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
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