<p>My friend who got an appointment from West Point told me that if he gets injured, they give him a year off to recover and he is admitted the next year. Is this the same for Annapolis? and what will happen if you are injured</p>
<p>It all depends-</p>
<p>the expecation is that you report in at USNA for I-Day fully ready to participate in plebe summer- which includes a heavy emphasis on physical conditioning. A minor injury that is expected to heal quickly (as in a matter of days) may not cause too much of a problem- but anything more than that can send you right home the same day. It is but one reason why one of your first "stops" in Alumni Hall on I-Day is Brigade Medical- which you need to clear.</p>
<p>If you are, in fact, turned away because of injury, I know of some cases where the plebe-to-be was placed in NAPS for a year to recover, but I am not sure if that is the case for "all." My understanding is that it all depends on the extent of the injury, the chance of permanent limitations, etc. Injuries that are serious enough to send you home need to be re-cleared through DoDMERB to see if the appointee is still "physically qualified".</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Agree. Depends on the nature, timing, extent of the injury. While no one expects an accident (hence why they're called "accidents"), you are wise to steer clear of activities with a propensity for injury. IOW, the months before I-Day are not the time to take up skateboarding, mountain biking, rock climbing, jetskiing, and similar activities.</p>
<p>I realize the above activities may be performed w/o injury and that you can get injured tripping on the steps. But, if you are injured in anything other than the most minor way, DO NOT COUNT ON entering on I-Day or being guaranteed an appointment the following year. Not saying it wouldn't happen, but it is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>The key here is "do not get injured" prior to I-Day. On my mids I-Day met a parent taking their kid home becuse he broke his wrist 3 weeks prior to I-Day. It was not healed enough to be cleared by Brigade medical. He was rejected on the spot and told to go home and reapply next year, end of story. Kid was devestated and in tears.</p>
<p>You can't stop living, but you want to really think about participateing in activities that have a high risk of injury if something goes wrong. As a parent, that last month you seriously think about bubble warapping your child any time they head out the door.</p>
<p>Are you guarenteed an appointment for next year if you get injured?</p>
<p>The only things "guaranteed" in life are death and taxes. Reappointments have to be re-earned. DON"T GET HURT!</p>
<p>A young lady from our area had her appointment in hand when she broke her ankle playing a sport for fun at a community picnic 2 weeks prior to I-day. She was then disqualified and had to give up her spot, and went to a civilian college instead of to USNA.</p>
<p>She had to reapply, and was waitlisted. Fortunately for her, she received her appointment 2 days before I-day.</p>
<p>The moral? Do not get hurt.
Candidatemom</p>
<p>Bubble-wrapping. That's no exaggeration. Our now-plebe and his other plebe-to-be friends felt like they were straight out of Gattaca. Perfect specimens only. That last month was nerve wracking for all of us!! We all took every possible precaution to prevent any injury. </p>
<p>I can't imagine the devastation of arriving to I Day and being sent home to reapply next year. Ouch. Seriously.</p>
<p>Do not get hurt.</p>
<p>Why are some people given medical turn backs(automatically accepted the next year as long as your 100% healthy by then) and some a straight up 'you must reapply next year'?</p>
<p>OK, folks, I will confess. My son is the poster who is taking up POLE VAULTING. He is 3'Qd with a nom. No LOA. I am worried. If he had an appointment, I think he'd decide NOT to pole vault. </p>
<p>Doggone it, if only that appointment package would arrive! Sigh!</p>
<p>I'm a pole vaulter too! Hence, the PV at the end of my name. haha</p>
<p>Your son should be fine as long as he follows all the rules, precautions, and guidelines. You shouldn't have to worry about him getting injured as he's only a beginner. Going 7 feet in the air and jumping into a super padded trampolinish pad doesn't have a high risk of injury. Now if he's going 14'+, then that's another story. During my 3 years of vaulting (and I have seen some pretty crazy stuff during that time) the worst injury I've seen was a broken arm and stitches, but that was by a 15' vaulter. =O</p>
<p>My son also "toyed" with pole vaulting. He is a distance runner and did a bit of pole vaulting starting junior year in high school. Like JunTaoPV said - at the lower levels it is relatively safe - (but really ugly too!) My son actually injured himself running and not pole vaulting. </p>
<p>There will be a lot on here about "bubble wrapping" Do what is right for your family. I personally did not bubble wrap. I let him do the things he wanted his senior year and put life in the hands of fate. What will be will be and whatever that is it will all work out for the best.</p>
<p>JUnTao: I think the posts do not quite get your question.</p>
<p>There is a significant difference between being injured PRIOR to I-day and AFTER I-day.</p>
<p>If you are injured prior to I-day, particularly with some sort of fracture or the like, you will be turned away and not admitted. You willhave to reapply the next year, go throught the entire interview and nomination process. You may or may not be appointed thereafter.</p>
<p>If you are injured after I-day, some of the Academies--I think AFA in particular--has waht they call a medical turnback. You are "turned back" and automatically admitted the following year if you are healthy by then.
The USNA does not seem to do as many "turn-backs" as the other Academies. That is, the level of injury with which you are premitted to continue in the academic year is higher. That's not say th e option does not exist, it does, [I am aware of one circumstance where a plebe was sent home in the fall for medical condition; he was outmost of the spring also. He was permitted to return, automatically, last fall.] but it seems you ar emore likely to be permitted to continue w/ greater injureis than with the other Academies.</p>
<p>Slight difference in terminology but big difference in possible result. Do not get injured prior to I-day.</p>
<p>After reading this thread, I'm wondering if a student who is planning to attend a Service Academy should send in at least 1 deposit to a civilian college just in case there is an injury prior to reporting day. I'm thinking that I will do this. Is this the norm?</p>
<p>Some will say yes and some will tell you no for reasons that they seem to think it makes bailing easier.</p>
<p>We did send deposit and housing deposit. We also told the school the situation that they could be turned away up till IDay. This school actually let us hold the spot until August 1, incase he was sent home for injury or he decided to leave. I had one that could have very easily left the first week of Plebe Summer. No way did having a back up plan ever enter into his thought process when contemplating leaving during that first week. </p>
<p>IMO you want to make sure that your kid has a place to go if the unthinkable happens.</p>
<p>Last year about this time, there was a long, somewhat heated debate on this point. As Profmom said so well, the two sides essentially were either to have a viable backup in case of the unthinkable, versus whether having a backup would make it more likely for a Plebe to bail. If you search this forum, you can see MANY entries detailing the two positions.</p>
<p>My Plebe did have a backup school and NROTC scholarship. The OIC knew that, if her USNA medical waiver ever came through, my daughter would accept the USNA appointment, and he was OK with that. We notified him and the school the day we arrived home after I-day.</p>
<p>Thanks Bill. That was EXACTLY what I was asking.</p>
<p>Having a back up plan is not a bad idea- lots can happen that requires it, even through no fault of the plebe. The reasons span a multitude of physical and psychological reasons, but at least there is a safety net to fall back on.</p>
<p>Will it make one bail out prematurely? An easy out? It may. Those that come poorly prepared for what to expect, poorly prepared physically to keep up with plebe summer activities, those that are pushed to come by well-intentioned parents over a kid who has not fully onboard- all reasons why some will bail, especially if there is a grass-is-always-greener option available to them. </p>
<p>Personally, I don't think it is a bad idea. We did not do it, more because it never occured to us to do it. But I recall posting that in retrospect, it seemed a reasonable thing to do, just in case. Some will need the option through no fault of their own- ie- color blindness that turns up on I-Day, an abnormality in bloodwork that shows up from I-Day medical that gets reported a week or two in... just two things that come immediately to mind that will get one a flight home.</p>