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Sixty-two teams representing 12 international military academies,
eight ROTC programs, and four U.S. service academies assembled at
West Point for the 2017 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at
West Point April 7-8, 2017.
Since 1967, competitors from around the world have competed for
the highly acclaimed Reginald E. Johnson Memorial Saber and this
year was no exception. In previous competitions, West Point has been
represented by 36 teams, one for each of the cadet companies. This
year the Academy added two more teams to competition.
West Point’s Black and Gold teams were added to combine
the most competitive cadets into two teams to represent the
entire U.S. Military Academy as West Point’s elite Sandhurst
contenders.
“These teams were hand picked,” Sgt. 1st
Class Robert Puckett, Tactical Noncommissioned Officer in
Charge of the Black and Gold teams, explained. “While it is
a volunteer basis with the Sandhurst teams within the
companies, the Black and the Gold teams had tryouts
specifically for the team, so they did some extensive
physical training and we’ve also taken into consideration
their accomplishments in academics and physical aspects at
West Point. These cadets are some of the brightest here at
the Academy.”
The 24 selected cadets used obstacle
course racing as a guide for training while combining
Sandhurst specific workouts, shooting, and Black vs. Gold
competitions to simulate the big Sandhurst competition. In
addition, a combination of the Black and Gold team members
recently traveled to an international competition in Chile,
where they placed second out of 14 teams.
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April 7, 2017 - Coast Guard Academy cadets compete at the annual
Sandhurst Military Skills Competition. The Sandhurst competition is
a 2-day event, which tests a teams overall military skills. The
Academy cadets beat 29 out of 38 West Point teams and the U.S. Naval
Academy at the competition, along with the Korean, Japanese,
Columbian and Thailand teams. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty
Officer 3rd Class Nicole Barger)
April 7, 2017- British army cadets navigate to the location of their
next event during the 2017 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at
the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. During
Sandhurst, 62 teams representing 12 international military
academies, four U.S. service academies and eight ROTC programs
competed in 11 events throughout a 23-mile course. (U.S. Army
Reserve photo by Spc. Jeremiah Woods, 358th Public Affairs
Detachment)
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“They travel a lot and they work out a lot, I
would say 90% of the training they’ve conducted, they’ve
done on their own without any supervision or any outside
interference, they’ve taken it upon themselves and shown
initiative in everything that they’ve done,” Puckett added,
before the Sandhurst kickoff Friday morning. “They
absolutely want to win this thing.”
Cadet Cole Witter,
Gold team leader, said being part of an elite squad has pushed him
and his teammates to be their best.
“Being on the Gold team
has been really interesting experience,” he said. “We’re from all
over the Corps, but it’s been a great experience because everybody
is super motivated, we all volunteered to do this and it just makes
the attitude completely different.”
Throughout the morning
and afternoon on Friday, all 62 teams had their rucksacks checked,
then lined up at the start line, four teams at a time. From there,
they would complete five events over the course of 12.5 miles,
hoping to meet their bivouac times, get some rest, perform some
night events and continue the challenge on day two.
On the
second day, teams had five more tasks to complete through 10.8 miles
of terrain, and eventually cross the long awaited finish line.
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April 8, 2017 - U.S. Navy cadets lay out their equipment for a final
check upon completing the 2017 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition
at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. During
Sandhurst, 62 teams representing 12 international military
academies, four U.S. service academies and eight ROTC programs
competed in 11 events throughout a 23-mile course. (U.S. Army
Reserve photo by Spc. Jeremiah Woods, 358th Public Affairs
Detachment)
April 8, 2017 - Australian Defense Force Academy cadets navigate the
course during the 2017 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at West
Point, NY. During Sandhurst, 62 teams representing 12 international
military academies, four U.S. service academies and eight ROTC
programs competed in 11 events throughout a 23-mile course. (U.S.
Army photo by Staff Sgt. Vito T. Bryant)
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As each team ran into the finish line on Saturday, cheering
squads filled the area. Unlike a typical race, however, winners are
not determined until event results are in for all teams.
“Honestly, I had no idea we had won until they announced it,” Black
Team squad leader Cadet Daniel Gaynor, said. “There are always
rumors, but you can never put too much weight into them.”
Gaynor, who is also the head of military skills for OCR, says being
a part of this year’s Sandhurst team built an unparalleled
camaraderie.
“Many people suspected that an ‘all-star’ team
such as ours wouldn’t be able to build cohesion, but that could not
be further from the truth. Both teams are extremely tight knit,” he
explained. “Specifically referencing the Black Team, everyone had
low points in the competition, I personally had a 1.5 mile period
where I hit my wall on day two and without my team I would never
have been able to push forward. We got each other through with
positivity and none of us feared anything more than letting each
other down. We weren’t concerned with winning half as much as we
were with being able to look each other in the eyes after the
competition and knowing that we gave it all. We did.”
Perhaps
Gaynor’s team-first attitude is the reason he won the inaugural Tom
Surdyke Leadership Award.
The Tom Surdyke Leadership Award
is in memory of Cadet Thomas Surdyke who died this past summer from
injuries sustained while saving the life of a a person who was
drowning. Surdyke was a member of the Company B4 Sandhurst team and
his parents presented Gaynor the award.
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April 8, 2017 - U.S. Army cadets race toward the finish line during
the 2017 Sandhurst Military Skills Competition at the United States
Military Academy, West Point, NY. During Sandhurst, 62 teams
representing 12 international military academies, four U.S. service
academies and eight ROTC programs competed in 11 events throughout a
23-mile course. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Spc. Jeremiah Woods,
358th Public Affairs Detachment)
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“I considered Tom a
little brother. He was in my squad when I was the B4 squad leader. I
miss him a lot, and I was crying while they were introducing his
award,” Gaynor said, noting he was shocked when he received the
award. “I owe the honor of receiving Tom’s award to my team. When we
finalized the roster for the Black Team back in February, the first
thing we did was visit Tom’s grave and dedicate this year to him. We
ran the competition for Tom in his honor and I don’t think we could
have done a better job of honoring him. He’s up in the sky grinning
ear to ear about how things have worked out since he left us.”
Upon accepting the award, Gaynor said hugging Tom’s parents was
an emotional moment for him. The Surdykes will be Gaynor’s
graduation guests in May.
“Tom’s memory and example pushed me
this year to be the kind of leader that he would have been and
demonstrate all of his qualities. I’ll spend my whole life trying to
live up to him and I doubt I ever will, but this year, culminating
with this competition, is certainly a step in the right direction,”
he added.
After graduation, Gaynor will commission into the
Marine Corps as an officer and knows he will use his Sandhurst
skills throughout his military career.
“What I learned about
small unit leadership through Sandhurst is invaluable,” he said. “I
truly believe being a Sandhurst squad leader is one of the best ways
a cadet can learn to lead men or women in the armed forces.”
In addition to Black team’s victory, USMA’s Gold team placed third.
By Michelle Eberhart, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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