Bit of an update on my entrance to the PD.

Congrats Reb! I'm maybe just a few months behind you up on my side of the border after a two year recruiting process. Keep us in the loop on how it goes.

Congrats Reb! Check out http://hundredpushups.com/#sthash.sEZBQDox.dpbs and twohundredsitups.com and brace yourself for all your running prep the next month.

Do you have any additional standards you have to be ready for in January?

Edited by usafpilot07 - 04 December 2012 at 8:11pm

This might seem a tad boa**edited**l, but I'm a little proud, as well as confused at today's outcome.

Took the qualifying PT test today.

Made the situps and pushups without any problem- even managed to make the graduation mark for those two, not just the entrance requirements.

The run though, had me worried. 1.5 miles, 12 minutes, 38 seconds to do it.
I'm not a runner. I've done a bit of jogging lately, but nothing really intensive enough to do more than shake some rust out of the joints.
I was especially disheartened when the first group of 6 made their run with their best time being over 13 minutes, and that group had a few current / recently prior service members.

They started all 6 of us off in the same lane, and right out of the box I took a good clip to try to get out of the pack.
Within a half a lap I was in front, and my first lap clocked at (for me) a blistering 1:46. I was sucking a bit of wind already, so I dropped the pace, got a grip on my breathing and started playing the ABC game (find the letters of the alphabet consecutively) with the sponsor boards that were scattered around the track. To my shock and awe, I began lapping people, and was making modest times on the laps, although with one to go, I'd have to do something drastic to make the time....so I did. I picked up the pace (hurt like HELL at this point) and at turn 4 I threw caution and probably safety to the wind, and sprinted as best I could, clocking out at a 12:35.
Top time in the session, the ONLY person in the exam to clear all three tests minimums.

When I finished, I walked a bit, then sat down, because I was shot. One of the instructors came over to me.

"Keep walking around, don't sit."
"Yes sir." I get up and start to walk again.
"Are you okay? Are you dizzy or anything?"
"I'm going to go over there for a little while."
"You didn't answer my question son."
"You noticed huh?"

He laughed, I guess figuring that if I was keeping a sense of humor, that I wasn't going to die.

I then had a Hollywood moment.
Basically, we were all competing for a few slots that are left open in the academy. My being the only one to make all three tests just about promises me a slot. When I got back to the line, one of the guys, a Marine whose done a few tours overseas (and has the scars to prove it) shakes my hand, and tells me to get a haircut because "You just changed your life."

Pretty cool ending to a brutal morning. It wasn't pretty or anything like that, but I'm in. Now all I need to do is conquer the mountain of paperwork for the course registration, purchase the equipment, and survive day 1, which is when they lost most of their dropouts.

 

Here's the Pell thing I was talking about. Not sure if you'd qualify or not, but a buddy of mine got a decent chunk of change for his fire academy stuff in January.

https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1

I would look into student loans or something to cover the cost of tuition. I think it should qualify. Contact the school where the training will be done, they should be able to direct you in the right direction. You may even qualify for some additional aid that can cover books and some living expenses. I could be wrong, but worth a call or two.

Jesus you guys. I don't really know what to say.

I can't ask for the help you're offering me as awesome and generous as it is- especially around the holidays.
(That doesn't mean I might not have to )

I've got about half of the tuition accounted for out of a 'rainy day fund' - and we're looking for places to find the rest. I may have to sell off some of my PB equipment and a rifle or two, but I think we'll make it. I could get a good chunk of it taken care of if I decide to sell the Garand and find the right buyer for it. WIfe's telling me not to do that, (keeper right?) but I'm leaning that way anyway.

Tomorrow's the qualifying PT test. Haven't mentioned it to the office, I'm going to phone in a sick day. Somewhere around lunch time I'll know if I need to worry about tuition.

Thanks all for the support.

*Stealth* wrote: mbro wrote: I'm sure some people here would be more than happy to loan you the academy money if you were to repay in installments, first in first paid. I'd loan you at least a hundo to get you on your feet again.acadamy I'd throw in too Reb. Just a show of support.

Same here, I'd pitch in if you need it bud!

mbro wrote: I'm sure some people here would be more than happy to loan you the academy money if you were to repay in installments, first in first paid. I'd loan you at least a hundo to get you on your feet again.acadamy

Keep the job to start and see how much of a toll it takes on everything. Then go from there.

Reb wrote: You know, its less the worry about sleep that I'm worried about than it is the toll on my car. I'm not in a position to buy a new one, and my current war-horse is a 2000 Taurus 6 cylinder with 190,000 miles on it, costing me nearly $30 a day just to get back and forth to work.