Virginia Military Institute’s cadet-athletes have to juggle cadet life, heavy academic course loads, and their NCAA Division I sport. Committed to both academic and athletic pursuits, balancing their rigorous schedule in both sports and school requires a certain level of commitment and discipline. Behind the Balance is a series that focuses on those cadet-athletes and how they handle the hurdles of the day-to-day.  

LEXINGTON, Va. Dec. 19, 2023 — If anyone knows balance, it’s Andrew Granger ’24. Not just with academics and cadet life, but within his event for track and field.  

Granger is a thrower, which requires a steady technique — something he’s perfected throughout the years. He started throwing in high school. 

“When you're throwing, if you get off balance a little bit in any direction, then you can totally mess up the throw. It doesn't matter where you are in the stages of the throw,” he said. 

Every move is calculated: the trajectory you must throw it, or the certain angle for the best distance, down to the speed at which you’re rotating. Granger is thinking about all of this just seconds before he throws.  

“You have good body awareness, and you define ‘what did I do wrong?’ That usually tells you what you need to improve and if you can do it. It directly translates to throwing farther and getting better.” 

The English major, who will be attending Naval Officer Candidate School after graduation, decided on Virginia Military Institute after a visit with Coach Zach Scott.  

"I got to see what life was like at VMI. I was really interested in the military aspect,” he said. Granger also figured attending VMI would give him the chance to see if serving in the military was the right choice for him — something he was on the fence about.  

“I didn't know whether or not I wanted to do it yet. So, I figured it would be a good chance for me to kind of push myself into that sort of life and see,” he said. “Also, I wanted to improve myself and have a good foundation for the rest of my life.” 

He participates in the discus, shot put, and hammer throw events for both indoor and outdoor track. His season, which starts in October, goes on until May, making it one of the longest seasons for athletics at VMI.  

Staying up to date in his 18 credits, while still participating in a Division I sport, can be difficult.  

Communication is key 

Cadet-athletes at VMI not only have their responsibilities with their selected sport but cadet duties on top of that. Cadets are also required to take physical fitness classes twice a week, participate in ROTC all four years, prepare for room and uniform inspections, practice for parade, guard duty, and more.

With days starting at 6:45 a.m., classes until 4 p.m., and practice until after 7 p.m., then studying and homework until nearly midnight, Granger said it’s a full day. 

“I think the phrase I hear a lot is VMI teaches you to fit a 30-hour workload into like a 24-hour day or something. I guess that it definitely teaches you to manage your time and it taught me to be respectful to everyone.” he said. 

“It's a lot of work. It's a balance between the academic and the athletic workload. I kind of have to stay on top of my homework and studying, while also just being ready for practice and working as hard as I can when I'm practicing,” he said. "It's just about managing the time outside of practice to get your work done.” 

The biggest thing is communication, which is something VMI has instilled in him.  

"I've learned to definitely stay in contact with my teachers, especially if I'm missing classes,” he said.  

Emailing or talking in person with his professors is how he makes sure he’s making up what he’s missing out on in classes if he’s traveling for meets.  

“Whenever I have time, which is usually during the travel time when we're on the bus, I’m getting the work done,” he said.  

Even though his sport is more individual, he said the whole team likes to back each other up. He said they all like to watch each other compete, cheer each other on, and be overall supportive of each other. Granger said they also guide each other and act as a second set of eyes looking at each athlete’s technique. 

Laura Peters Shapiro
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE