Varsity Athletics

[wannabe2013]

1.What's so much different about applying as a varsity athlete instead of as a regular mid? Do you contact the varsity coach instead of your BGO?
2. How is life different for varsity athletes than regular mids? (I've heard they get looked over for f/c leadership positions)
3. Are they more likely to get their first career choice?
4. What would you suggest, varsity or intramural?
I'm thinking I want to go NSW, but I've heard most people who want NSW decide against that pretty quickly so I'm open to anything. But if you know enough details could you answer these questions from a NSW wannabe soccer player? If not that's cool too.

 

[USNA69]

One of my favorite studies is a NPG School study that shows varsity athletes at USNA doing substantially better career wise than non-athletes.

Work both ends. Do the normal application process with the CGO and BGO but also contact the coach.

Recruited athletes may either be "blue chip" if the coach so desires and the candidate will only have to meet minimum scholastic requirements to be offered an appointment. Very few appointment are offered in this manner. The second category, where the vast majority fall, can make it on their own, with a slight boost by the coach. And of course the coach will not want to "wear out his welcome" with the admissions board and will utilize this approach sparingly.

Good luck.

 

[xchefmike]

Helpful thoughts for recruited athletes.

Just some information that I can pass along from our experience. My son is a recruited "blue chip" athlete who at this point has his LOA and has had 1 interview with a MOC so far 2 scheduled.
This is what I have learned along the way.
A.) Get proactive in these ways.
1.) Contact the Coach of your sport/s ( we contacted fball and wrestling)
2.) GET YOUR GRADES AND SAT/ACT scores as high as possible. You need to be as good a student as an athlete.
3.) Get to the camps. we attended football camps for Navy and 6 other schools, This ended up with 4 hard offers, and 2 soft offers. You have to have a back up plan.
4.) Apply to NASS, this is a taste of what it is like, CVW has not happened for Son as of yet so I have no frame of reference. However that is reported to be the most realistic view of a Day in the Life.
5.)GET YOUR GRADES AND SAT/ACT scores as high as possible. retake those tests. Son was able to raise his score DRAMATICALLY by paying the extra $ for the answer sheet, analyzing weak areas and studying them. I know I duplicated #2 but cannot stress this enough. If you get in, You can't be like any other school and take what I call the "basket weaving" courses.
6.) BGO involvement will depend on which NCAA sports you are involved in and what are the contact rules are for that particular sport. There is a high likelyhood that your coach will be your only contact point. Son had a BGO interview scheduled which was cancelled by the admissions office for NCAA rules compliance.
7.) Read Smallwoods guide to the Naval Academy admissions process, you can get it at Amazon.com "The Naval Academy Candidate Handbook: How to Prepare, How to Get In, How to Survive Second Edition (Paperback)"
8.) email coaches with your sporting events and results. something tactful like "Dear coach, just a quick note to let you know that ourXXXX team won its match against XXXXX and i was able to doXXXXX. Thanks for your interest, Joe. email lists for all the coaches are at. http://navysports.cstv.com/staffdir/navy-staffdir.html

These are my thoughts for the day. I hope it helps, if anyone has some more info, or corrections please add them.

Also, USNA69, Zaphod and these guys on this forum are very well informed and listen to their advice. They will tell you the straight stuff.

Good Luck

 

[xchefmike]

Thoughts about the Sports Camps.

These are my thoughts about attending sports camps. This is a good way to get recognized at Navy or those other SA's
This is a chance to "Show em what you got"
I Stress "show" not talk.
The Coaches will be able to spot a real team player easily.
You will have a chance to do various drills and evolutions.
Be the first to line up for that drill.
Go 110% on every drill.
Lots of distractions are around and some kids will be talking and goofing around, dont be part of that crowd. Give the coaches your complete attention at all times. This is part of what is called "being coachable"
Ask good questions. If you dont understand, raise your hand and ask.
Work Your Butt off. Only .01% are the stars, the rest are kids that work harder and get better everyday. All things being equal, a coach will pick the kid that just gave a better effort.
Be organized and on time. Coaches will know if you have it all together.

My 2 cents.

 

[mom3boys]

1.What's so much different about applying as a varsity athlete instead of as a regular mid? Do you contact the varsity coach instead of your BGO?
2. How is life different for varsity athletes than regular mids? (I've heard they get looked over for f/c leadership positions)
3. Are they more likely to get their first career choice?
4. What would you suggest, varsity or intramural?
I'm thinking I want to go NSW, but I've heard most people who want NSW decide against that pretty quickly so I'm open to anything. But if you know enough details could you answer these questions from a NSW wannabe soccer player? If not that's cool too.

I'll agree with the previous posts, and relate my son's recent experiences. He's a recruited athlete by both USMA and USNA. USMA has been much more aggressive - actually brought him up a few weeks ago on a recruiting visit. Great times for him. While he's a really good guy ("A" student in AP, gifted and honors courses at 1 of lgst H.S.'s in the state, 1290 SAT, Eagle Scout, school leadership), I'm really not sure he'd have received an LOA from both schools (and an appointment from USMA) if he wasn't a recruited athlete (team captain for 2nd year, chance at top athlete in county in his sport this year - altho no other Div 1 schools are recruiting him).

In short - if you're confident that you can be at the top of your MOC's list (all 3 of our MOC's rank their 10 noms), you may not need the leg up to get in. If you're not sure, being a recruited athlete takes a lot of pressure off and dramatically enhances your chances of getting in (you don't have to be the top nom - get the LOA and be 1 of the 10). (Interestingly enough, we noticed, when the appointment from USMA came in the mail yesterday, that the cover letter was actually dated the first week of Oct, before the LOA, which was dated about a month later. I don't really know what that means - but can't help but think that it had something to do with the USMA coach who calls my son weekly - and even sent him a "Happy Thanksgiving" card this week!)

We're hoping for a nom from our congressman for USNA, and the subsequent appointment - would love for him to have that option, and to take him up to Annapolis next year to let him see what that experience is like!

Your relationship with your BGO is different as a recruited athlete. We contacted the BGO and asked for a meeting. Once the application was finished, he set it up and came by the house, without knowing that s is a recruited athlete. When he learned that, he continued the meeting, but stated that he would change the agenda of the meeting based on the information that s is a recruited athlete. He has continued to be helpful - weekly emails, contacts with USNA about s, and a few phone calls - but I know that he was limited in what he could do / say because of NCAA rules.

Dad - who just noticed that he's signed in under Mom's sign in!

 

[USNA69]

In short - if you're confident that you can be at the top of your MOC's list (all 3 of our MOC's rank their 10 noms), you may not need the leg up to get in. If you're not sure, being a recruited athlete takes a lot of pressure off and dramatically enhances your chances of getting in (you don't have to be the top nom - get the LOA and be 1 of the 10).

This can be a huge problem if inititated by the candidate and is not handled properly. Once a candidate contacts the coach, if that coach is interested, his record leaves the professional oversight of the CGO and becomes the responsibility of that particular athletic coach. Just by the nature of the fact that the candidate contacted him, he is not one of the coaches top choices. He will likely be one of the last that the coach looks at. Meanwhile he is not being managed by the CGO as he normally would had they been managing his record. This could cause the coach finally to decide that he doesn't want the candidate and either forget to tell CGO or it be too late for the CGO to work the candidate back into the normal rotation.

My advice would be to only use this sparingly, as a last resort, and only with concurrence and support from a knowledgeable BGO.

Your relationship with your BGO is different as a recruited athlete. We contacted the BGO and asked for a meeting. Once the application was finished, he set it up and came by the house, without knowing that s is a recruited athlete. When he learned that, he continued the meeting, but stated that he would change the agenda of the meeting based on the information that s is a recruited athlete. He has continued to be helpful - weekly emails, contacts with USNA about s, and a few phone calls - but I know that he was limited in what he could do / say because of NCAA rules.

Interesting. USNA only limits BGO contact and content of meetings with football and both men's and women's basketball. Also, on his candidate information system, which he is required to utilize and check weekly, it specifically states which candidates are being looked at by what coaches. He should have known.

 

[mom3boys]

This can be a huge problem if inititated by the candidate and is not handled properly. Once a candidate contacts the coach, if that coach is interested, his record leaves the professional oversight of the CGO and becomes the responsibility of that particular athletic coach. Just by the nature of the fact that the candidate contacted him, he is not one of the coaches top choices. He will likely be one of the last that the coach looks at. Meanwhile he is not being managed by the CGO as he normally would had they been managing his record. This could cause the coach finally to decide that he doesn't want the candidate and either forget to tell CGO or it be too late for the CGO to work the candidate back into the normal rotation.

Thanks, USNA, for clarifying what I was trying to say....(and I really need to get my own login!). We (son) worked "both" tracks to USNA. He filled out the interest questionnaire on the website, and was contacted by the coach within a few days. From the beginning, the coach has been extremely laid back, and doesn't appear to be treating son as "blue chip" athlete like USMA has. However, son things it's really more of a style thing - when the coach talked with son last week, coach said something like, "I don't really recruit here - you don't come to USNA to be a (springboard) diver, you come to USNA to be in the Navy....," and indicated that he wants to bring s up (don't know if he means on an official recruiting visit or not) in February. In the meantime, s has been actively pursuing nomination through regular channels. My only point was that I'm really not sure that s would be getting the LOA from USNA if he was not a recruited athlete. It may be coincidence, but LOA and coach's call came a week or so after BGO submitted contact report from his meeting with us (a meeting in which we pointedly said - "USMA is actively recruiting him - and we'd really like for him to have the option of USNA - if coach is interested, he needs to get off the dime and let s know!" Once s found out about senator's nom to USMA (which we frankly didn't expect), and that he had USNA LOA coming, we were able to get him on Congressman's list for USNA nom.)

My advice would be to only use this sparingly, as a last resort, and only with concurrence and support from a knowledgeable BGO.

I'm not sure what you mean, here. Again, I wasn't recommending that wannabe2013 only pursue an appointment through athletics - but be aware that the athletic track can garner him an appointment when he may not receive one if he's not a varsity athlete.

Interesting. USNA only limits BGO contact and content of meetings with football and both men's and women's basketball. Also, on his candidate information system, which he is required to utilize and check weekly, it specifically states which candidates are being looked at by what coaches. He should have known.

My impression of what happened is based on about 2 sentences from the BGO after he learned that s had been contacted by the coach at USNA - I could have misunderstood what he meant, or he may have been mistaken about needing to treat s differently given that he's not a football or basketball prospect. Given coach's apparent style, he may not have put candidates in yet (the contact was made by coach, and coach indicated that he was interested and wanted to bring s up after first of year in first phone call). I do believe that the BGO has been very helpful and supportive - and had something to do with the LOA being issued (speculation on my part, but the timing seems correlated, anyway...). S is having lunch with BGO next week to discuss various career tracks available through USNA. I don't think s thought he could get into USNA - since we found out about the LOA he's much more excited about what's going on.....

 

[Luigi59]

According to their own official athletic site, the USNA treats all Division 1 athletic recruiting the same way. The NCAA does it that way as well, they treat all potential Div 1 student-athlete the same regardless of sport.

Most of your recruiting answers can be found here:

Naval Academy Athletic Association: Compliance & Recruiting

 

[subskipper]

NAPS

A recruited athlete whose academic performance and/or test scores are on the weak side is more likely to be offered attendance at the Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, RI. There are other prep school options as well.

A decision to accept a NAPS offer is a big one for any candidate. The candidate must fight off the temptation to look at such an offer as a rejection and a wasted year.

But many students take five years to finish college these days. And you must remember that as long as you pass NAPS and otherwise stay eligible, you will go to Annapolis. You're in. NAPSters see little in plebe summer that they have not seen before. They have already had their shocking introduction to military life. And what do you call a USNA graduate who started at NAPS? Ensign.

The USNA wants to compete at the highest possible levels of college sports. NAPS is one of the tools the USNA uses to get real athletes into the Brigade. In fact, the Academy has been criticized in some quarters for overdoing it. Critics say that there is an over-emphasis on sports. But, of course, they still want to win the Army-Navy game. And yes, Army has prep school options.

So if your candidate is offered NAPS, make sure he/she gives it careful consideration. The bottom line, once again, is - make it through NAPS and you're in.

 

[USNA69]

According to their own official athletic site, the USNA treats all Division 1 athletic recruiting the same way. The NCAA does it that way as well, they treat all potential Div 1 student-athlete the same regardless of sport.

The Academy does not publish to the general public how BGOs are to treat recruited athletes. The website addresses only boosters and alumni, not BGOs. As members of the Admissions Department we do indeed have guideleines exactly as I have stated above.

 

[USNA69]

The USNA wants to compete at the highest possible levels of college sports. NAPS is one of the tools the USNA uses to get real athletes into the Brigade. In fact, the Academy has been criticized in some quarters for overdoing it. Critics say that there is an over-emphasis on sports. But, of course, they still want to win the Army-Navy game. And yes, Army has prep school options.

Unfortunately, the above is a misconception which has never had any fact at USNA but still is hard to live down. In order to comply with NCAA rules and regulations, the percentage of those attending NAPS and the foundation cannot exceed the percentage of varsity athletes in the Brigade as a whole, around 22%, I think, at this moment. USAFA got into trouble with this several years back which may be the source of this rumor.

Sending a highly recruited athlete to NAPS or the Foundation is a huge gamble. They can walk after NAPS with an extra year of competition and no obligation to the Navy. And many do. Check the conference which AFA is in. A few of those schools seem particulary adept at "recruiting" NAPSters. I just lost a baseball player this past year in this manner when he suddenly started dreaming of the majors.

 

[USNA69]

I'm not sure what you mean, here. Again, I wasn't recommending that wannabe2013 only pursue an appointment through athletics - but be aware that the athletic track can garner him an appointment when he may not receive one if he's not a varsity athlete.

I probably was not specific enough. For neither the great athlete nor the 1400+ Eagle Scout Student Council President First in His Class LOA candidate is admissions a problem. It is at the other end of the spectrum which I am specifically addressing. The barely marginal candidate who thinks that a coaches good word might get him an appointment. I know for a fact, and admissions will probably never admit it, that a few of these candidate's packages have been lost in the final shuffle when the coach decided he did not want or need him. If a candidate does this, he should be calling the coach weekly to find out his status and contacting the CGO when his package moves back into their purview. Or have the BGO do it.

 

[subskipper]

Unfortunately, the above is a misconception which has never had any fact at USNA but still is hard to live down. In order to comply with NCAA rules and regulations, the percentage of those attending NAPS and the foundation cannot exceed the percentage of varsity athletes in the Brigade as a whole, around 22%, I think, at this moment. USAFA got into trouble with this several years back which may be the source of this rumor.

Sending a highly recruited athlete to NAPS or the Foundation is a huge gamble. They can walk after NAPS with an extra year of competition and no obligation to the Navy. And many do. Check the conference which AFA is in. A few of those schools seem particulary adept at "recruiting" NAPSters. I just lost a baseball player this past year in this manner when he suddenly started dreaming of the majors.

Your statistics don't contradict my assertion. In fact they are supportive.

 

[USNA69]

In fact, the Academy has been criticized in some quarters for overdoing it. Critics say that there is an over-emphasis on sports. But, of course, they still want to win the Army-Navy game. And yes, Army has prep school options.................Your statistics don't contradict my assertion. In fact they are supportive.

Sorry, I thought your comments were endorsing the perceived combination of overdoing and overemphasis. These were the points that I was asserting that were not true. The fact that the percentages of athletes at NAPS reflects exactly the Brigade prevents this from being a valid perception.

Heartedly concure with the value of NAPS to everyone, not just athletes.

 

[xchefmike]

Leadership as a varsity athlete.

2. How is life different for varsity athletes than regular mids? (I've heard they get looked over for f/c leadership positions)
.

This May put that rumor to rest...

ANNAPOLIS, MD-Zerbin Singleton (Sr./Decatur, Ga.) has been selected Brigade Commander for the second semester, Naval Academy Commandant Margaret Klein, USN, announced this afternoon. In his role as Brigade Commander, Singleton will be responsible for guiding and directing the daily activities of the Brigade of Midshipmen and act as the liaison between the Brigade and the senior leadership at the Academy.

Singleton is a two-year starter on the football team at slot back and carries a 3.14 grade point average in Aerospace Engineering. He service selected Marine Corps pilot and one day hopes to be an astronaut.

Singleton enters Saturday's Army-Navy game playing the best football of his career, rushing for 204 yards and six touchdowns on just 19 carries in the last two games. He is part of a senior class that is just two wins shy of tying the Class of 1909 for the most wins in school history. A victory over Army on Saturday would give the Mids a fifth-straight Commander-In-Chief's Trophy.

This week will certainly be one to remember for Singleton as he was named this year's recipient of Disney's Wide World of Sports Spirit Award on Tuesday, which is given each year to college football's most inspirational figure. Disney's Director of Sports & Recreation Planning and New Event Development Kellen Winslow, an NFL Hall of Famer, will present the award to Singleton during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards at the Atlantic Dance Hall at Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday, Dec. 6. The 17th annual awards show is scheduled for 7:30-9:30 p.m. ET and will be televised live on ESPN.

Singleton overcame several obstacles growing up, including leaving Alaska after his mother's incarceration following a parole violation. He met his father for the first time as a senior in high school and was forced to cope with his father's suicide a year later.

At age 11, Singleton found stability in Decatur, Ga., where he lived with his cousins and quickly developed a natural aptitude for school and athletics. A three-year football letterman at Columbia High School, he was also elected Senior Class President, along with President of CHS's National Honor Society.

Initially accepted into the Naval Academy and the Air Force Academy, Singleton chose the Navy because of the challenge of flying a jet to and from an aircraft carrier. However, Singleton's dreams of aviation were derailed after a drunk driver struck his car one week before graduating from high school as class valedictorian. As a result of a broken collarbone suffered in the accident, he couldn't participate in Navy's plebe summer and was subsequently denied admittance to the academy.

Undeterred by his physical limitations as a result of the car accident, Singleton never gave up and instead enrolled his freshman year at Georgia Tech University. Once healthy enough to complete the physical requirements set forth by the Naval Academy in 2004, he transferred to the academy in Annapolis, Md.

Two other football players will be in leadership positions next semester. Jonathan Alvarado (Sr./Baton Rouge, La.) will be the Eighth Company Commander, while Chris Kuhar-Pitters (Sr./Spokane, Wash.) will be the 16th Company Commander.

Alvarado has seen action in every game this year at linebacker and on special teams, while Kuhar-Pitters has started at defensive end for 10 games. Kuhar-Pitters is best known for his 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown against Notre Dame. He recorded seven tackles and a key sack in the fourth quarter to go along with his fumble recovery against the Irish and was named the Mater Coaches Defensive Player of the Week.

This guy is the real deal and really nice as well. A true story of not giving up

 

[subskipper]

Singleton is a fine player. Didn't know anything about him personally, but it appears that he has faced many challenges and come through very well.

 

[AcademyHopeful014]

How do you get the academies interested in "recruiting" you for your certain sport. I swim & dive varsity for my school since my freshman year, and I would LOVE to swim for USNA. Although I am not the best on my team (3 of the girls are junior olympians) I am a pretty decent swimmer and plan to advance to regionals this year. I also play tennis, but USNA has no female tennis team, which is a shame.

Can anyone help and let me know what I should to to get some attention brought upon my self?

I also have a BOG but have not spoke with him about athletics.

 

[kp2001]

How do you get the academies interested in "recruiting" you for your certain sport. I swim & dive varsity for my school since my freshman year, and I would LOVE to swim for USNA. Although I am not the best on my team (3 of the girls are junior olympians) I am a pretty decent swimmer and plan to advance to regionals this year. I also play tennis, but USNA has no female tennis team, which is a shame.

Can anyone help and let me know what I should to to get some attention brought upon my self?

I also have a BOG but have not spoke with him about athletics.

The easiest way for these type of sports is to contact the coach directly. With swim you have pretty easy methods of telling how good you are or are not by looking at your times. If your times look decent they will likely take a closer look at you. I know for soccer they usually liked to see video tape of you playing so they may want the same for swimmers. Not sure though. Best idea is to just call the coach of your sport.

 

[time2]

The Academies do have various sports camps you can attend during the summer. Check their website to see which sport(s) that are available would most interest you. When you are there you can talk to various coaches and other mids about the sports opportunities. I know 2 people who did that last year and they are both going to be part of the class of 2012, even though neither was a "recruited" athlete. These sports camps also give you a bit of a look into the actual workings of the academy which is never a bad thing when making that kind of decision.

With regard to the whole question of what coaches can/cannot do with regard to recruiting seems to come up a lot on these forums. My opinion is they have done this with hundreds of athletes and they know the rules and how they need to be applied. You don't need to be an expert in NCAA recruiting rules, that is the coaches job. You should focus on doing the best you can the balance of your time in h.s., whether that be sports or academics.

 

[USNAp]

visits-start early

you can do an informal visit. Between soph and jr year we visited the USNA as tourists. We contacted the coach of a sport my son is very good at and had an informal visit at the same time. It was great. It spiked my son's interest in the USNA. He is now going into his senior year and is being recruited. He got into NASS this year, I think based on the coach's recommendation. He really took to that. We are not a military family so we have a lot to learn.

But I've learned this, start early for any military academy application especially in one of the select sports like swimming, rifle, crew ect. Good luck