Cougars Go Green Beret

Provo, UT–The BYU Cougars got a “special” opportunity this past weekend to learn from the Army’s best: the Green Berets.

The BYU Cougars were given a Special Forces Challenge at Camp Williams in Lehi, UT hosted by the Army’s 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group, also known as the Green Berets.

During the challenge the group of Green Berets shared some of their military experience and knowledge to offer the Cougars some special forces training, leadership skills and fitness programs.

The day started early Saturday morning with the Cougars reporting to Camp Williams. After assembling in a meeting hall the players were divided into four separate teams for competitions to be held throughout the day.

The first such competition was the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) where each player was tested on push-ups, sit-ups in a two minute period. The test culminated in a two-mile run for time.

Following the APFT the Cougars were treated to a true military style meal of MRE’s, or a “meal ready to eat.”

“The MRE’s weren’t that bad,” said BYU hooker Ray Forrester, “The food was pretty good and it was kind of fun to see how these guys eat when they’re in the field.”

Following the lunch break the Green Berets administered a group training protocol known as the Leadership Reaction Course (LRC) outdoors in the January elements of Utah.

The LRC is designed to teach groups leadership skills and team work through various challenges that force the groups to achieve a series of objectives without breaking the rules of each mission.

Despite the challenge of these events, BYU center Tupu Folau felt that the LRC was a good opportunity for the team to build cohesiveness and camaraderie.

“Some of the scenarios were tougher than others,” Folau said,”But our group did a good job and I think overall it was a good learning experience for us to work together, be creative and try to come up with a solution for each scenario.”

Rounding out the day’s activities was the most arduous portion of the challenge: a three mile run up to the much vaunted “Mad Martigan” peak. Each group was timed on the run, but in the end it was about the success of making it to the top of the peak that resonated with the Cougars.

“There were guys that were physically pushing their team mates up the hill,” said fullback Andrew Harrison, “It was tough getting up there, but we had to make sure everyone got to the top together and everyone did.”

After a long run back to the barracks a quick shower and another MRE the team was able to process the days events with Lt. Col. Mark Drown, who oversees the Green Berets’ unit.

Among the topics Drown emphasized were discipline and team work, key points that lead to success in the military.

“It was great having BYU here with us and to help these players understand what it means to be an elite soldier,” Lt. Col.

Drown said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all, so we wanted to see how they would push through the pain barrier both mentally and physically, they did well. This challenge exposed them to the National Guard and the Special Forces way of life so that they can learn to challenge themselves to be more than an average rugby player or person.”

Drown, a former rugby player himself and current coach for local high school team Lowlands RFC in Riverton, UT loves rugby and how it compares to his own experiences with the Green Berets.

“Rugby is a tough sport played by tough Americans,” he said, “We think that there’s a lot of cross-over with experiences like these and we hope these players learned a lot and had a good experience.”

BYU head coach David Smyth felt his team did have a good experience and learned many lessons that will carry with them through the season and beyond.

“This was a perfect time to do this event,” Smyth said, “[Lt. Col.] Mark Drown and his staff did a wonderful job making this a great learning experience for the boys. I know many of them were mentally and physically challenged, but in the end I think they’ll take a lot away from this activity, not just for the benefit of our rugby team, but for their benefit beyond BYU and rugby as well.”

Four players were cited for their exceptional motivational influence in their groups during the weekend’s activities: center Viliami Vimahi, flanker Scott Gowdy, prop Steve McFarland and captain and fly half Dylan Lubbe. Scrum half Shaun Davies was also cited for his top individual performance in the APFT.

The Cougars will now take the lessons learned from this experience and turn their attention towards a Saturday match with the 2009 Division I men’s runners-up Las Vegas Blackjacks. Kick-off for that match is slated for 1.30pm with a 2nd XV match to kick-off at 12pm.

Neither team has played the other as this is the first meeting between the two programs. Former Eagle Vaha Esikia will lead the Blackjacks along with the dangerous Seta Tuilevuka, brother of former BYU All American fly half Alipate Tuilevuka. Both matches are to be played at Sunset Park in Las Vegas, NV.

Special thanks to the Army’s 1st Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group and the following members of the Green Beret cadre for their time and energy in hosting and training the BYU Rugby players and staff: Lt. Col. Mark Drown, Sgt. Hicks, Sgt. Barnes, Sgt. Vanehcamp, Maj. Bruce, Sgt. Sammis, Sgt. Hegerman, and Maj. Leavitt.