US Air Force Academy

It's tough all around, but that's the nature of the Academy (academies in general).

I know quite a few AFA graduates, they're all pretty good people to know. I think very highly of the school and staff in general.

Good Cross Country Coach, lousy Track and Field coach.

First you need to decide if you really want to be at a military academy. You will get a first rate, free college education and have a job that pays aprox $40,000 yr. the day you graduate. The big question is do you really want to be a military officer and are you prepared for that lifestyle. Do you mind moving every couple years, are you prepared for deployment and do you mind long separations.

Also think carefully about your major and what you would like to do when you get out. Talk to people in that MOS and see what it is like. Something that seems really cool might not be so cool once you are in the real military world. What is the schedule like, what types of shifts can you expect.

After that you can consider the running aspect of it. I think Coach Hayes is going to do a great job with the program and understands the unique challenges of coaching at an academy. The running around the academy is great. Know that you will probably be doing military activities during the summer and will not be able to get in the type of summer training you might like to. At the same time the academies have had success in producing All-Americans so it can be done.

An academy is a very different and challenging college experience but in my mind well worth it.

I'm a USAFA grad, class of 1970. See if there is a chapter of the USAFA Association of Graduates in your area. Call them and ask to meet some grads and talk to them. The military academies are tough. There's three aspects to the program: academics, athletics, and military. You have to participate in all of them. Study time is limited, so you really have to learn how to manage your time.

There's no sleeping in until 9am like you can do in some universities. You can't even sleep in on Saturdays. You will be busy beyond belief. You'll get to do things that your peers can only dream about and you definitely will be forced out of your comfort zone.

Anyway, find some grads through the Association of Graduates and talk with them. Some cadets should be around since it's summer, so you might even get to talk to someone who is attending right now.

You do realize how competitive USAFA is? You do not really decide if you will attend or not; they decide if they want you.

If you get in and you're ready for a challenge, go for it--only about 1 in 10 applicants are accepted. But don't go just for the running, there's too much demanded of you every day to be able to put running #1 every day. Each USAFA graduate is a military officer first, so think about your career goals, not just your athletic goals. But the track/XC program there is an outstanding D1 program...lots of great meets, good traveling schedule, a strong conference, great new facilities, and a chance to run every day at 7,000+ feet for 4 years, on a full-ride scholarship with a guaranteed job.

On the other hand, there are 2 Air Force World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) athletes and USAFA grads competing in the Olympic Trials this weekend--Paul Gensic (Men's Pole Vault), and Dana Pounds (Women's Javelin), so the opportunity to compete professionally as an officer is there as well.

Bottom line: it's not just a typical college...you'll get much more out of it in end than just fast times. And get ready to work your ass off.

My son went there as a student first then a track athlete. He was a OK PV'r (14'6 in hs, state runner-up) and a good runner. Keep in mind this: It is a GREAT SCHOOL and a GREAT PLACE to be FROM. However it is a tough place to be at. About the comment above about the track coach, regardless of what he says, he is a GREAT guy and a great academy person that has life in perspective. If you want to and and have shown the ability to be an immediate olympian, probably not the place to go. However, speaking for my son (and daughter-in-law who was also on the TF team), it was an experience that totally changed them for life. As my son said when he came back during a break after going to a party with former HS friends "What are these people I graduated with doing?".

The Moral: You will get better as a person, you will get better as an athlete (and can make the Olympic team-see Dana Pounds), and you will find your calling one way or the other. Either way, you will be a better person.

Yes, it is competitive, but if you are a good athlete with exceptional grades getting in won't be too difficult.

*Warning*: the Air Force Academy (and military academies and the military in general) is not for everyone. Really make sure you want to be there by visiting (with eyes wide open), doing research, talking to current and former cadets, etc. Every student there has a full ride but it most definitely isn't a "free ride". You will work your ass off and probably hate most days you spend there. You will be required to serve 4-5 years in the Air Force (pay is low) upon graduation (and even longer if you opt for pilot training). That is a serious commitment, so make sure you will actually enjoy being in the Air Force. NOT EVERYONE GETS TO BE A FIGHTER PILOT!! There are certainly no guarantees! You could end up with a desk job (they call it the "Chair Force" for a reason) on a base in the middle of nowhere. Don't go if you are doing it only for the flying (or the running, for that matter). Only do it if you want to be a military officer--TRUST ME! While USAFA people don't see combat usually, you COULD be sent to a war zone. You might later on be called upon to drop a bomb on a town in the Middle East. If this doesn't sit well with your conscience (or you have even the slightest reservations about stuff like this), don't go. If you are liberal in any way, don't go. We are talking about the U.S. military here. You need to be gung-ho and eager to get your ass kicked on a daily basis!

That said, if you are positive the USAFA is a place for you get ready for a good education, guaranteed job, and the chance to do things that no civilian has access to, go for it. I wouldn't necessarily agree that going will make you a "better person" as the previous poster implied. It might, but I know people who have gone to the Academies that are total douche bags who think they are better than everyone else because they went to a military academy. Some of them even seem brainwashed by their superiors. Good luck with your decision.

fisky wrote:

I'm a USAFA grad, class of 1970.

Fisky, did you know John Jones at the AFA. He was probably class of '72, and one of the top runners on the XC team (along with Mike Ryan). Later ran a 27:48 six-miler at Drake (at that time one of the top 10 times for the distance).

Don B. wrote:

Fisky, did you know John Jones at the AFA. He was probably class of '72, and one of the top runners on the XC team (along with Mike Ryan). Later ran a 27:48 six-miler at Drake (at that time one of the top 10 times for the distance).

I graduated from USAFA in '74 and ran with (more like far behind) John Jones. I think he was an All America in cross country in '71. Also know as J Dubb, he was a good runner and a great guy.

Fleet Footed Falcon wrote:

Don B. wrote:

Fisky, did you know John Jones at the AFA. He was probably class of '72, and one of the top runners on the XC team (along with Mike Ryan). Later ran a 27:48 six-miler at Drake (at that time one of the top 10 times for the distance).

I graduated from USAFA in '74 and ran with (more like far behind) John Jones. I think he was an All America in cross country in '71. Also know as J Dubb, he was a good runner and a great guy.

We lived on the same street in Santa Barbara (actually Goleta) and we would work out together on Saturdays. Smart guy, he was getting a grad degree at UCSB. Sadly, he died about five years ago of a massive heart attack.

Is it necessary to be a christian to do well at the AFA?

only really good runner I can think of from AFA- Alonzo Babers- OLYMPIC 400 CHAMP -

If you really want the full military experience, the full service academy experience, or to be part of a stronger track and field/xc legacy you should really think more about Navy and Army. the air force is hardly even a branch of the military, their academy is more of a college (fyi: Navy has as better Aerospace program, please explain to me why the AIR force doesn't have the best Aerospace program?), and Army-Navy track/XC is perhaps the fiercest rivalry in all of track and field. All together, I would say that Army and Navy grads feel much more accomplished about the challenge that their respective schools dished out to them in their four years at school.

Whether not to attend? are you kidding?? Did you get an appointment? Did you get in?? This is the friggin USAF Academy!!! Not just anybody gets in.

If you are accepted and appointed, then I would definetly go. It's altitude training. Free tuition. It's a privlege.

Chairforce wrote:

If you really want the full military experience, the full service academy experience, or to be part of a stronger track and field/xc legacy you should really think more about Navy and Army. the air force is hardly even a branch of the military, their academy is more of a college (fyi: Navy has as better Aerospace program, please explain to me why the AIR force doesn't have the best Aerospace program?), and Army-Navy track/XC is perhaps the fiercest rivalry in all of track and field. All together, I would say that Army and Navy grads feel much more accomplished about the challenge that their respective schools dished out to them in their four years at school.

Damn, John McCain is a LetsRun poster!

Army and Navy cross-country/track combined can't compete against Air Force. Or at least they're too scared to. I ran for 4 years at AFA and only saw Navy once (and of course we wooped up on them). And never once saw them at XC NCAA Championships with us. They never come up to altitude to run at our invites, and they never invite us down to their place to run because they don't want to be humiliated.

Army/Navy might be the "fiercest rivalry in all of track and field" but they both still suck.

The grunts and squids might feel "more accomplished about the challenge their respective schools dished out" but they're still stuck in the Army/Navy. Quality of life and morale in the Air Force is light years ahead of the Army/Navy...who wants to go drive Hummers when you can fly F-22's? Or be stuck in a submarine for months when you can be strafing at 200' off the ground screaming around at Mach 1+?