Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Cortez | ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –Service members stationed throughout Colorado warm-up before...... read more read more
Englewood, Colo. -- For Sgt. Travis Johnson, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Thursday mornings are normally spent freshening his basic Soldiering Skills during Sergeant’s Time Training. Thursday, Aug. 25, however, was a little different for Johnson because he along with nine other Soldiers representing Fort Carson participated in a NFL Boot Camp held at the UC Health Training Center Fieldhouse, the practice facility for the Denver Broncos.
USAA teamed up with the Denver Broncos and invited 50 members of the military stationed in Colorado out to the Bronco’s practice facility to train like Super Bowl champs. The morning started with the 50 service members conducting warm-up exercises before breaking off into ten teams, which competed in five football drills similar to those that are used to evaluate NFL talent.
Former professional and college football players supervised the drills, which consisted of Team Ball Catching, The Gauntlet, Tackling Dummy 5 Man relay, Sled Push, and Kneeling Power Ball Launch.
“It feels good to be invited by the Denver Broncos to come here, hang out and do some of the things they do,” Johnson said. It’s easy to tell that they appreciate the military and I’m grateful for the experience.”
For Pfc. Kailey Starlin, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3-61 Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4ID, the NFL Boot Camp gave her a greater respect for what professional football players go through.
“This has been an awesome experience,” Starlin said. “My hometown (Lincoln NE) doesn’t have an NFL team so to be able to come hang out with the Denver Broncos and experience a little bit of what they go through was great.”
It was a great experience not only for the service members participating in the drills but also for those supervising the drills including Blaise Winter, who played nine seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Green Bay Packers.
“I feel very blessed to be here,” said Winter, who played in Super Bowl XXIX. “People might say ‘oh, he’s only running them through drills’ but I’m around some of the best people on earth. For me to be around service members who love their country, it’s truly a thrill to be here.”
Once the Soldiers completed their drills, they attended a BBQ buffet while they watched the Broncos practice. Photo opportunities were also available with a few of the Bronco cheerleaders, Miles (the team’s mascot), and two of the three Vince Lombardi trophies the Broncos have earned. Once practice was over the service members and their guests were invited to go down to the outside practice filed and meet the Bronco players and get their autograph.
“It’s truly a dream come true and an honor to come here representing my unit and Fort Carson during this NFL Boot Camp,” said Spc. Nicholas Payne, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4ID. “This isn’t something everyone gets to do so to go through the drills, watch the Broncos practice and meet them is something I will never forget.”
| Date Taken: | 08.25.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2016 12:36 |
| Story ID: | 208598 |
| Location: | ENGLEWOOD, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 139 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Iron Horse Soldiers spend day with Super Bowl Champs, by SFC John Cortez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
