Sports at the Academy

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redstrike

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I am in the incoming class of 2021 and not a recruited athlete. Up to this point, all I understand about the sports requirement is that every cadet "must participate in a sport." I wanted to know if any current/former cadets (or anyone that would know this information) could clarify this point for me. What qualifies as your required sport? I know there are many intramurals, but does for example, playing intramural ultimate frisbee cover the requirement?

Disclaimer: Just to clarify, I am not asking this to just be able to cover the minimum requirement. I enjoy competitive sports and have been a multi-sport athlete throughout high school just like most other cadets. I just want to know what my options are because I do not think I am good enough to be on a competitive D1 team.
 
Yes. If you aren't on a IC sports team, then you'll be involved in intramural sports. The sports change up so you'll be involved in many different ones. You'll also do boxing and other activities. Bottom line, it won't be up to you to just find and decide on an activity to participate in. You'll be involved in many different athletic activities.
 
You will do intramurals during BCT. Pick a sport and compete against other squads. There will be sports as referenced above for classes like boxing. As I understand it, there are three levels of sports at USAFA - IC, club and intramurals. The IC competes in Division 1 just like other major universities while many club sports travel the country to compete against other college teams. There are also clubs that aren't sports that you can join instead of intramurals like the Honor Guard or Sabre teams, but make no mistake about it they still work out daily.
 
Let's say you were to do the absolute minimum (I understand that's not what you're going for) you would be required to choose an intramural sport each semester with each season being 3-4 weeks long. Then you would have to have a PE class each semester, some of which you get to pick (softball, yoga, rock climbing, etc) and some of which are mandatory (boxing, swimming, combatives).

Beyond that, there are a lot of competitive clubs that you should definitely check out; having a team to go to during your first year can be a huge outlet. Depending on the club and your position within the club (how good you are) your intramural requirement might be waived.
 
Try out for an IC team that takes walk-ons! Fencing has a few each year, and tho they have limited experience and don't usually travel, it's (mostly) fun! I had a kid on the Nordic Ski team (club level I think), and also a now-daughter-in-law, and they loved that!
 
redstrike said:
I know there are many intramurals, but does for example, playing intramural ultimate frisbee cover the requirement?
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As mentioned above there are many competitive sports that aren't necessarily D-1. You mentioned Ultimate Frisbee, I read on another site that USAFA's Ultimate Frisbee Team competed at a National Event. So there are many competitive sports that you can participate in. They even have a rodeo club......Lots of things to do.
 
Christcorp said:
Yes. If you aren't on a IC sports team, then you'll be involved in intramural sports. The sports change up so you'll be involved in many different ones. You'll also do boxing and other activities. Bottom line, it won't be up to you to just find and decide on an activity to participate in. You'll be involved in many different athletic activities.
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As freshmen, do we get to decide what intramurals we are in? Or is it more or less decided for us?
 
I can't answer specifically for USAFA, but my son is now a Yuk at West Point, and I believe it is the same. There are NCAA sports, competitive club sports, and company sports. The NCAA sports, and most of the competitive club sports (like boxing, crew, soccer, etc) have competitive tryouts, intense daily practices, and exempt the cadets on the team from some other responsibilities, like drill. The company sports change each semester, and the officers in each company decided who will be on each of the many teams. If you are a great basketball player, but only a Plebe, you might not be on the hoops team for your company, and may get stuck doing grappling instead. Just the way it goes. It depends on how your company makes its teams.

If you decided to try out for an NCAA team, or competitive club team, and don't make it, you will just be assigned to some company sport, because you will have missed out on the chance to try to make your company sport of choice, as that all happens at the same time.

My sons Roommate is on WP's competitive ultimate Frisbee team, and I know they lost to USAFA, so I know USAFA has a team. At WP I believe ultimate Frisbee is also a company sport, but not certain.

The NCAA teams can be had to make. Lots of outstanding athletes at the Academies, and many are recruited. Many of the recruited athletes don't even stay with their team. Some of the competitive club sports are harder than others to make. Many of the sports are the type that a lot of traditional HAS athletes have never seen. My son had never even been in a fight, but tried out for boxing. He got cut, but was asked to practice with the team and try out next year. He decided the second semester to try out for crew, which I am not sure he had ever even seen on TV. He made the novice team, and traveled around the country each weekend. It takes a toll on you academically though as it takes a ton of time. But he hopes to make the varsity in the fall.
 
DTX_21 said:
As freshmen, do we get to decide what intramurals we are in? Or is it more or less decided for us?
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Generally there is a preference list and you put in what you want. Typically you should get your first choice, but you might get a 2nd or 3rd choice if the team sizes are really lopsided with everyone's first choices.
 
Just finished up my first year, so here's my deal:

I'm not an IC by any means (not good enough for it, haha). So, I did intramurals. I did dodgeball late fall, and volleyball in the spring. I think there was a 3rd session of IMs, but honestly I can't remember. Anyways, there's plenty of sports to choose from (varies depending on session)- soccer, boxing, volleyball, dodgeball, softball, flag football, basketball, etc. You get to decide what team you want to be on (at least my squad did, pretty sure all squads let you) regardless if you're a doolie or firstie. It's a first come first serve once they send out an email, because there's a minimum & a cap on the # for each team. There's also the option of club teams, I played rugby for a bit but quit when i decided it just wasn't for me, so I stick to IMs. I also play tennis recreationally with people I've met. Club & IC sports are cool, but the only thing you have to realize is they take up a TON of time. If you're willing to go for that commitment, go for it! Just be good about time management. For instance, my roommate is a IC and during the her season (and even pre and post) she doesn't get back until 6 or 7 each night including eating dinner, and there's also weekends when she's gone because she's on the travel team. You'll get plenty of info about club/IC/etc post-basic when there's a "fair" with all the clubs at USAFA. Hope this helps!
 
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