Ever tried building a bridge using nothing more than a single rope and your wits? Taken apart and reassembled an M16 weapon knowing the clock is ticking and that fractions of a second count? Have you ever attempted a 10K forced march with a fully loaded rucksack on your back, or negotiated a land course, using nothing more than a map, a pen and a protractor?
That's just what SUNY Brockport's Military Science/ROTC students and students from colleges across Western New York did all day on Oct. 6 during this
year's annual Western New York Ranger Shootout. Sponsored by the Ranger Challenge Program, the Shootout, which is essentially an "iron man" competition, is made up of seven specific tasks: APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test), patrolling exam, one-rope bridge, BRM-FATS (Basic Rifle Marksmanship) weapons simulator competition, land navigation, and 10K rucksack march. The team finishing with the highest score in the shortest amount of time is the winner in this challenging, team-building and skill-enhancing event.
Steve Smith, military science and Ranger Team coach, was able to boast about SUNY Brockport's ROTC Rangers, saying, "We tied for first place with the team from Niagara University; both teams had 15 points. Niagara won the tiebreaker by completing the 10K rucksack run (with 25 pounds of equipment on their backs) in 1 hour, 8 minutes 4 minutes faster than our team. The team from Syracuse came in a close third with 12 points. Overall, it was a great training event and competition between the schools.
"Our event Saturday was preparation for the big event, Ranger Challenge, where 21 schools from the Northeastern United States compete against each other at Ft. Devens, MA. Last year we had the least-experienced team at Ranger Challenge and we placed eighth. It was an amazingly good finish, considering seven of our 10 team members were freshmen. This year we look pretty strong for a top-five finish. We have been training since the first week of school for this and the students have put a lot of effort on their own time into getting ready."
CCNY Conference
8 am - 6 pm
Counseling Centers of New York (CCNY) Conference
10 am - 4 pm
CCNY Conference
8 am - 6 pm
Counseling Centers of New York (CCNY) Conference
10 am - 4:15 pm
Counseling Centers of New York (CCNY) Conference
8 am - 1 pm
