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Hi everyone on this thread... Observer44 asked me to "chime in"....
My oldest son, Karl Bolt, is one of the team captains at USAFA. He's a senior there and has had a prety good run... 25 dingers so far and career .325 Looks like he could go as high as top 10 rounds this year... BUT.... Air Force has no clear cut method of allowing their players to go pro.
My youngest is in the fight of his life (with the way things are going in "the sand box", I hope that 10 years from now, it will still have been the fight of his life) for the starting spot at SS for USNA. He's in his Plebe year.
Correct, there is no NLI with the Academies. Most recruits don't find out until usually earliest late January, whether their Appointments come through. Some as late as May, and non-athletes can often hear just days before Basic Training starts. The Appointment process is an intense one, which usually starts as early as June of your Junior HS year. It includes applications, letters of introduction to your Congressman/Senator, interviews with same, or same's committees, Physical Fitness Testing Exams, Physicals, etc.
I did just hear that even though there are no NLI's, that USAFA just offered Nathan Carter from Norcal (DeLaSalle HS)a letter of comfirmation. Carter was recruited by over 40 schools, and is considered to be the fastest white kid in northern California. AFA wanted this kid badly, and showed that hard and fast rules can always be bent to get a kid to commit. Nathan has wanted to be a fighter pilot since he was 8 yrs old... I was there the day he commited. I will never forget the twinkle in his eye and the Cheshire Cat look on his face when he and his dad told me he was getting to go. I'm so proud to have been part of his recruiting process.
The pro ball deal is not perfectly clear cut at any of the campuses though. Mitch Harris at Navy, a Junior this year should get drafted... he's ranked in the top 35 P's in the country. Some say he will stick it out through Senior year...which I think is smart. A degree from USNA will open doors for your entire life.
The problem with pro baseball in the eyes of the Academies is "the minor leagues". David Robinson got to go partly because the notoriety of him playing in the NBA gave USNA great prestige and press. Minor League Baseball just doesn't give the military enough assurance that the experience will pay back to the govt who has financed the education.
There are rumors that buying out your education could get factored in... but the education is currently valued at somewhere over $250K. Now if a kid goes in the top 5 rounds, that usually can get covered in signing bouses etc. There is also talk of trading 9 years Reserve time for 5 years of Active Duty.
One thing that gets in the way of many kids deciding not to go to an Academy, is this concept of "owing the military 5 years" when you graduate. The process has certainly shown us that this is a total misconception. The bottom line is that when you graduate, you are not peeling potatoes in a fox hole or working in the motor pool at Travis Air Force Base. Actually you might be running the motor pool. You come out as a 2nd LT, making around $50K, and get to work in a profession that your education dictates. Many go the pilot route... my oldest turned his pilot slot down to work in Logistics. After 5 years in the AF, he will be a very hot commodity in Supply Chain Mgmt for Hewlitt Packard, WalMart, et al. Or he can pursue a career in the AF.
The bottom line that Coach Hutcheon at USAFA tells us is that if Karl puts up a break out year and goes high in the Draft, they will do whatever is necessary to try and make it desireable for both sides. Active Duty in recruiting, ambassadorship, etc is in the eyes of many as important as ordering toilet paper for Kandahar (well, maybe not to those with an urge in the desert).
All three programs are unique, though I'm not as familiar with Army's. Air Force plays in a very tough Mountain West Conference with UNLV, TCU, San Diego State, BYU, Utah, and New Mexico. High elevation baseball is not for the faint of heart... especially amongst pitchers. Very high ERA's. Someone said a ball hit last May in Colorado Springs (7500' elev) hasn't come down yet. MWC also has some of the top venues in the country. Two of the ballparks are AAA (SLC and ALBUQ).
Navy has a brand new stadium and in all sports has taken a completely new view on the "power of winning". With a new coach, Kostacopoulos, from Univ of Maine, who has over 500 wins at a young age of early 40-something, they could very well go to the NCAA's here very soon. Don't know much about the Patriot League yet, but hope to make at least a third of the games this year.
The best part of the deal however is the education and the leadership and discipline taught at the schools. Having said that, it is not a normal college experience. Long days, 21 credits even during the season, military uniforms and responsibilities, and lots of getting yelled at. Zero tolerance on drinking and drugs. But as anyone will tell you, if you make it through, you're set for life.
Sorry so verbose... Anyone with questions, on the thread or "quietly", please feel free. I'll get off my soapbox now.
Gentlemen (and ladies...) at ease.
cadDAD
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