Athletes who are involved in sports before pursuing military careers receive the experiences and skills needed to meet the demand of military life.
“[Sports] teach them how to train, work hard, be a team player and learn the benefits of having someone else depend on you to give them your best,” track and field coach Clifford Wong said.
There are multiple paths for entering the military. One option is through enlistment, a process by which the candidate takes a test to see what jobs they qualify for, and then signs an enlistment contract. In order to become a military officer, a candidate must graduate college, earn a bachelor’s degree and receive a commission. Another possible, more sport oriented option to become an officer is through a service academy, a military-focused four year school in which the pupil receives military training and education. Service academies tend to only accept hard working athletes, so this is how junior Michael McLarty hopes to take the path of entering piloting or special forces.
“They want the cream of the crop at the service academies,” McLarty said. “They want a valedictorian and a top letter athlete. They want to see someone who is not going to give up, who keeps pushing himself.”
Of the three sports McLarty participates in, wrestling, cross country and track, each provides McLarty with valuable skills as he pursues a military career.
“For wrestling, since it’s a mental sport, it’ll help you a lot, especially in special force training,” McLarty said. “[Running] definitely helps to get me in that headspace, like when you’re on your third mile and want to break down, you just have to push through.”
McLarty was initially intimidated by the prospect of joining the military. His father was a mechanic in the Marine Corps, so he was exposed to military life at young age. However, McLarty did not become interested in pursuing a military career until age 12.
“When I was a kid I didn’t even want to go into the military,” McLarty said. “I was scared because it was really intense. I didn’t want to do it, but as I’ve gotten older my dad showed me more about it.”