Spartans push the limits

Photo By Capt. Gina Great | Australian female Cpl. Daniella Gomez squatted 205 pounds April 18, 2013 during the 2nd Spartan Armored Brigade Combat Team weightlifting competition. She also successfully completed 33 repetitions with 65 pound during the bench press competition and deadlifted 285 pounds to win the entire female division. (U.S. Photo by Capt. Gina Goris)  

TARIN KOWT, AFGHANISTAN

04.18.2013

Story by Capt. Gina Great 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

TARIN KOT, Afghanistan – No matter the fitness forte, competitors from different nations and services challenged the limits of their bodies during the Spartan Brigade Weightlifting and CrossFit Competition at Multinational Base Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan, April 16 –18.

Instead of focusing on a single exercise, the grueling three-day CrossFit competition incorporated different exercises putting competitors on a challenging playing field as they competed for the title of the fittest of the fit at Multinational Base–Tarin Kot.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jefferson Moser, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, spent several weeks designing the concept for the competition.

“Soldier’s fitness and cross fit has been a focal point within the Brigade; we just needed a place to host the event,” Moser said.

Under Command Sgt. Maj. Moser directions, soldiers from 2-3 Brigade Special Troops Battalion engineers’ stepped up to this challenge and built a Spartan CrossFit gym including a Spartan helmet on the gym wall for motivation. The gym is a way to promote fitness and inspire troops to come out and compete in the spirited physical fitness competition.

This spirit resonated with the Spartan Headquarters Company commander, Capt. Brad Losner.

“I came out to support my soldiers and the Spartan command team as a matter of Spartan pride,” said Capt. Losner, who participated in the CrossFit competition.

Other Spartan competitors like Sgt. Christopher Monroe and partner 1st Lt. Jodi Corcoran rose to the challenge by competing in the team endurance competition that included pushups, situps, and pullups.

“I normally do 80 pullups before my weightlifting workout, so I knew we just had to hold on to the pull-up competition,” Monroe said.

After the whistle blew ending the pull-up competition, Monroe remarked that he wasn’t tired and could have kept going but the time ran out. The two won the mixed division after they successfully completed over 120 pullups between the two of them.

At the end of the competition, the Spartan Six presented a Spartan Brigade certificate of achievement to the winners, Lt. Jodi Corcoran and Sgt. Christopher Monroe in the co-ed division, and Maj. Brad Bigler and Sgt. 1st. Class Lorenza Ross in the male division.

“The Spartan event had a great showing with all participants giving an outstanding performance” said U.S. commander, Col. Douglas Cardinale, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.

• Date Taken: 04.18.2013
• Date Posted: 04.29.2013 02:49
• Story ID: 105986
• Location: TARIN KOWT, AF
• Hometown: SAVANNAH, GA, US