With one sentence, the US Navy Seals have been helping the US Olympic sailing team: “We’re going to reset your baseline today”. After calisthenics, the Seals send the athletes into the freezing water for a dip. The group is then forced to carry logs together. No one is allowed to go ahead, faster members forced to go back and help their teammates.
After two hours of training, of the 42 that started only 18 are left.
And those dropped are forced to come back and help teammates.
This is the first time the US Navy Seals went out to Colorado Springs to train US Olympians. And by the tears you can judge that these athletes are being stretched to their limits. “No knees” a Seal shouts to a sailing team Olympian as she struggles to do eke out push-ups, ice cold water dripping from her nose.
It’s 4 am.
The US Olympic teams are not taking victory for granted. The standard for training on the way to London is arduous, but it hasn’t stopped a single Olympian from getting there. Once they qualify, Olympians ramp up their training all the more to ready for both the trip to the host city and a rest there at the camp before they perform in the final events.
Finalized US teams include track & field, gymnastics, sailing, basketball, fencing, volleyball, swimming, tae kwon do, show jumping and dressage, and bowling. Gradually other teams will be added to the finalized roster, as the event dates loom and groups begin to learn how to work as a unit. It’s the finalization that determines when these teams can begin to work with one another.
And once many of these finalized teams meet, it’s time to train as a team—
Pulling each other up to reach for gold.
