<p>Sim - as long as you keep up the good work, I’m betting you’re a strong candidate for USNA.</p>
<p>((Hey, we parents (all three of us - mom, stepdad, dad) were REQUIRED to attend the first half of the BGO interview! And, yep, the whole joint custody thing was part of the questioning - in a nice way, though.))</p>
<p>With your future candidacy in mind, here is a great link to the USNA Phys. Ed. Department:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.usna.edu/PEScheds/HPL8Week.htm[/url]”>http://www.usna.edu/PEScheds/HPL8Week.htm</a></p>
<p>It has an 8-week conditioning schedule that gets you in good shape to begin plebe summer. I’d print it out and use it religiously - and do your best to overachieve, to go beyond what this schedule says. This schedule just gets you in minimal shape to start the summer - you are doing a lot of physical activity for seven weeks, not just running but ‘chopping’ in Bancroft Hall and marching, marching, marching. The better shape you’re in, the less injury-prone you’ll be. </p>
<p>During plebe summer, the plebes are roughly divided into three ability groups for morning PEP runs - it will do a lot for your mental state if you get into one of the top two groups and avoid the lowest (less cadre attention).</p>
<p>Also:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Buy a pair of excellent, high-quality mostly white running shoes (look at New Balance) a month before plebe summer and put maybe 100 miles on them. Wear them in on I-Day; you’ll get them back and be able to switch shoes out (helps avoid shin splints) during the summer. </p></li>
<li><p>Work on your running form, on your pullup form - basically, make sure you can do the exercises in a way that won’t strain your joints and ligaments. If you injure yourself during plebe summer, you will be hobbling around on crutches with your company - unpleasant. And the cadre will make you do every thing possible with your company - there is no ‘school nurse’s office’ during plebe summer, sad to say.</p></li>
<li><p>Look around this board and keep up on the changes currently going on in the USNA. Basically, there is less liberty and less extra curricular activities (ECA) for the mids now. Understand that the USNA is changing its focus to educating a wartime force, and is becoming much less ‘civilian’ in its approach.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Have fun! Good luck!</p>