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SEALS Tests Athletes' Limits
Let's go! Hurry up! Finish strong! Those were the screaming words of encouragement heard at the ninth Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge held at the Bellevue Club and Surrey Downs Park in Bellevue, Wash., Aug. 8.
Athletes tested themselves to find out how they stacked against the minimum physical fitness standards to enter Navy SEAL training, which included a 500-yard swim followed by push ups, sit ups, pull ups and a 1.5-mile run.
More than 600 competitors ages 13 and up participated in the free event, hosted by Naval Recruiting Command, making it the biggest Navy SEAL Fitness Challenge yet. The event was designed to promote fitness among Americans and increase awareness about Naval Special Warfare (NSW) nationwide.
"You have to be very fit to be a Navy SEAL" said Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Audie Odell, a member of the SEAL and Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman (SWCC) Scout Team at Naval Special Warfare Center in Coronado, Calif. "We travel to different cities to promote fitness. That's our goal. We want to show people that fitness takes determination and motivation."
Even though it's set up as an individual competition, the event attracted many groups of athletes from local clubs.
"We have three swimmers competing today from the West Coast Aquatic Swim Team," said Frank Williamson, a Mill Creek, Wash., native and parent of a participant. "I think this event is awesome. Everyone here is encouraging and best of all, it's free."
All athletes left the event with a T-shirt bearing a SEAL Trident the highly-coveted gold pin earned by Navy SEALs when they graduate from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training. But it was the T-shirt's color that meant the most. A white shirt was given to all competitors who entered the challenge, while athletes who met the minimum SEAL standards were awarded a tan-colored shirt. The few athletes who were tough enough to get competitive scores proudly walked away with blue shirts and a big smile of achievement. Medals were also awarded to top finishers in each group and overall for the day.
"Everyone was impressed with the attitude and the level of fitness [of competitors]," said Chief Special Warfare Boat Operator (SWCC) Mark Walker, a Scout Team member. "It seemed like all competitors were motivated, and they wanted come back next year."
The Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, added an extra dose of excitement to the day by giving two parachute demonstrations to showcase another aspect of NSW. The event gave the public a chance to ask questions about the special warfare community to subject matter experts from the SEAL, SWCC, parachute rigger, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and diver rates. There were interactive displays from the Leap Frogs and EOD Mobile Unit 11 from Bangor, Wash., including a remote controlled robot and an EOD technician dressed in a protective bomb suit.
"SEALs are one of the fittest groups out there," said Rick Ford, chief executive officer of iHIGH, a marketing firm that helped organize the event. "The event provides a check to see where you are physically."
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