/fatigue management, Patience,Performance, Persistence, Positive attitude, Prioritizing, Problem solving,Punctuality, Pursuit of excellence, Respect, Responsibility, Scheduling, Self-directed, Self-esteem, Set goals, Strategies, Stress management, Supervision, Tactics (offense/defense), Teaching, Teamwork , Thinking on your feet, Time management, Training motivation, Work ethic."

So yes, sports does aid in fitness, but the main measurement for the academy is the CFA. Sports isn't so important on the resume/application because of fitness. It's mainly for all the other reasons listed above. And high school sports is one method that is easily measured and documented to show that you have been involved in sports. It shows the teamwork, leadership, dedication, and all the other attributes listed above.

2 very important things however.
1) It doesn't have to be "High School Varsity Sports". Some applicants don't have those opportunities. But if you can show city league sports, summer league sports, YMCA TEAM sports, competitive martial arts, or other sports that are "Team Oriented" and competitive, that will bode well for you. Saying that you run every day, or you go to the gym every day and work out, isn't enough. Remember, your fitness is measured with the CFA. Sports is for SO MUCH MORE!!!

2) Yes, you can argue that other activities have many of these same attributes. That may be true, but sports are something that can be easily measured. If you're going to try and compensate all of the above attributes in an activity other than in an organized team sport, then you better be able to illustrate how you attained those attributes in your essays, teacher's recommendations, etc.

Not saying that some people without any sports weren't able to get an appointment. Some have. But it is very difficult. Even as of last year's entering class of 2018, 82% had VARSITY LETTERS in 1 or more sports. The number is even higher when you look at team sport candidates who didn't get a varsity letter. The point is, sports are very important to the academy for all the reasons listed above. Your competition, the vast majority of them, have done sports. It is documented; thus the attributes that sports represent, have been validated. You will be at a major disadvantage in your application if you don't do sports. And not just one year so you can "Fill a Square" on your applications. (But even 1 year is better than NO YEARS). And, for what it's worth, most universities put a lot of stock in applicants with a sports background for the same exact reasons. So being involved in sports is important not just for applying to the academies, but also for other universities.

So, if you've read this post during your lurking or searching, then you now know why sports is so important. You will not gain anything by explaining to anyone on this forum why you COULDN'T do sports. We aren't the ones who will be reviewing your package. Nothing we say matters. Realize however, that if you didn't/don't do any sports in high school, you better do one heck of job describing all the attributes listed above some place in your application so the academy can feel confident that you've aquired the benefits of sports in another area. And just in case, you better also kick butt in your CFA test just to help your cause.

Again, this thread is not directed towards any individual poster or thread on this forum. I've simply noticed an increasing number of questions over the past few years about sports, why it's important, and individuals trying to explain why they haven't done any. Hopefully, potential candidates and lurkers will find this thread in their searches. Hopefully it will explain why sports is so important. Hopefully it will save them a lot of time so they aren't posting all the reasons why they haven't done any sports and what our opinions are. Best of luck. mike.
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In high school, I ran cross country and track, but only for a year. I did show choir, though, for two years. (Singing and dancing combined) Does show choir count?
 
Is it common for the coaches to contact you if you played sports? or at least contact your coaches?
 
I've been a lurker and very occasional contributor for 2 years. Reading in on Pima, Fencer, and CC telling each other what each other mean is like a little leaguer listening to Roberto Clemente, Rod Carew, and Frank Robinson discussing the most efficient way to get to second.
 
An interesting "off the track" - my applicant has been a competitive irish dancer since age 5. In his recommendation letter from his coach, he described the attributes that dance has helped develop - solo dancing (pressure, challenge, disappointment, hard work, committment, etc) as well as the challenges of dancing "teams" (16 kids of varying abilities and ages all expected to be in perfect sync for 4.5min of complex choreography at 115bpm; google "figure choreography irish dance" and you'll see; it's *no* joke...it may sound like it, but it's def not. He has regional, national and international/world titles under his belt and has done shows for upwards of 4,000 people along side regular super-stress competitions at the world level. I had a long discussion with the coach (b/c it's a different world) about the skills that ID has helped foster and strengthen and what I hoped he would highlight in his letter of recommendation. In the end I think even the coach was surprised at how much can be gained from a "non-varsity" sport. LOL. "I never considered it that way, I just teach it..." -- regardless of what you did or didn't do, know what character traits and benefits are considered valuable by your audience. While dance left little time for any sports in school, he had tons of clubs and ECs to add to it.
 
The thread that keeps on giving...
 
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2018 USAFA Curriculum Handbook page 28 lists Men’s Golf as JV and Varsity sports. Not listed under club. I don’t know if this changes much year to year
 
Christcorp said:
This isn't in response to any particular thread of poster. I'm simply writing it in the hopes that any new people will find it when, or if they do a search on the topic.

It seems that in recent years, more and more applicants are asking questions about sports, or rather the lack of sports, in their application. Granted, this forum is a very small sample of air force academy applicants. Probably less than 1% of all applicants. E.g. 12,000 initial applicants; probably no more than 100 posters/lurkers for any given academy application year on this forum. For some reason however, there seems to be a lot of individuals, or their parents, who post questions concerning their lack of sports during their high school years.

Honestly, I don't really need to know or hear reasons why you didn't do some sports. Personally, I think sports are quite important to the development of young people. The academies and the NCAA feel the same way. Here is a list of attributes the NCAA has provided to universities nationally to demonstrate why sports is so important.

"What does athletics teach individuals:
Attention to detail , Awareness of diversity, Challenging yourself , Commitment, Communication, Competition , Confidence , Cooperation , Coordination , Decision making , Dedication, Determination , Diligence, Discipline, Endurance, Fitness, Flexibility, Focus, Following plans/directions, Give/take feedback and criticism, Goal-directed, Improvement, Integrity, Individual/group effort, Keeping records, Leadership, Learning from failure, Management, Multitasking, Organization, Overcome obstacles, Pain/fatigue management, Patience,Performance, Persistence, Positive attitude, Prioritizing, Problem solving,Punctuality, Pursuit of excellence, Respect, Responsibility, Scheduling, Self-directed, Self-esteem, Set goals, Strategies, Stress management, Supervision, Tactics (offense/defense), Teaching, Teamwork , Thinking on your feet, Time management, Training motivation, Work ethic."

So yes, sports does aid in fitness, but the main measurement for the academy is the CFA. Sports isn't so important on the resume/application because of fitness. It's mainly for all the other reasons listed above. And high school sports is one method that is easily measured and documented to show that you have been involved in sports. It shows the teamwork, leadership, dedication, and all the other attributes listed above.

2 very important things however.
1) It doesn't have to be "High School Varsity Sports". Some applicants don't have those opportunities. But if you can show city league sports, summer league sports, YMCA TEAM sports, competitive martial arts, or other sports that are "Team Oriented" and competitive, that will bode well for you. Saying that you run every day, or you go to the gym every day and work out, isn't enough. Remember, your fitness is measured with the CFA. Sports is for SO MUCH MORE!!!

2) Yes, you can argue that other activities have many of these same attributes. That may be true, but sports are something that can be easily measured. If you're going to try and compensate all of the above attributes in an activity other than in an organized team sport, then you better be able to illustrate how you attained those attributes in your essays, teacher's recommendations, etc.

Not saying that some people without any sports weren't able to get an appointment. Some have. But it is very difficult. Even as of last year's entering class of 2018, 82% had VARSITY LETTERS in 1 or more sports. The number is even higher when you look at team sport candidates who didn't get a varsity letter. The point is, sports are very important to the academy for all the reasons listed above. Your competition, the vast majority of them, have done sports. It is documented; thus the attributes that sports represent, have been validated. You will be at a major disadvantage in your application if you don't do sports. And not just one year so you can "Fill a Square" on your applications. (But even 1 year is better than NO YEARS). And, for what it's worth, most universities put a lot of stock in applicants with a sports background for the same exact reasons. So being involved in sports is important not just for applying to the academies, but also for other universities.

So, if you've read this post during your lurking or searching, then you now know why sports is so important. You will not gain anything by explaining to anyone on this forum why you COULDN'T do sports. We aren't the ones who will be reviewing your package. Nothing we say matters. Realize however, that if you didn't/don't do any sports in high school, you better do one heck of job describing all the attributes listed above some place in your application so the academy can feel confident that you've aquired the benefits of sports in another area. And just in case, you better also kick butt in your CFA test just to help your cause.

Again, this thread is not directed towards any individual poster or thread on this forum. I've simply noticed an increasing number of questions over the past few years about sports, why it's important, and individuals trying to explain why they haven't done any. Hopefully, potential candidates and lurkers will find this thread in their searches. Hopefully it will explain why sports is so important. Hopefully it will save them a lot of time so they aren't posting all the reasons why they haven't done any sports and what our opinions are. Best of luck. mike.
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Well Done.. Love what you wrote.
 
I'm a little late to the game, and, admittedly, I have not read the responses: what about major involvement in Crossfit? 3 years ago my youngest was, well, chunky, then he got himself involved in Crossfit and he is a new man, even competing- so strong and healthy. I know because of this he will do great on his CFA, but since he's not been involved in organized sports, I hope this will still be good for his application.
 
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