<p>Is "orienteering" considered a sport that the academy would accept?</p>
<p>wikipedia website: "Orienteering is a family of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain. Participants are given a map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they use to find control points. Originally a training exercise in land navigation for military officers, orienteering has developed many variations. "</p>
<p>What do you mean "accept"? As in filling out an admissions application? The answer may be "yes" or "no".</p>
<p>The USNA has had orienteering and considered it a sport for their competition team. (They did very well nationally from what I can remember.) I'm not sure if they still have it. I'll have to check myself. (I know they did as of a little over 5 years ago.)</p>
<p>The answer may actually be "NO" though for your application: It depends upon your level.... If you're part of a orienteering team that takes on mountain challenges, overnight races, timed events that are physically demanding, etc., it moves more into a sport category. If you're doing it on your own... I'd consider it along the line of "hiking, backpacking, etc." I mean - our family does GPS orienteering around here - and I would never consider what I do a sport, kind of moderate physical exercise. </p>
<p>It's like biking or swimming --- They are activities for the most part, but when you get into training, competitions, high intensity, teams, and leadership capabilities they move into sports.</p>
<p>Don't push "sports" for the sake of having a sport. (You can get into the Academy without a sport.) If you're wondering yourself if it's a sport, it probably isn't. Above all -- keep honest to the point of not trying to be any more than you are. (There's nothing worse than a candidate who says they do swimming for their sport and can't tell you a thing about strokes, the distance of a pool, how it has developed them physically, etc.) You want everything you put down to be above reproach or question.</p>
<p>We have an orienteering team on my NJROTC unit. We compete at most, every month with other units. As for the level I do, I run green course, which is the hardest course that is provided to us (medium = orange, easy = yellow). The course is timed and all cadets run individual. At the end, the cadet with the fastest time wins a medal. Scores will be tallyed and the team with the fastest combined time wins a trophy (for each course color).</p>
<p>And the terrain we run is usually forest with changing coutours (Florida terrain). The forest thickness depends upon the intensity of my course. Since I run green, I run in thick forest.</p>
<p>"We have an orienteering team on my NJROTC unit."</p>
<p>IMHO, this is not a separate sport, it's an activity you do as part of NJROTC. </p>
<p>I agree with USNAmomBGO not to get too hung up over sports. It's true that most incoming Plebes have played on one or more varsity sports, but I think it's more important that you can demonstrate leadership qualities and excellent physical conditioning.</p>
<p>Thank you for the replies, this certainly put some ease into my mind.</p>
<p>I have read many blogs concerning candidates with outstanding applications but does not receive an appointment because of the lack of sports.</p>
<p>I guess I'll just have to wait and see...</p>
<p>I know of one mid, graduating this year, who had NO organized sports on his application. He was--and is--in reasonably good shape; he passes PRTs, etc. but he is not a sports star or anything.
He was, however, an outstanding academic applicant.<br>
And I mean OUTSTANDING, i.e. about 1585 on SAT and 4.0 at a well-regarded high school, graduating about 15th out of 700.</p>
<p>So, I guess you have to judge how "outstanding" you are and weigh that against no organized sports or other attributes you may have.</p>