<p>I've done a little research on the Combat Arms Team and it sounds exactly like something I would like to do and that I could be good at. Besides being in very good shape and obviously being a good shot I don't know much else about the club. I think they do the screening for the team in the second semester of your plebe year but I've heard that they recruit during the summer as well. If you have anything to add or know anybody that does please respond or PM me please,</p>
<p>I am not an expert on this subject, I’m just sharing some second hand info. The team is VERY COMPETITIVE, even by USNA standards. They have a multi-stage tryout over the course of several days that includes a grueling physical test, shooting, and an interrogation style interview with several upperclassmen. I believe this year over 100 plebes tried out for the 4 available spaces.</p>
<p>Honestly dude, if you aren’t prior… they won’t take you. The team is a bunch of priors who all want some new friends to drink with. Yeah the team is really good and competitive, but seriously, it is a group of prior Marines.</p>
<p>They do a pretty easy screener. Its in the fall, just do well in it and you can make it to the shooting stage, then the interview, but if you aren’t a prior Marine, don’t get your hope too high.</p>
<p>While it is true that making the team is very challenging, it is not necessary to be prior enlisted to qualify. There are only 4 slots available each year and a lot of candidates. Good luck!</p>
<p>so let me get this straight. lots of pt now and at usna, practice the shooting (is the shooting stage in the fall or the spring, if it’s spring it gives me some time to shoot at christmas), practice getting yelled at (who am I kidding Plebe summer takes care of that)</p>
<p>Our S’s roommate is on combat assault, and he’s not a prior. Just a country bumpkin from TN with a very bright brain, steely eye and steady hand. Plus, he’s been around guns since birth.
The rotation for the shooting range in Plebe Summer is very (very) short. And, since it’s off-site, there is no practice time at the range. You’re either a good shot, learn it quickly, or you’re not. I don’t recall when they did the screener for it. But, if you’re interested, you’ll find out on your own once there, and you’ll do fine with it. If you really love to shoot, there are also pistol and rifle clubs (also competitive) as I recall. Check out the ECAs on the website… Plus, you just <em>may</em> find another calling at USNA. Be open…one never knows.</p>
<p>The guy who lives in the room next to me is the captain of the team. He is a prior marine and a SEAL select. I don’t know who your sons are thinking of, but perhaps they’re on IST (Infantry Skills Team), as my roommate is, because every year CAT exclusively takes prior marines. I have not heard of an exception to this in years.</p>
<p>If thats the case then things have obviously changed in the past few years. A friend and companymate of mine ('07) was on the combat arms team and not a prior. Thats a shame that certain ECAs close themselves off like that.</p>
<p>Well If the Academy wants to field the best combat arms team then who better then the marines. I’ll just have to learn fast, get me some pt, and put myself out there to have a chance. Back at SS I met a mid from Texas (The Best State Ever) who was on the team and I don’t remember any prior ribbons on his uniform.</p>
<p>“The guy who lives in the room next to me is the captain of the team. He is a prior marine and a SEAL select. I don’t know who your sons are thinking of, but perhaps they’re on IST (Infantry Skills Team), as my roommate is, because every year CAT exclusively takes prior marines. I have not heard of an exception to this in years.”</p>
<p>How many years would that be? There is an '09 guy on the team who sure as hell is not a prior. Don’t think that just because you go to this school you know everything.</p>
<p>OK, I wanted to double check my sources before I posted. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A PRIOR MARINE TO QUALIFY FOR THE COMBAT ARMS TEAM! I don’t know how that rumor got started, but I checked with mid daughter, whose company/classmate/guy next door is on the CAT and he is not a prior. I also checked with the guy runs the department that is responsible for the shooting range (and the CAT coach). Being a prior Marine is not requirement. You do, however, have to be very physically fit and a great shot. Not likely that someone unfamiliar with weapons prior to coming to USNA would make the team.</p>
<p>Yeah obviously it isn’t a written requirement, but trust me, when the screener happens, you will all see what I mean. Combat arms is VERY much a group of priors. Of course there are a very small group of exceptions (very small), but the trend is that the team picks priors because they are most all priors. It is the truth. There may be one or two “non-priors”, but the group is nearly exclusively priors. And no, it is not nearly as physical as you might think. The screener is a little running, a few bear crawls, etc, but it is not a major part of the try out. You just have to score well enough to get to the next round. The most important parts are the shooting stages, and the interview.</p>
<p>If you want something VERY physical, but still does shoot, look into IST (Infantry Skills Team) for all of you motivators. IST is NOT combat arms. It is a team that spends more time doing physical development and other training, and does not spend as much time shooting, though it does still shoot. </p>
<p>As for the High power rifle team, its okay. Its some guys who shoot M-16’s. They are okay. The “rifle” team really shoots BB-guns. Its dumb. And pistol… pretty much the same.</p>
<p>If you want real combat style weapons training CAT and IST are the two teams you should look into the most. They actually offer real life training versus the crap the other teams do. High Powered rifle does some okay stuff, but the other two are pretty odd.</p>
<p>I don’t know who this bluesky guy is, but I’m a firstie (2010) on the combat arms team and I can assure you that this prior thing is a rumor purported by midshipmen that don’t know much about the team and probably didn’t make it their plebe year. </p>
<p>There are a number of priors on the team (I’m not one of them). That is because they typically tend to be a little more mature and a little better at shooting [ at first ] --some even have combat experience–and these are all things that boost their value and strengthen the team. But let me clear something up: It is by no means a requirement or a trend to be a prior to make the combat arms team. We just picked up are newest 4 guys from the class of 2013 and guess what? None of them are priors.</p>
<p>So if you are thinking about coming to USNA and trying out, my advice to you is to work out hard, shoot when you can, and never fear failure or back down from competition. Bear in mind that our team is not a bunch of gunslingers looking for something cool to do in the afternoons. Everyone on the team is highly professional and almost exclusively graduate into Naval Special Warfare, EOD, or the Marine Corps.</p>
] --some even have combat experience–and these are all things that boost their value and strengthen the team. But let me clear something up: It is by no means a requirement or a trend to be a prior to make the combat arms team. We just picked up are newest 4 guys from the class of 2013 and guess what? None of them are priors.</p>