Walk On Sports

MrMe

MrMe

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Joined
Dec 8, 2023
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61
I am a commit for USAFA class of 2028. One of the only reservations that I had with USAFA was that they did not have a rowing team (that was why Navy was #1).

Rowing was a year-round sport and we would train 20-35 hrs/wk, so I do not have much experience in other sports. So, right now I am looking at sports at USAFA that I could walk onto with little to no experience.

I am currently 6'1", 155lbs (planning to be 165lbs by I-day) with a 74-inch wingspan. Does anyone have input on walking on to boxing, fencing, rugby, or wrestling? Other sports suggestions are appreciated as well.
 
Lots of options for you with both club and intramurals so check out the USAFA website for all the teams and when you get there you will have plenty of people to talk to about sports. Page below has both IC, Club and Intramural links on it for you to look through.

www.usafa.edu

Athletics

With 29 intercollegiate sports and 10 intramurals, strength and sportsmanship are at the heart of United States Air Force Academy Athletics.
www.usafa.edu www.usafa.edu
 
Given your height and wingspan, fencing or rugby could be great fits, fencing for precision and wingspan advantage, and rugby for your build and endurance. Boxing and wrestling are solid too, but might require a bit more specific training.
 
I second for Rugby. My son walked on with no prior experience, as do most. What a fantastic and supportive sport. The Academy coaching leadership and upperclassmen are very welcoming and accommodating. Really a great atmosphere of camaraderie all around, even with your competitors. Haven't seen another sport quite like it. A wonderful group to quickly build life-long friendships.
 
*Warbird46* said:
I second for Rugby. My son walked on with no prior experience, as do most. What a fantastic and supportive sport. The Academy coaching leadership and upperclassmen are very welcoming and accommodating. Really a great atmosphere of camaraderie all around, even with your competitors. Haven't seen another sport quite like it. A wonderful group to quickly build life-long friendships.
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garytheprestige said:
Given your height and wingspan, fencing or rugby could be great fits, fencing for precision and wingspan advantage, and rugby for your build and endurance. Boxing and wrestling are solid too, but might require a bit more specific training.
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Question on Rugby: I would think that the weight would be a problem until I am at 170+lbs. I have watched several Navy 15s rugby games and have been under the impression that the majority of players are 5'10" and 190-200lbs. I take it that more weight would be in order?
 
You will take boxing your Doolie year for PE class. You will find out pretty quickly where you stand. Unlike Rugby, Boxing is based on weight, so you will compete against others your size. If you do well in PE you will get the coach's attention. If not you can try something else.
 
MrMe said:
Question on Rugby: I would think that the weight would be a problem until I am at 170+lbs. I have watched several Navy 15s rugby games and have been under the impression that the majority of players are 5'10" and 190-200lbs. I take it that more weight would be in order?
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You'll beef up, and lighter means quicker. Rugby is kind of like football, as there is a role for pretty much all sizes if you're athletic and tough.
 
As an old Australian rugby player from WAY back I can tell you that it has nothing to do with size. Some of the greatest to ever play either version of the game (yes, there are two different versions rugby union and rugby league) have been smaller but quick and great tacticians. The biggest difference to American football, apart from all the pads and pay, is that you are always on the field and play both sides of the ball so skill, endurance and awareness are crucial and you have to be able to go with the flow of the game. The social aspect of rugby is one of its greatest attractions as during the game it's all hard hits and then after the game the opposing teams gather together for social time and all is forgiven and laughed about.
 
All3Services said:
The social aspect of rugby is one of its greatest attractions as during the game it's all hard hits and then after the game the opposing teams gather together for social time and all is forgiven and laughed about.
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Reminds of a time WAY back playing Pushball. The competitiveness between Companies was brutal. But the stories, memories and beers after was great!
 
It was an eye opener for me at USNA to see how many of my classmates were varsity athletes - and, often multi-sport varsity athletes - in high school but only participated in intramural sports.

You will have a ton of options whether it’s varsity, club, or simply intramural sports.
 
Just observing your reach for boxing especially at middleweight would be a huge plus! Nasty jab with 74" reach! The only sport that would be an extreme long shot would be wrestling in my opinion. USAFA has a pretty good D1 wrestling team and it takes years of extremely hard work to be average at it! But I agree with above-Rugby if you are tough with alot of grit!
 
PhilaMan23 said:
Anyone know how competitive d1/club baseball is?
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I recently talked to a cadet who just graduated from USAFA this past year; a varsity high-school baseball player in Louisiana and from what I could tell, pretty good. He told me he tried walking on but didn't make the team. It's probably pretty competitive. If i remember correctly he played on their club team though.
 
Do you have an extensive water polo background and/or are you a division 1 level swimmer?

If not, your chances of walking on to a water polo team at any competitive D1 university are slim to none.
 
MrMe said:
I am a commit for USAFA class of 2028. One of the only reservations that I had with USAFA was that they did not have a rowing team (that was why Navy was #1).

Rowing was a year-round sport and we would train 20-35 hrs/wk, so I do not have much experience in other sports. So, right now I am looking at sports at USAFA that I could walk onto with little to no experience.

I am currently 6'1", 155lbs (planning to be 165lbs by I-day) with a 74-inch wingspan. Does anyone have input on walking on to boxing, fencing, rugby, or wrestling? Other sports suggestions are appreciated as well.
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With that wingspan, I would consider soaring.
 
I don't think anyone else has said this yet, the boxing team does not recruit anyone. All of its members are walk-ons, and the team holds try outs every year. Some people are also encouraged to try out after taking the boxing class.
 
All3Services said:
As an old Australian rugby player from WAY back I can tell you that it has nothing to do with size. Some of the greatest to ever play either version of the game (yes, there are two different versions rugby union and rugby league) have been smaller but quick and great tacticians. The biggest difference to American football, apart from all the pads and pay, is that you are always on the field and play both sides of the ball so skill, endurance and awareness are crucial and you have to be able to go with the flow of the game. The social aspect of rugby is one of its greatest attractions as during the game it's all hard hits and then after the game the opposing teams gather together for social time and all is forgiven and laughed about.
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I concur there is a position for all shapes sizes….
 
Does anyone know the walk-on situation for the wrestling team? I'd say I'm pretty good at wrestling, but I'm not good enough to get recruited, unfortunately.
 
It would be better to start a new thread rather than asking a random unrelated question on an existing thread. This also avoids confusion on what specific topic individuals are responding to.

For the OP, I am not sure the main deciding fact on which SA to attend should revolve around the availability of a specific sport. The focus of those deciding to attend an SA should be related to wanting a career in the military and the specific service selection options available. No one goes to an SA to become a pro athlete and even if recruited since no one pays any tuition/room/board, you can decide to drop your sport without any negative consequences. LOTS of older threads about the whole sports/recruiting topic.

Many WANT to play a D1 sport at an SA and then find out the demands on their time are too great to play a sport, keep up their academics as well as the various other military obligations. Somewhere in the order of 90% of those attending an SA played a varsity sport in high school, so the level of competition is very high. If you are basically going to be a benchwarmer, then perhaps you will decide your time is better spent elsewhere.
 
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