Soldiers who want to compete to be named this year's Best Sapper have a few days left to sign up.

Registration deadline for the 2017 Best Sapper Competition is Tuesday, Feb. 28, or when the slots fill up for the two-person teams, according to a Friday release from the Army.

The event is open to soldiers serving in the engineer career field.

The 11th annual event will be April 23-28 at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.  The competition began as a way for engineers to demonstrate their skills.

Soldiers competing in the two-person teams must hold the rank of E-4 or above, and one of them must be a graduate of the Sapper Leader Course. 

This year’s event will be the toughest ever, organizers say.

The theme is "50 teams, 50 miles, 50 hours," with 35 events planned to challenge soldiers in mobility, counter mobility and survivability, say planners from the Engineer Regiment at Fort Leonard Wood.

"If you think you know what's coming, think again," Capt. Robert Zimmerman, chief of training for the Sapper Leader Course, said in the release. "We have gone back to the drawing board for this year's Best Sapper Competition, challenging competitors in new ways both physically and mentally."

He didn’t say specifically what the competitors can expect this year. Past competitions have included events in land navigation, demolitions and a ruck march, among others.

Soldiers need to be fit and ready, planners say. What kind of fit?

The kind of training recommended for soldiers going for Best Sapper would be rucking at least three times a week at various distances with at least 60 pounds on your back, said Sgt. 1st Class Stephen Olson, instructor for the Sapper Leader Course.

"This year's competition is not a sprint; it's a marathon, and it will slowly break you down over the course of 50 hours," Olson said.

For information or to register, go here.

See the Facebook page

here

.

Share:
In Other News
Load More