Problem:
Marion Military Institute is considered to be one of the best schools for preparing cadets who hope to soon enter a Service Academy. The Institution exposes students to the military “way of life”, academically and physically. The particular way MMI prepares cadets is through its rigorous Service Academy Program (SAP), a personalized program by each service academy that is designed to maximize cadet’s competitiveness for earning a United States service academy appointment. The SAP program provides a challenging academic curriculum, which undoubtedly prepares cadets. However, there is one important aspect of preparation that the SAP program does not provide – active sports and clubs available to participate in. At MMI, only four sports are offered to cadets: baseball, basketball, tennis, and wrestling. There could be many more, but the school does not utilize its resources and equipment effectively. Rather, the resources sit in stagnation. The large indoor pool and the attractive stadium that features a usable football field, fresh track, and soccer goals all sit unoccupied, since there are no teams or clubs playing any of these sports. Instead, cadets are sitting in the barracks watching Netflix, listening to music, or sleeping. A year of inactivity in a sport will decrease the cadet’s athletic performance once they reach the service academy. Even Academics suffers. According to extensive research, schools with strong athletic programs have higher test scores and lower drop-out rates. Marion Military Institute has the resources and equipment to implement these sports, but doesn’t understand the cadets’ desire to expand the athletic department. With my proposal that follows, I hope to gain the attention of higher autho...
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... Games will occur bimonthly, and a stable routine will be established.
Conclusion:
Marion Military Institute is considered to have one of the best preparatory programs for preparing cadets entering a service academy. Without a doubt, MMI exposes its cadets to a rigorous academic routine similar to that of a service academy. However, SAP cadets need preparation in a sport, since they are required to play one at a service academy. Many cadets are deprived of sports, merely because it isn’t offered and there is no group or club organized to play it. With the implementation of my organized plan, club sports will be an option for cadets, and the SAP program will be more productive and successful.
Works Cited
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/10/high-school-sports-arent-killing-academics/280155/
https://www.marionmilitary.edu/programs/sap-overview.cms
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Rosewater, Ann. “Learning to Play and Playing to Learn: Organized Sports and Educational Outcome.” Education Digest 75.1 (2009): 50-57. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.