Thank you CF Plano

Comment

Comment by Troy Dodson on November 29, 2009 at 8:46pm

Congrats Mason on earning your trident! That is such a huge accomplishment. For anyone unaware of what earning a trident means - it means Mason is now a US Navy SEAL. SEAL stands for Sea, Air, Land, because they attach from all three. They are amongst our best special operations forces.

For anyone who is unaware of what Mason had to go through to earn his trident, let me spell it out for you. And I promise you this will not do him justice:

- BUD/S - Basic Underwater Demolition School - 26 weeks of misery, cold water, little sleep, lots of running and swimming and calisthenics, and a lot of training. On average they cover 10+ miles per day both running and "walking" with heavy stuff.
- Hell Week - These guys typically don't sleep at all for the first 90+ hours and then after that they only get 3-5 hours of total sleep for the week. All while maintaining performance standards and working as a team to complete evolutions.
- SEAL Qualification Training - I remember reading in a book that they take them to Kodiak Island, Alaska where they have to strip down and enter the freezing water for 5 minutes and then have to demonstrate surival skills by not dying. Apparently you fail if you die!

Some better resources than hearing this from me for anyone who is interested in better understanding what Mason has gone through is:

The Warrior Elite by Dick Couch
Discovery Channel's BUD/S series (6 DVDs)

Thanks for sharing these great photos of your achievement, Mason. I will always be here for you for anything you ever need.

Anyone who knows you and understands what you have accomplished would agree when I say that You are the one who did ALL the hard work, and You are the one who paid the price. Congratulations on your success and thank you for your service and for inspiring so many of us at CrossFit Plano.