Rangers prove endurance at challenge

Two days of demanding physical fitness, obstacles courses, weapons assembly, and commander challenge is what the Norwich ranger challenge team had to endure at Fort Knox in Kentucky for the Bold Leader challenge, according to the Norwich Ranger Challenge commander.

 "Everybody was ready to go you could tell that we had done this for months, weeks, you could see it in their eyes the spark the flame, they were pretty pumped up," said Joe Parini, 19, a sophomore studies of war and peace major from Granville, Iowa.

Bold leader challenge is a competition between the senior military colleges. It's a series of physical and mental challenges that cadets compete in.

 "It's a completion that tests your physical and mental capabilities and allows the leader to think on (their) feet," said Douglas Bocash, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Weymouth, Mass.

There were two teams representing Norwich. Alpha and Bravo team both competed.

Training began in late August; anyone from the Army department could go and try out for the Ranger challenge team. After a few weeks of training, it was time for test week, which was a whole week of testing cadets on what they learned. This would determine who made the team.

"It was four to five weeks before testing week, and October we had testing week. Then we trained twice a day from October to early November," said Parini.

Everything was scored and once the scores were tallied up, nine people per team were selected based on PT scores and how they did. The top nine were in A team and the next nine were in B team with 2 reserves each.

 "The tests were based off endurance runs, PT tests, ruck runs, and everybody had their scores," said Parini. "They took the top tier, the A team guys and they took the next top guys and it was B team guys."

Once the teams were chosen they all endured weeks of training. Both teams did PT every day, and trained for the events twice a day.

 "We PTed five days a week, we did the Special Forces workout," said Mallory Clark, 19, sophomore a biology major from Homer City, Pa. "Training-wise, we did stuff with weapons, first aid, and we did the rope bridge a lot."

The teams both had to train for the Upcoming events. They trained on the competitions that would be at bold leader challenge.

The teams left For Kentucky Friday Nov 10^th. The first day was the rifle range with M-16s. The better the team did at the range, the better chance they had to pick a good time to start the next day.

 "We picked our start times based on how we did in the ranges before," said Stanley Kareta, 22, a mechanical engineering senior from Palmer, Mass. "The A team went at 8:45 am and (the B team) went at 9:30 am."

The teams placed well and started early for the completion. Each time started at a 15 minute interval.

The competition started Saturday, and right before it began, the Norwich teams were ready. Both teams had meetings and everyone on the team gave reinforcement to one another

"The atmosphere before we began was just very motivating we were all pumped up," Bocash said.  "‘Take from them nothing, but give them everything,' (is what) we would scream a lot."

Both teams competed against each other, as well as other schools. Each team was given an objective, and they had to go there using land navigation.

Once the team got there they had to do the event as fast as possible. Once they completed it, they were given a hint of the next event and had to find their way to it.

"You worked as a team through each event," said Brittany Weigle, 20, a senior nursing major from Carisle, Pa. "It was up to the team leader to decide how you would make it through this obstacles and the team worked together on that."

 The teams had to go through several events as fast as they could. Some of the events included leader reaction course, climbing a wall, and making and then crossing a rope bridge, just to name a few.

 The whole event took about five to six hours to complete for both teams. It took place all over Fort Knox about 10 miles wide the whole event.

All the teams fished and waited around to see who has won. Both Norwich teams were confident they did well.

Kareta said that A team finished in five hours and 13 minutes. B team finished the course in five hours and thirty four minutes.

The Commander announced the third place winner first. It was B team from Norwich University.

"When they called Norwich team two of course our team ecstatic we all went up there and got our trophy we were all happy and sat down," said Kareta.  "Second place team was Texas A&M, then you could see our whole team waiting. We had a feeling that our team one won."

It was true, they announced the first place winners and it was A team from Norwich. Both Norwich teams had placed in the top three, dominating the whole event and the other schools.

Bocash said he'd like to thank everyone that supported them and that now Norwich "is the team to beat."

The first place team will go to West Point in April. There they will compete against international military academies as well as other schools in the U.S that won in their Brigades.

Two days of demanding physical fitness, obstacles courses, weapons assembly, and commander challenge is what the Norwich ranger challenge team had to endure at Fort Knox in Kentucky for the Bold Leader challenge, according to the Norwich Ranger Challenge commander.

 "Everybody was ready to go you could tell that we had done this for months, weeks, you could see it in their eyes the spark the flame, they were pretty pumped up," said Joe Parini, 19, a sophomore studies of war and peace major from Granville, Iowa.

Bold leader challenge is a competition between the senior military colleges. It's a series of physical and mental challenges that cadets compete in.

 "It's a completion that tests your physical and mental capabilities and allows the leader to think on (their) feet," said Douglas Bocash, 21, a senior criminal justice major from Weymouth, Mass.

There were two teams representing Norwich. Alpha and Bravo team both competed.

Training began in late August; anyone from the Army department could go and try out for the Ranger challenge team. After a few weeks of training, it was time for test week, which was a whole week of testing cadets on what they learned. This would determine who made the team.

"It was four to five weeks before testing week, and October we had testing week. Then we trained twice a day from October to early November," said Parini.

Everything was scored and once the scores were tallied up, nine people per team were selected based on PT scores and how they did. The top nine were in A team and the next nine were in B team with 2 reserves each.

 "The tests were based off endurance runs, PT tests, ruck runs, and everybody had their scores," said Parini. "They took the top tier, the A team guys and they took the next top guys and it was B team guys."

Once the teams were chosen they all endured weeks of training. Both teams did PT every day, and trained for the events twice a day.

 "We PTed five days a week, we did the Special Forces workout," said Mallory Clark, 19, sophomore a biology major from Homer City, Pa. "Training-wise, we did stuff with weapons, first aid, and we did the rope bridge a lot."

The teams both had to train for the Upcoming events. They trained on the competitions that would be at bold leader challenge.

The teams left For Kentucky Friday Nov 10^th. The first day was the rifle range with M-16s. The better the team did at the range, the better chance they had to pick a good time to start the next day.

 "We picked our start times based on how we did in the ranges before," said Stanley Kareta, 22, a mechanical engineering senior from Palmer, Mass. "The A team went at 8:45 am and (the B team) went at 9:30 am."

The teams placed well and started early for the completion. Each time started at a 15 minute interval.

The competition started Saturday, and right before it began, the Norwich teams were ready. Both teams had meetings and everyone on the team gave reinforcement to one another

"The atmosphere before we began was just very motivating we were all pumped up," Bocash said.  "‘Take from them nothing, but give them everything,' (is what) we would scream a lot."

Both teams competed against each other, as well as other schools. Each team was given an objective, and they had to go there using land navigation.

Once the team got there they had to do the event as fast as possible. Once they completed it, they were given a hint of the next event and had to find their way to it.

"You worked as a team through each event," said Brittany Weigle, 20, a senior nursing major from Carisle, Pa. "It was up to the team leader to decide how you would make it through this obstacles and the team worked together on that."

 The teams had to go through several events as fast as they could. Some of the events included leader reaction course, climbing a wall, and making and then crossing a rope bridge, just to name a few.

 The whole event took about five to six hours to complete for both teams. It took place all over Fort Knox about 10 miles wide the whole event.

All the teams fished and waited around to see who has won. Both Norwich teams were confident they did well.

Kareta said that A team finished in five hours and 13 minutes. B team finished the course in five hours and thirty four minutes.

The Commander announced the third place winner first. It was B team from Norwich University.

"When they called Norwich team two of course our team ecstatic we all went up there and got our trophy we were all happy and sat down," said Kareta.  "Second place team was Texas A&M, then you could see our whole team waiting. We had a feeling that our team one won."

It was true, they announced the first place winners and it was A team from Norwich. Both Norwich teams had placed in the top three, dominating the whole event and the other schools.

Bocash said he'd like to thank everyone that supported them and that now Norwich "is the team to beat."

The first place team will go to West Point in April. There they will compete against international military academies as well as other schools in the U.S that won in their Brigades.