Short Story

Colleges and Universities A-Z Naval Academy - Annapolis
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<p>I have to write a short story for my AP english class... so I'm kind of here doing a bit of "research." </p>

<p>I guess I was inspired to do a naval academy fictional piece from going to NASS, and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to give me some details on the actual sea trials that the plebes go through. The only info I'm looking for is how sea trials begin, what it feels like getting ready, and what is/may be done within the first hour of sea trials (not the whole thing). </p>

<p>I'm just trying to stay as accurate as possible. I won't go into details about what I'm writing, but if anyone wanted to read it when it's finished I'd be willing to send it out (provided that I get some feedback ;) ). </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>"It all starts at 0-dark-thirty...."...." and ends at 1800 hours, give or take a few odd minutes"...."and in between is just a frenzied blur...."</p>

<p>what a great topic idea! Hope you get lots of input from the mids! As a parent, it was challenging just keeping up with them as they moved from rotation to rotation! Good luck with your essay!</p>

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<p>Thanks! And yes, hopefully I get feedback -- especially since I have like a week and a half until it's due. :p I mean, it won't take long to write but I'd rather not leave it until last minute.</p>

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<p>Bump. Bump.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the bump, GA. :p There's a lot going on in this forum at the moment and some threads just get burried under it all.</p>

<p>If no mids and/or grads are currently available to help, it would great if any parents could share what their kids have told them about sea trials. It may not be firsthand, but it'll be helpful to me. :) I don't need to have someone tell me "what" sea trials is (becuase I know what it is) I just need to hear a few stories to help... get my creative juices flowing? I guess that sounds right! I know that this is fiction, but I'd like to be semi-accurate -- at least more accurate than the movie Annapolis, though I don't think that's hard to do. :D</p>

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<p>
[quote]
There's a lot going on in this forum at the moment

[/quote]
</p>

<p>wrong!! there is a whole lotta nothing going on ;).</p>

<p>Can someone - parent or mid - help gonecokanutts with sea trial stories???</p>

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<p>Sea trials started at 0400. Wake up call for breakfast.
From there, it was to the rotations around 5am. Each to his squad, each squad to his company. They traveled from rotation to rotation as a company.</p>

<p>Rotations were spread from one end of the yard to the other, and to the other side of Severn to the Naval Station. Each rotation lasted about 20 minutes, give or take- although some spanned up to 3 time slots depending on the activity. All encompassed things learned throughout Plebe year- and tested teamwork, strength and conditioning, motivation and determination, and problem solving.</p>

<p>While I cannot recall them all, here are the ones I can remember: </p>

<p>-swimming (recon missions in the water-not open to the public)</p>

<p>-ruk runs- in fatigues and combat boots, a run from hospital point on the yard, to the naval station on the other side.</p>

<p>-bear pit - retrieval of an item at the bottom of a mud-filled pit. designed to have 2 squads compete against each other at a time.</p>

<p>-(cannot remember the name of the rotation)- but included standing on a pole and using a padded paddle to down the opponent....climbing up a ships rope....climb up 90-degree wall with repel...strength challenges....</p>

<p>-log lift.... huge telephone poles that had to be lifted, carried, dropped "without dropping".... arm curls with the log.....</p>

<p>-(cannot remember name of rotation) but a several mile run up and down terrain... wooded ravine area....many obstacles....required great deal of endurance</p>

<p>-Mei Kong Bridge (think that was the name)- another strength station- involved climbing up, then traversing, logs suspended in the air, moving arms and company from point A to point B</p>

<p>-"wet and sandy".... laying on the rivers edge, arms locked together, doing various leg lifts, sit ups, scissors, etc.</p>

<p>-(name???)- boat race.... had to carry and run with rubber raft overhead to the rivers edge, paddle raft to a determined point on the river, race back and beach the raft- lift overhead- run and return it to starting position.</p>

<p>-tug-of-wars..... lots of "company vs. company" tug of wars, each starting from a different point. example- all line up with feet touching rope- when whistle blows, get up, get your rope and pull...... another starts by "spinning" in place until whistle blows..... another starts by lying said distance away and having to sprint to rope....another one very similar, except this time XXX number of pushups before you can run and grab rope....etc....</p>

<p>-"pipes".... simulated water leaks that had to be controlled....the Mids hitting that station in the heat of the day seemed to enjoy this one the most, as they got soaking wet with ice cold water spraying everywhere...a welcome relief from the mud, sand and heat for sure!</p>

<p>-problem solving station (???name).... get your squad from one point to another without x,y,z.... ie: everyone standing on one box- you have 3 planks of wood to use to get to box #2... each individual board too short to span the distance, and each of them at a different length....now go without leaving anyone behind</p>

<p>or
-everyone up on a box of set size that can only accomodate so many.... so teamwork and problem solve how to get everyone "on board"....</p>

<p>-a few others that I cannot recall, but along the same theme of problem solving and teamwork....</p>

<p>there may be a few other rotations that I am missing (hopefully someone will be able to supply you with the names of them, as well as those I cannot remember)....</p>

<p>long day- very hot, very humid, very tiring....
by 1800 hours its all they could do to get back to Rip Miller Field for a "congratulatory" comment by the Supe, then on to the athletic fields for a b'bque....</p>

<p>(funny thing is, there was a ton of food at the b'bque.... for mids and spectators.... and run very efficiently.)</p>

<p>Hope that gives you enough to get you started! If I can locate the schedule I will send it along!</p>

<p>ps...while exhausting, the vast majority of mids were grinning ear to ear!</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot! :) </p>

<p>My short story is going to include waking up, breakfast, and the first hour-ish of working out, since it's only supposed to be 4-5 pages. But by the end of the story, it's going to seem to the reader as if sea trials is almost over when someone asks the time and says that he/she isn't too tired or is exhausted (i'm not sure which works yet). Someone else jokes that they are almost through, only 1X (14/15 something) more hours to go (is it 18 hours of physical activity, or does breakfast come in to play here?). I guess I'm just trying to show how much hard work they have to do. :p </p>

<p>Also, is it unrealistic for a plebe to have a watch? Or would only one of the cadres have one? Second question, mostly for a mid/grad -- when you did sea trials, what number of people did you travel with? What would be a decent number of plebes for me to base the story on? 3-5 out of whatever number of plebes they are with?</p>

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<p>Lunch break but no break for breakfast as I recall.</p>

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<p>^^^^^
The meals provided during Seal Trials are MREs (Meals Refused by Ethiopians).</p>

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<p>MRE's- good one!</p>

<p>gonecokanutts-</p>

<p>Found the schedule! Knew if I did enough digging I would come up with it!</p>

<p>Breakfast was at 0430. (profmom- I don't remember that either- probably because I was just rolling over!)</p>

<p>Transport to the first revolution was at 0515....depending on what company you were in, you either started at Hospital Point, Naval Station East, Naval Station West, Farragut Field or MacDonough Hall.</p>

<p>Naval Station East: o-course, pugil sticks, riverine, ruck run</p>

<p>Naval Station West: Dong Ha Bridge, Paintball, E-Course 1, E-Course 2, Log PT</p>

<p>Farragut Field: Tug of War, DC, Herndon, Box Challenge, Bear Pit</p>

<p>MacDonough: Tug of war, weighted relays, suicide runs, creative strength training, combat</p>

<p>Hospital Point: zodiac, challenge pit, medic, wet and sandy</p>

<p>Other: Run from yard to Naval Station (allotted time: 1400-1540hrs).</p>

<hr>

<p>Ruck Run: run with weighted backpack</p>

<p>O-Course: obstacle course</p>

<p>Pugil Sticks: stand on top end of log, get opponent off theirs with use of padded pugil stick</p>

<p>Riverine: wilderness run up and down riverine; includes rope bridges (single rope that must be traversed), rock climb, repel, steep climbs, etc. Several miles in length.</p>

<p>Herndon: climb up and over 90-degree wall (not sure of height....? 15 feet or so? ) </p>

<p>Box Challenge: boxing</p>

<p>Bear Pit: (forgot what that one was)</p>

<p>Tug of War: as stated; variety of starting points/exercises all leading to getting to rope, getting hands on rope and pull-pull-pull</p>

<p>DC: damage control. Ice cold water squirting out of piles....all holes must be contained by various methods (patches, rope wraps, etc). Cold, cold, cold!</p>

<p>Herndon: another climb</p>

<p>MacDonough: (pool activities):
Tug of war: while swimming, treading water
Weighted relays: swimming with added baggage
Suicide runs: (did not observe)
Creative strengthening: (did not observe)
Combat: (did not observe)</p>

<p>Zodiac: run with raft overhead, put in water, race to designated point in river, turn and return, beach landing, pick up raft, return to start.</p>

<p>Challenge Pit: that muddy hole. Must retrieve rifle dropped by upperclass - 2 squads enter from opposite sides- goal is to get rifle out your side and out of reach of opposing team.</p>

<p>Medic: basic first aide</p>

<p>Wet and Sandy: line up at rivers edge- waves break over head- (more like boat wakes)- arms interlocked down the line- all sorts of leg raises/ etc that stress abdominal muscles--- after you are all "wet" you must crawl on belly through obstacle course under barbed wire; helmets worn (can't remember if they carried a rifle with them on this one)....</p>

<p>Dong Ha Bridge: climb up one side of logs- transverse logs- climb down other side. Get set number of rifles from one side to the other side. Get all members of team across in process. Fashioned after the marine that blew up a key bridge during Vietnam war by suspending himself under bridge and, hand over hand, getting to midpoint to plant explosives, the whole time while under fire.</p>

<p>Paintball: get from point A to B to C to D, etc, while firing, and being fired at.</p>

<p>E-Course 1 and 2: obstacle courses- includes running, rope bridges, rope climbs (several types), rope ladders, "logs"... must weave through- over one, under next, over, under, over, under- until other side is reached. </p>

<p>Log PT: Squad lifts telephone pole log. Various exercises (overhead transport, on-shoulder transport, arm curls, sit-ups with log on chest, etc). Very very heavy. Level of Difficulty: high.</p>

<p>Sea trials ended at 1740 hours, give or take a few minutes.</p>

<p>Hope that helps!</p>