Operation Rio De Janeiro: the 5th World Military Games Post #5- Conclusion

On race morning I woke up early and hustled down to board the buses that would take us to the race venue on Copacabana Beach. The bus was full of nerves and eerily quiet. I sat next to Kathy Rakel and we chatted a little about a few race items, but for the most part, it was a quiet ride. Upon arrival, things got really busy with getting everyone situated. I was running around trying my best to be helpful, but with the exception of applying a few tattoos (race numbers) on a couple of the girls, they had it down and were ready to roll.

I had no expectations of any of the team members other than they race their hardest and be happy with their effort. I could tell they were all ready to get started and it was most likely a relief for them when the cannon sounded, sending them all into the water. Laura was the first to emerge from the water for our team and I got busy from then on. The race went by in a blur and before I knew it, they were all finished and I was hustling back for the men’s start. Kathy was our top female at 21st and Laura was next, followed by Jolene, and then Big O and Lil O. Rachel quickly filed in after Lil O. I was ecstatic with all of their times and especially their efforts. The swim was choppy and they all, with the exception of the O’Connors, wound up in lousy packs of riders to work with. The only reason the O’C’s were fine, was it was the two of them and a straggler or two at times. Poor Kathy got isolated between packs and did a 7 lap TT solo before finally catching the pack in front of her. She rode tough and I was proud of her for catching that pack.

So the girls got home and I was happy and off to watch the men go at it. Oskutis had a monster swim and was able to get himself into the lead pack within a few laps. Bales and Tonder took a bad line to the first buoy and paid for it on the swim and had to ride hard all day in lethargic packs, but both finished it off with great runs. Brad P raced his guts out and had a breakthrough performance, finishing third among the US team. Weasel raced tough all day and got home in style. Like the women, most of the men found themselves in packs with athletes who didn’t want to work on the bike. Everybody just wanted to sit in and wait for the run. This format of triathlon has that aspect to it and can be frustrating for those strong on the bike.

All in all, it was a superb showing for the US Team. One has to remember that other countries bring professional athletes, not real military members, so I judge our performance by an objective standard, not based on the overall field. Some of these athletes here came straight from the ITU (pro world cup series) circuit and watching them struggle to be comfortable in a military uniform they never wear was interesting to observe during our time together at the Opening Ceremony. It is what it is, though, and we know the drill. I did find it interesting that there were some Brazilian athletes here that had military ID cards that were issued in the last days of June 2011. The Polish male team could not produce military ID’s and were not allowed to compete.

My favorite thing about our stay in Rio would have to be our time spent with some of the other teams. By far, our overall favorite team was the Irish. We met up with them in the airport before we ever got to the Blue Village. Their Team Captain and Coach, Derek Nugent was introduced to me by my National War College Classmate, Ireland Defence Forces Colonel Michael Beary. Michael and I had taken a couple of classes together in grad school and became fast friends. His experiences as an Irish Colonel in many multi-national forces scuffles around the world give him a credibility that I truly respect. He just happened to be in Rio as one of the Chiefs of Mission for the Games and it was great to reunite with him.

Along with the Irish Team, we also spent a lot of time with the Canadians. They are just good folks and we really enjoyed their companionship. We knew all of them as they came down to Armed Forces Nationals in April and used the race as their qualifier for their National Team as well. Other teams I enjoyed were the Colombians, and especially India. I knew a few of the Indians from Mumbai in 2007, and they are a team that is still developing. They remind me of Marines, in that where you see one of them, you see all of them. That is a terrific quality in a team. I loved the time I spent with the Indian Team. We traded emails and I look forward to staying in touch.

In looking back on my 13 days in Rio, I would have to say I grew weary of the logistical snags we experienced with the Brazilians. As I have posted earlier, they got left high and dry by the contractors in charge of things and they rebounded nicely, but an area I grew impatient with was timeliness of travel. I tried twice to go on tours while there and both times the delays with buses and the inability to stay on schedule forced me to abandon the trip and just go back to my room. The bus ride back from the race took us 4.5 hours. It really did. That is not an embellishment or exaggeration. My athletes were absolutely starving and being trapped on a bus after racing contributed to extra muscle soreness for them as well. I would have to give the host country of this year’s CISM a C- for logistics. I have faith that they will get it right for the Soccer World Cup in 2014, followed 2 years later by the 2016 Olympic Games. They know they have work to do. The organizers of CISM cruised through the crowd during the after party that they threw for all the athletes, shaking hands and thanking folks for their patience with the snags here and there. I respect that.

In being so harsh on the Brazilians for logistics, I would have to give them an A++ in hospitality. Brazilians are lovely people. Friendly, warm, enthusiastic and an absolute thirst for any pin, garment, jacket, or patch with USA on it was refreshing. They literally swarmed Scotty Tonder one afternoon when he pulled out a pin for a child at a soccer game. We were greeted warmly at every single meal and the friendliness was genuine. They also took their role in protecting us very seriously. I always felt safe during travel. We always traveled with armed security and a motorcade, which was kind of cool. I will always remember Brazilians as fantastic folks.

One doesn’t get many opportunities like this in life and in sport. I don’t take the last 17 days for granted. For me personally, it came at a bit of a cost in that my schedule does not flex easily to accommodate 16 days away from real work and my business, but we made it work. It only worked because my wife took up all of the slack, as did a few of the folks I work with back in my navy headquarters. Thank you to my dear Teresa, as it is our anniversary today and I am hours from being able to see her and the little brown dog. I am counting the minutes. Thank you to Commander Matt “Burro” Grahl, USN for covering my six back at the Navy so I could come live this wonderful experience. I am blessed in many ways. My time with this team is among the many blessings I enjoy. They, along with Brazil, will be in my heart forever.

Thank you to the All Armed Forces Triathlon Team. They put up with my idiosyncrasies, which are considerable, and they made me laugh until my belly hurt more than once. Rio 2011 is in the books, as is my time with this team. A life experience I will never forget.

Thanks for reading. Train with joy or not at all!
Jonser

Operation Rio De Janeiro: the 5th World Military Games. Post #4

Tomorrow is the big day for the athletes. At the Team Captain meeting last week, the race director stated that unless something strange happened with the weather, the swim should be without wetsuits. But as all things go, we find ourselves with two cold, rainy days leading into tomorrow’s race. It is not a big deal in my mind in that the weather is forecast to be nice tomorrow, it’s just that the water will have cooled with the changing weather and the athletes will begin their day in rubber. For us, there are no worries. All of our athletes brought wetsuits in case we did end up racing in them. There are a few countries like Belgium that are scrambling to find a wetsuit for their third best guy behind Vanhoenacker and Van Lierde (no relation to Luc, although Luc Van Lierde is his coach). I think the Germans are going to hook him with a suit, so he should be good. The Belgian coach and I raced against each other in 2006 and got along great, so to be honest, if I had my rubber here with me, I would loan it to them in a second. Friendship in sport is the CISM motto and if the coaches can’t live it…

I am happy with the draw we got for both the male and female races. The draw is done by computer at the coaches meeting and we drew the furthermost position to the left for the male, which puts us #26 out of 26 teams for the start. The start is a parabola so there is no definitive advantage to any team, other than preference based on ones teams’ strengths. For our females we are third from the left in very similar position to the males. I was excited with this draw as a few of our women are more specialized in biking and running and I was concerned about them getting swallowed up and choked off in the center, were they to have gotten that seed in the drawing.

I genuinely like our chances in this race. Our athletes, unlike a good number of other competitors are all pure “soldiers”, as I heard a euro coach describing his athletes. I was running with the German coach the other evening. We have been saying hello to the other on Alii Drive in Kona for years without formally meeting one another or knowing that we were each involved in military sports as well. He described some of his athletes as “athletes” and the others as “soldiers”. An example on roughly how the conversation went- “We don’t have our athletes here for this race so close to the next WCS (World Cup Series) race, we only brought soldiers”. See, in most competing countries within CISM, conscription, or what the United States calls the Draft, is still in place. This means that every single male has to enter into mandatory service. In many of these countries, that service can be done as an athlete. Along with this, many military men are elites on their own, just as are the members of our team. So when we talk about our team in the same terms as Michael, the German coach, all of our racers are soldiers. With that being said, our soldiers are used to racing on the weekends and then training along with working normal jobs through the week. This means they are always carrying a steady level of fatigue in their bodies. The real advantage of us conducting our 4 day training camp in Annapolis and then having this long period of time here in Rio, is the team was allowed to lay down a pretty solid of work during the first part of this trip and then pull back a little bit and just rest. I am convinced that the team in general will have a breakthrough day tomorrow because of this. Stress then rest equals fast times on Copacabana baby!

I think the cooler times are going to bring some pretty fast times. I am excited to see our top men and women rage, and I am anxious to see the team members that I consider as developing have huge breakthroughs that take them to a new level, which bodes great things for the next few years of Armed Forces and CISM.

It is amazing how attached I get to these kids (and Weasel). I pay very close attention to precisely what each one does in their training each day and can see progress happening on a daily basis. I have run this team very differently than the way other Team Captains are running theirs. Some are very structured in the teams daily activities and run a very tight ship. For those teams and those programs, I think that is spot on. For us, I think allowing the athletes to construct their own training days is to their advantage. I try to always be close by if there are any questions, or someone needs an inspiring swim workout because they are bored with what their personal coach has them scheduled for them that day. For the most part, I think in our team, just being there and being available is the best for the athlete. Having said that, I have become hugely invested in each of these athletes races, and I am secretly very nervous for them. I’m not that fussed about overall placings and team placings. Those things take care of themselves. I am nervous because I want them to all walk away with having the race of their lives, and most importantly, an experience they will remember forever.

This will be a very special race on a very special venue. How many times do you get to race at your limit on the streets of the Copacabana shepherded by a colossal statue of Christ the Redeemer looking down upon ya? It is lining up to be an epic day. That much is for sure. I doubt I will have a voice tomorrow night. I plan at screaming at volume 11 for my team with all I have the entire race.

Thanks for reading,
Jonser

Operation Rio De Janeiro: the 5th World Military Games Post #3

Tonight I am sitting by the open window with the cool breeze and the smell of rain on asphalt filling the room. Two blocks away there is yet another Brazilian live band playing in the compound. If you have not spent time listening to Brazilian music, you might want to try it. Lovely stuff.

I thought I would talk a little about the female squad we brought with us here to Rio. Our Armed Forces National Champion this year is Air Force Captain Kathy Rakel. Kathy is an Air Force Intelligence Officer stationed in Arizona and lives and trains in the same area with trips to Southern California to train with her coach. This is Kathy’s second National Armed Forces title and first CISM competition. To be honest, I did not know Kathy before this trip. We exchanged hellos at Armed Forces and traded a few emails with details on the trip before this, but we came on this trip as strangers to the other. Kathy has been very single minded in her preparation for this event and has bypassed the sightseeing and touring here in Rio for the most part, so she and I have found ourselves running and swimming a fair amount together in the afternoons here locally. This has given us the opportunity to get to know one another a bit in the last 10 days or so. Kathy is an extremely impressive individual. If one were to look back at her life in her 26 years they would be blown away by her accomplishments. She is the type who only has one speed- full on, and her life shows it. It has been a blast to get to know her and hang with her a bit. Kathy is high speed for sure, but has a lovely, calm, and enjoyable personality that allows you to just hang out and get to know her. We have had a lot of fun just chatting about whatever comes to mind and truly exchanging in conversation. I am excited about watching her race this weekend. A race this size, with the international talent that is present, will be an excellent test for Kathy. I think people are going to be surprised with her performance. I won’t be. I can feel what is coming. Kathy is going to lay down a blistering race and I am going to have a front row seat to watch it.

Air Force Captain Colleen O’Connor and I were on the same CISM team that competed in Sweden in 2006. I actually don’t remember Colleen that well other than her birthday was on one of the days we were there and we did something nice for her. Colleen and I have since reacquainted and I have the honor of personally coaching her and her sister. Colleen is the real deal both in life and in sport. Colleen was the second place female at Armed Forces and is only going to continue to get faster. Colleen is an Air Force pilot and has a very challenging international flight schedule, which can be a huge disruption to her triathlon training. We have managed to come up with a system to keep her training rolling even when she is bouncing around the globe. Colleen is a former NCAA Division 1 swimmer and brings that work ethic to her training. We have also become solid friends along our triathlon journey. Colleen is a blast; she is sweet, intelligent and mature. The world needs more Colleen O’Connors’. Colleen’s training here in Rio has been awesome and I expect her to bust out a big one this weekend. I can’t wait!

Captain Erin O’Conner is the younger sister of Colleen. As I coach both sisters, I would sometimes get them mixed up when I was writing their training schedules, so I started calling them Big O and Lil O. Erin is Lil’O. Other than being a squirt, there is nothing little about Erin O’Connor. She goes big in everything she does. She was actually not even named to the Air Force squad this year, but due to an injury to a teammate, was a last minute addition to the team. So what did she do? She ripped out an amazing race at Armed Forces and finished third female overall! That is how Erin rolls. I love coaching this young woman. As one of my favorite Lieutenants from down in Corpus likes to say-she is legit! It would be wise to not look past Lil’O. She is a beast on the bike and as mentally tough as any athlete I have ever met. I love to get her fired up. I can tell when I am successful because her eyes quickly tighten up just a bit; kind of like how a fire control radar locks a target. I have big plans for this kid. The fun part is I am sure her plans are bigger!

Air Force Staff Sergeant Jolene Wilkinson is an Air Force Reservist and a pro triathlete and personal trainer. Jolene and I met during our time together at the 4th World Military Games in Mumbai, India in 2007. Jolene gets my vote as the athlete most fun to talk with while walking on scary streets. I remember in Mumbai she and I talked our heads off while walking through some scarier parts of Mumbai. The same just happened the other day. After all of the Force Protection Briefs we have received before coming here, a few of us launched out the front gate to head to a grocery store a mile or so away. Jolene and I chatted non-stop the entire way there and back. After I got back, one of the other Team Captains told me that little stretch of road was one of the most dangerous in Rio. Classic. Some leader I turned out to be! Jolene comes into this race extremely fit and healthy. I always enjoy watching her race and Sunday will be no exception.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Laura Springer is no stranger to these higher level competitions. Laura has actually competed in CISM in Swimming and now in triathlon. Laura and I met in Kona in 2009. Laura has also raced on the All-Navy Cross Country team in addition to the other two sports. If you were to ever gone for a swim or run with Laura you would know why she is competing at this level. She is a truly beautiful athlete to watch. Her swim stroke is both graceful and powerful as she slices through the water with authority. Her running is the same. When Laura strides, she bounds from powerful stride to powerful stride with sleekness and grace. As a coach, I sit there and think- geez, that is just beautiful to watch. A pure athlete is how I would describe Laura. It is great to have her here.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Rachel Beckmann is a grad school student in Oregon, getting her masters in Chemical Engineering. This degree goes along with her Electrical Engineering undergraduate degree from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. If you were to read that with nothing else in there, you would never come up with who Rachel really is. She is probably the most intriguing of all these athletes to me. She not only comes with a 400 pound brain, she is also the real deal in multisport. She can go at any distance. I have seen her do good things in both Sweden and Mumbai at ITU military distance and we have also shared the same parts of the lava fields in Kona together. Rachel has a phenomenal sense of humor and my favorite kind of sense of humor. It isn’t the gut busting obvious type of funny ha ha’s. It is the subtle and nuanced observations from someone much wiser than her years. Rachel has impressed me every single international trip we have ventured on together. This trip is no different. I also pity the person that is not her teammate who tries to stay on her wheel on Sunday. Rachel will take them to a new level of difficulty. Rachel hurts people on the bike-males and female alike. One of the other international competitors here was eating lunch with me a couple of days ago and pointed over at Rachel. “Who is she?” he asks me in broken English. I thought he was sweet on her or something so I just said, “that is Rachel” with nothing more than that. “She strong on bike…mean on bike!” That would be Rachel! Rachel is never an athlete I ever wonder whether she is going to have a good day or a bad day. She will go like hell anytime, anywhere, at anything- not just triathlon. That is why I like and respect Rachel as much as I do.

Well, there we go. There are our girls. They are probably the strongest 6 I have seen us put together. I am really looking forward to their race on Sunday. Once I get back to real internet, I will upload a bunch of photos along with team pictures, etc.

Thanks for reading!
Jonser

Operation Rio De Janeiro, the 5th World Military Games- Post #2

This morning we got up to head over to the site of the swimming for the Pentathletes, as they have a macdaddy 50 meter pool to swim in vs. our 25 meter ice bath. As luck would have it, the competition schedule and our swim practice schedule didn’t jive, so I got to learn a bit about the sport of Pentathlon. Unbeknown to me, the military forces of the world have some of the finest pentathletes in the world, including the USA. The athlete I spent time with this morning was Major Ely Bremmer, USAF, who competed in the 08 Olympic Games. I got to watch him shoot and we walked around the sporting venue and chatted about the sport. Modern Pentathlon is a very interesting combo of horseback riding, fencing, shooting, running and swimming. There is some luck involved in what horse you draw for the competition, but the remainder comes down to just pure athleticism. Imagine running a 1000 meter run as hard as you can go and then picking up a pistol that shoots a laser beam and hit the bulls eye 5 times, and then repeat that two more times over. I am known for a lot of things; being a good shot is not one of them. My pistol marksmanship ribbon aside (I’m sure the range master just felt sorry for me back in the day because all the other ensigns got marksmanship ribbons), but how bad of a shot am I? Let’s just say no animal has ever feared my presence in the woods. I can’t hit a target standing still, much less with a heaving chest from being in oxygen debt after just running hard. So that is what I learned this morning- Pentathlon is a challenging and skilled sport demanding some pretty varied skills from its athletes. Good stuff. I am trying to hit a new sport each day that I know nothing about so I can keep learning. I am going to have to break down and go watch some of the swimming finals, though, as that is clearly my favorite sport besides triathlon to watch.

This morning, I thought I would write a few lines on some of our triathletes we have on the team. The team is comprised of 5 men and 6 women. The Team is selected at the Armed Forces National Championships. We take the top 6 men and women. Unfortunately, one of our males got sick prior to our traveling and could not make the trip.

Lt Col Greg Price, USMC, is a fighter pilot by trade, and like me,a reservist. He has been on active duty for the last 4 years as the Officer in Charge of the Wounded Warrior detachment in Kaneohe, Hawaii. Greg is also an American Airlines pilot and intends to return to the cockpit when he has completed his tour with his current assignment. I have blogged about Greg “Weasel” Price before. Weasel and I duked it out in Kona in 09 (there is a blog about it if you go back to my October 09 Kona race report on the blogsite). Weasel and I get the opportunity to train together when I am on Honolulu layovers, he is just a super dude. I am glad he is here representing.

Major James Bales, USAF, is our Armed Forces National Champion this year and should do quite well on race day, which will be on the 24th of July. James is a former NCAA Division 1 swimmer, pro triathlete, and when he is not doing that, he is an orthopedic surgeon at the Air Force Academy. I could start kicking out his sports and professional resume, but that would be a series of posts all by itself. Just know that James is one of those dudes who are good at everything. Great athlete, scary smart, and one of the most genuine and nicest guys you would ever want to meet. He and I have traveled abroad to races before and I always look forward to our chats.

LTJG Derek Oskutis, USN, and I first met by phone when he was a midshipman at the Naval Academy and was the Captain of the Naval Academy Triathlon Team. Derek is 24 or so and is a great young man. He is fresh out of Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training and is also a ranked pro triathlete who has time racing on the international scene. He is a ball of energy and literally cannot sit still. I crack up every time I look over at him, because he is always swinging his arms, snapping his fingers, wiggling his legs, something is always moving on this kid. He has a thousand ideas about a thousand things and is just going full on the entire time he is awake. I get energy from Derek and it is great to have him around. He has a bright future doing whatever it is he will do in life, triathlon or other. His parents should be very proud of who he is and how much he has achieved in his 24 years on this planet.

Capt Scott Tonder is an Air Force physiologist who is on his way to medical school in the coming weeks after this competition. I had never met Scotty before this trip. We ran an hour or so on the track together the other day and yacked our heads off. He is going places and he does it with enthusiasm and a natural curiosity that will serve him well. He is a phenomenal athlete on top of all his other talents. I am anxious to see how life treats this fine young guy. He is having a blast here in Rio and is taking it all in, as he should be.

Brad Pigage is a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer based in Houston, Texas. As a former enlisted man in the navy, I have a special place in my heart for the young enlisted studs that do good things in our force. Brad, or B-Rad as he is known by some, inspires me. He is a hard working athlete who has a very bright future in our sport. I make no bones about it- he is my favorite athlete on the team. I love to see young dudes always doing their best, and that is Brad. He wants to be the very best he can be all the time. I especially appreciate his military bearing and self possessed nature. He is mature beyond his years, as all these guys are, but he has a specialness to him that makes me excited about his future. I expect nothing but great things coming from B-Rad, both in the sport and in his career. He is by far the most excited about being here at his first international competition. He should get comfortable-he will see more of these CISM’s and World Games for sure. I am ecstatic he made this team- he races the way men should race.

I will cover the females in a separate post. Most of the athletes are finished with their training for the day and are off to see some sites or watch some events. I have come down with a small cold (I think I got a chill from training in the ice bath), so I am keeping my distance from these guys and getting in a little training of my own to stay fit and get back to being healthy.

Thanks for reading-
Jonser

Operation Rio De Janeiro: the 5th World Military Games- Post #1

This whole Rio adventure began sometime last summer when the All-Navy Endurance sports coach, Jim Felty, called me and told me that he would not be able to attend the World Military Games in Brazil as he had family commitments that precluded him from making the trip. I was honored that he would think of me, and so that is how I find myself on this wonderful journey as the Team Captain of the All Armed Forces Triathlon Team.

This adventure started last weekend in Annapolis with a 4 day training camp for the athletes. It actually turned out really well. The athletes turned up fit and ready to roll straight out of the gate. We got in some great swims at the Naval Academy pool and some terrific group rides on a loop that one of the Naval Academy grads taught us. We trained through the day and ate as a team at night. It was a ton of fun. The weather was rocking and that just made it all the sweeter. I have been to Annapolis before, but have never spent much time there. If for some reason I had to work in DC, I would live in Annapolis. It reminds me of Coronado, California with a traditional east coast vibe. It is truly a lovely place.
Our trek to Brazil was a 25 hour adventure with a serious bag drag in there. We were loaded down with bikes, wheels, two weeks of gear, Team USA garbalia, the works. I don’t think I have ever lugged that much stuff from one place to another by air. This was even after I packed a box of things I didn’t think I would need after Annapolis and sent it home! We flew to Miami and then after a 5 hour sit we flew to Rio where we sat for another three and a half hours before we were bused to the Athletes Village.

Have you ever shown up at a friend’s BBQ or party an hour or so early by accident and they were expecting you but they aren’t truly prepared for your arrival? That is what it was like for us getting here on the 13th. Rooms weren’t ready, no food for the first 5 to 6 hours, no hot water- the list goes on. We were roughing it for a bit and we were wondering if the Brazilians were going to be able to conduct a sporting event of this magnitude. It was so bad that the Chinese athletes literally slept along the road outside the Athlete Village and the Chileans slept on the bus that brought them from the airport. We have since come to learn that the contracting company in charge of throwing this shindig walked off the job 10 days prior to the athletes arrival here at the Village. Can you imagine? Here is where I have to just take my hat off to the Brazilians and the delegation as a whole. 10 days prior they get left high and dry and by four days into our stay all systems are go.

When we first arrived, we ate beans and rice along with chicken, coffee and bananas with some different assortments of bread for all three meals. We now have the full spread of plentiful choices, and gifts at the door in the morning when we arrive at the dining facility! God Bless em. It gets a little better every day and we are having a fantastic experience.

I will post more in the coming days now that we have hot water, wireless, viable training venues, and all the other basics that make a two week visit to this wonderful country memorable.

More later…