Part of being a Ranger in the United States Army is accepting the challenge to be the best.
When the opportunity of being the best of the best came in the form of an Army competition, the challenge was too good to pass up for the son of a Richmond Hill couple.
Capt. Sean F. Justi, son of Anthony J. and Maureen Thomey-Justi of Lexington Drive, Richmond Hill, recently competed in the 27th annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition for the chance to be one of the best.
“I like to shape my workout program toward a goal, and while serving in the Army, what better goal to strive toward than Best Ranger Competition,” said Justi, a 2002 graduate of Richmond Hill High School.
The Best Ranger Competition covers more than 60 miles in 60 hours with various events in a marathon style “Ranger Olympics” that includes running, marching, swimming, obstacle courses, marksmanship, orienteering and basic Ranger skills events, like parachute jumps, rappelling and first aid.
For Justi, the preparation for Best Ranger was almost as rough as the competition itself.
“Generally my training remained the same,” said Justi, who was representing a 199th Infantry Brigade team. “At eight weeks out, I integrated a linear progression of distance road marching each week.”
Hour after hour, mile after mile and event after event, Justi gave everything he had to be one of the final teams standing at the very end of the competition. Regardless of the results, he can take pride in knowing he competed in one of the most difficult competitions the Army has to offer.
“I wanted to learn more about my body’s reaction to different styles of training so that I can improve the way I train,” said Justi.
With the 2010 Bet Ranger Competition now behind him, Justi is already planning on returning for another go at being the Best Ranger.
When the opportunity of being the best of the best came in the form of an Army competition, the challenge was too good to pass up for the son of a Richmond Hill couple.
Capt. Sean F. Justi, son of Anthony J. and Maureen Thomey-Justi of Lexington Drive, Richmond Hill, recently competed in the 27th annual David E. Grange Jr. Best Ranger Competition for the chance to be one of the best.
“I like to shape my workout program toward a goal, and while serving in the Army, what better goal to strive toward than Best Ranger Competition,” said Justi, a 2002 graduate of Richmond Hill High School.
The Best Ranger Competition covers more than 60 miles in 60 hours with various events in a marathon style “Ranger Olympics” that includes running, marching, swimming, obstacle courses, marksmanship, orienteering and basic Ranger skills events, like parachute jumps, rappelling and first aid.
For Justi, the preparation for Best Ranger was almost as rough as the competition itself.
“Generally my training remained the same,” said Justi, who was representing a 199th Infantry Brigade team. “At eight weeks out, I integrated a linear progression of distance road marching each week.”
Hour after hour, mile after mile and event after event, Justi gave everything he had to be one of the final teams standing at the very end of the competition. Regardless of the results, he can take pride in knowing he competed in one of the most difficult competitions the Army has to offer.
“I wanted to learn more about my body’s reaction to different styles of training so that I can improve the way I train,” said Justi.
With the 2010 Bet Ranger Competition now behind him, Justi is already planning on returning for another go at being the Best Ranger.