FORT DRUM, N.Y. — Part of the Syracuse team was split into five groups and participated in five team-building activities at Fort Drum on Wednesday morning. The activities were led by the troops from the base, and here is a video and description of each one.

Spider web

In the “spider web” activity, players were tasked with crossing through a makeshift human-size web. Each player in the group of 6-8 players had to go through one of the holes, but no two players could go through the same hole, and the players couldn’t touch the net. If they did, that player had to start over which would slow down the team’s time. 

Most trials left the net swaying back and forth with each player blaming the next for forcing them to have to start over.

In the video below, the group gets through in four seconds after a false start on their first try — the second-fastest time of the day.

Saving Randy 

The drill that some players appeared to struggle with the most was the rescue of Randy, a 165-pound dummy that had suffered a make-believe spinal injury in combat. The players had to put his body on a wooden plank and carry it 200 meters and back while also rolling a tire the same distance. 

There was also a pole involved with the transportation of Randy, and the pole, wooden board and tire had to be touching at all times. Once the players first touched the equipment, the troop running the drill started his timer. The team in the video below had the best time of the day at 3:12.

Memory exercise 

The group had 15 seconds to study a layout of military equipment on a picnic table. The Fort Drum soldier then led the group through a physical drill and the players returned to another picnic table and were given a minute to recreate the same layout with the same equipment, testing their memory and attention to detail.

Self-suspension

Using straps connected to wooden beams, the object in this activity was for the players (who were split into two teams) to suspend themselves in the air. They had to use at least three straps, and the team had to have each of its members hold themselves up for a minute straight.

Blindfold course

For this activity, three players were blindfolded and tied together while a fourth led them through a roped course. The guiding player wasn’t allowed to use words, a way to mimick what it may be like when you have to be quiet or still in combat.

In the video below, freshman cornerback Juwan Dowels uses a clap to get his group to stop, a high bird call for them to go left and a low “hoo” to go right. After the drill, the troop leader commended Dowels’ creativity.

“You did a good job,” the troop said. “Obviously we can’t be yelling ‘ah, ah, ah’ in Afghanistan. But you did a good job.”

Published on August 13, 2014 at 2:49 pm