ROTC cadets prepare for challenge

A few of the cadets from University of Richmond's ROTC program grumbled about the cold, rainy early morning weather at 5:45 last Thursday as they filtered onto the grounds of the new E. Claiborne Robins Stadium for PT - physical training - their morning exercise routine.

For most of Richmond's cadets, three days of their week begin before sunrise with first formation, a mustering of the troops, followed by an agonizing series of pushups, sit-ups and sprints. But on this day, inside the Millheiser Gym, a smaller group of cadets was performing an equipment check and getting ready for a special kind of agony.

A select group of nine cadets - eight men and one woman - shuffled down a hallway toward the Robins Center to prepare for the physical and mental challenge that only a few cadets commit to each year: the Ranger Challenge. Cadets in the Ranger Challenge report to the gym at 5:30 a.m., five days a week, for PT.

The challenge begins today and runs until Sunday.

"Ranger Challenge is like the NCAA of ROTC," said 2nd Lt. Dan Fornicola, a VCU graduate and former Spider Battalion cadet. Fornicola, who will soon head to field artillery school, is with the battalion to advise and lead the cadets in their training.

"It's basically two years worth of training packed into one weekend," he said. "It's 39 schools in one location, competing for the best group score."

The Ranger Challenge event includes tests, such as rifle marksmanship, physical fitness, land navigation and hand grenade knowledge. It also includes tasks, such as building a rope bridge and a completing a 10-kilometer march while carrying a 35-pound rucksack. On top of the demanding competition schedule, cadets enjoy the cold fall weather by sleeping in tents. The environment is meant to simulate the conditions of a Forward Operating Base, typically found in combat zones such as Afghanistan.

"Man I love living in the FOB," Fornicola said. "It's like glorified camping. Everyone is there for one reason. There is no, 'I can't make it 'cause I'm studying for a test,' or 'I'm out of town that weekend.' It really lets you focus on the task at hand and on your leadership responsibilities."

Although Spider Battalion has a professional military staff, led by Lt. Col. Jason Garkey, the upperclassmen take a lot of responsibility in the training of ROTC cadets and adopt leadership roles. Senior Fred Bryant was tapped to lead the Ranger Challenge training this year, which can be a challenge on top of other ROTC duties and class work.

"This is my third year doing it," Bryant said. "But to be in a leadership position, it's a lot more challenging but a lot more rewarding. Your first couple years, you just have to show up, stay in shape and be ready to learn. This is a lot more responsibility because you are not just training but you are planning and coordinating as well."

Bryant said he hoped to create a year-round training schedule for Ranger Challenge.

"I'm looking to build it into a powerhouse for our battalion," he said. "Every year we finish in the top part of the standings, but if we make it year-round we could really dominate."

Bryant said the toughest part of the event was the 10K march.

"The first two days you are walking from event to event, and they don't put them close together," he said. "So by the end of it your feet are pretty beat up. Mentally you are pretty beat up.

"The first time I did it I thought it was the most grueling thing I had ever done in my life. But the second year I had already mentally done it so it was a lot easier. Hopefully this year it won't be anything at all. But, you know, probably not."

On this drizzly Thursday, the Ranger Challenge cadets started with pushups in the aerobics classroom and then moved to the weight room.

"There isn't any weight-training component to the challenge," Bryant said. "But it's all about conditioning. You can do pushups all day but with the weight, we can really push it to the next level."

Fornicola walked from bench to bench, spotting the cadets and pushing them to do one more rep or to increase the weight.

Two cadets in particular seemed to be in competition. Freshmen Colin Billings and Jordan Furtado, who are also roommates, exchanged smack talk and challenged each other as they alternated pressing dumbbells from the weight bench.

"If Billings is lifting 50s, I'm lifting 50s," Furtado said.

Furtado joined Ranger Challenge because it is closest to the job he wants to do when he is commissioned, he said.

"I'm going infantry all the way," Furtado said. "And this is the closest thing we have in ROTC to infantry training. So far, it's been the greatest experience."

Billings and Furtado agreed that the extra training had been demanding on top of school schedules, but they wouldn't change a thing.

"I didn't join ROTC to half-ass the training," Billings said.

For Garkey, the Ranger Challenge gives the cadets a chance to stand out.

"About half the people who try out for the program get in," Garkey said. "We started out with 17 and now it's down to nine. And there is no quota for men to women; everyone on that team is on there because they earned it.

"It is good for the pride of the program and it's good for the cadets' self-confidence. It gives them a chance to distinguish themselves."

Contact reporter David Larter at david.larter@richmond.edu