Warriors dash for fitness

Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | Pfc. Justin Mouser, a Jackson, Mo., native and artilleryman, throws a medicine ball while Spc. Phil Gengler, a Burton, Mich., native and gunner, both with 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, “Black Jack,” 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division-North, observes as part of a Warrior Dash physical fitness competition at Samarra Joint Coordination Center Sept. 30, 2011.  

JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ

10.04.2011

Story by Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Tired soldiers sit in pairs, panting and covered in a fine layer of dust that’s already turning to mud as it mixes with their sweat. Having just completed a timed physical endurance course, they wait eagerly to see if they were faster than their buddies coming after them. Even though each team wanted to win, you couldn’t tell by the way they cheered the guys still on the course.

Groups of soldiers with the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, “Black Jack,” 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division-North, at the Samarra Joint Coordination Center, Iraq, participated in a Warrior Dash competition Sept. 30, that pitted them against their comrades to see who could complete the course the fastest.

The Warrior Dash is a physical fitness event run in buddy teams that tests soldiers’ muscular strength and endurance, explained Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Schuerger, a platoon sergeant at the base who helped coordinate the event.

The dash consisted of 13 separate events that utilized the small amount of space and the limited equipment on the SJCC.

During the competition, soldiers had to lift weights, carry a simulated casualty, move sandbags and lift their body weight, along with other exercises.

“We worked out different muscle groups,” said Spc. Keldrick Shinholster, an artilleryman working at the base. “You get a full-body workout. It’s good, good physical training.”

Since arriving at the SJCC in June, the soldiers there have been working out on a regular basis, physically preparing themselves for the quarterly Warrior Dash competitions.

“We work out daily,” said Shinholster, a Gordon, Ga., native. “Everybody wants to be the best. Everybody gives 110 percent.”

“One of our main focuses out here is functional fitness,” said Schuerger, a Santa Clarita, Calif., native.

When conducting physical training, Schuerger chooses exercises that will prepare his soldiers for tasks they might be called to do in a combat zone, such as carry heavy equipment, lifting a wounded battle buddy, or moving quickly in battle.

“If you know you can pick your buddy up and carry him across the base, you know you can carry him out of a firefight,” continued Schuerger.

Schuerger and his partner, his platoon leader, went on to win the competition, giving his soldiers all the more reason to train harder for the next competition.

“We’ll keep doing what we’re doing, preparing ourselves for next time,” said Shinholster. “The goal is to be number one.”

• Date Taken: 10.04.2011
• Date Posted: 10.06.2011 03:32
• Story ID: 78098
• Location: JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ