A DAY AT SOAS

Life is about constant evolution. Always better today than we were yesterday.

Scott Williams

Welcome to another 'Easy Day Was Yesterday'. I'm your host, Scott Williams. And today, we are out in the field, you can probably hear behind me the motor of one of our Razors, as it travels across the sand here on the famed obstacle course at BUD/S. And with me is our SOAS Program Manager, Andrew Dow, retired SEAL.

Andrew Dow

Thank you, Scott, for having me.

Scott Williams

Yeah, hey, it's a pleasure to be out here, get some sunshine and watch the physical evolution that's going on. Tell us a little bit about where we are in the SOAS evolution today.

Andrew Dow

Okay. So, we are as you mentioned at the obstacle course here at NAB Coronado. It is day three of SOAS, assessment week. And right now, we are doing one of the evolutions called the IBS O-course. All the candidates are broken up into boat crews. And for this specific evolution, the objective is to navigate your IBS boat, the same boats they use in BUD/S, through each obstacle that's on the O course. Granted, we're not doing some of the high ones because it's not meaningful or doesn't have real purpose to try to get an IBS boat over a 30-foot cargo net. We have them broken up right now into three groups. And they're starting to navigate. So, they start at the parallel bars. And the objective of each one of these is we're looking at how they critically think, and how the boat crew leader is stepping up. Is he or she stepping up? Are they working as a team? Are they communicating and how they're navigating through each obstacle? You know, they have assessors watching their every move, seeing if they're talking about it, seeing who's not talking, seeing who's trying to be a leader, and you know, seeing the ones who are kind of hiding behind their fellow candidates.

Scott Williams

You know, the obstacle course is hard enough on any given day. And now they've got a boat to get through these obstacles. So, I'm assuming this is not a timed evolution?

Andrew Dow

Well, actually, it is a timed evolution.

Scott Williams

Oh wow.

Andrew Dow

There's an end time, but they don't know how long they have. There is a set time when we will stop it because we can't do this all day. But their job is their objective is to get through the obstacle as fast as

possible. But here's the kicker, the boat cannot touch the ground. There's three stations because it's a big obstacle course. So, we have three groups going simultaneously. As soon as they pick the boat up to

put it over on their heads, it cannot touch the ground, they could low carry it, they can, you know, shoulder carry it, they can fully arm extend it, but it cannot touch the ground once they begin their section of the O-course.

Scott Williams

Now I'm watching a boat crew that's trying to low crawl under the wire that we have set up. And they are attempting to put the boat on top as they try to crawl through. Is this a winning strategy?

Andrew Dow

So, they're allowed to ask questions to their assessor who's watching them and making sure they're being safe. They're allowed to ask questions. However, the assessor has the right to not answer it or to tell them to figure it out. The one obstacle you're talking about the low crawl, which with the barbed wire, which isn't barbed wire, by the way. That technique I would probably not suggest doing. You know, I mean, they're trying to backward low crawl with the boat holding it up. I mean, that's one way to do it. But that's probably not the most efficient way to do it. Without you know, given all the answers here, there's probably a faster way to do it, maybe send guys through because each individual has to complete the obstacle before the boat crew can move on. So, they have to get the boat across, then each one has to complete the obstacle. The low crawl one, the way they're doing it is one way you can do it may not be the best, but it's definitely not the worst. So, it's as a boat crew. It's your objective to figure it out as a team, communicate, try out each ideas and find the way that works best. But back to what I was saying was each individual has to complete the obstacle as well. And if they fail to complete the obstacle three times, they earn a punishment and that punishment is for right now, it's 20 push-ups.If the boat hits the ground, the entire boat crew earns a punishment and that's most likely going to be hitting the surf because it's very warm out today and one of the big concerns is heat. So, we're constantly keeping them hydrated. We're constantly making them hit the surf not as punishment but more like as keep cool.

Scott Williams

I noticed a lot of these guys had sunblock slathered all over their faces because it is a pretty clear day out here and very pleasant by ordinary standards. But what they're going through now is not what we would ordinarily call pleasant. Certainly, the obstacle course is a physical test. But today, it looks like it's very much a mental test.

Andrew Dow

Oh, totally, we have, like this one isn't a physically demanding, I mean, there is physical exertion happening while they're going over, as you can see there, they're doing one technique over the weaver that's you got to be in sync as a team getting through that obstacle. And you could probably hear it in the background, one of the people taking charge and getting cadence so that they get through smoothly, quickly, and safely. And that was perfect form. But honestly, the biggest exertion they'll have today is the sun beating down on them. So, we definitely enforce them to keep the sunblock on them full time because we don't want some guy losing his opportunity to become potentially become a SEAL officer, because he got a heat casualty and got really bad sunburn and wasn't able to perform.

Scott Williams

Now just taking a step back and looking at this overall process, this particular SOAS evolution. We've already seen a significant number of attrites. And we're only in day two of the physical week.

Andrew Dow

This is day two of physical evolutions. And honestly, the morning session these candidates went through was pretty tough. They had to do a lot of running with weight and a long endurance course this morning. So, these guys are feeling it. And we're only at you know, mid-day of day two. So, these guys are burning... the one of the things that is really we're looking at is the grit, how tough these individuals are. And they're constantly going, going, going, and constantly refueling by eating and drinking. But we want to see them move past their comfort zone, right, because that's something we're assessing, we want to see them reach a point where they thought they can never reach before and still be able to perform and communicate because these are our future officers of the team's, men and women. So, we want to make sure that we're selecting the right ones to go to BUD/S. And they're going to be really tired at the end of the day today. Tomorrow is going to be a very demanding day. But it ends early because come Thursday, Thursday, or early early morning, they're going to start their continuous 36-hour or more evolution until the finish line.

Scott Williams

You know, I think a lot of people think that BUD/S is the hardest thing that the SEALs are ever going to do. And then after that, it's you know, you just go on deployment, and you shoot bad guys. I've heard a lot of SEALs come back and say BUD/S was really hard - deployment was even harder. And if I hadn't learned those lessons in BUD/S about how to just push through the pain and the fatigue, I wouldn't have made it through deployment.

Andrew Dow

That's a great point. Just from my experience, looking back BUD/S was challenging. It had its challenges. But I think it was more mental than physical challenges because you wanted to perform at your best, you wanted to make sure you're always doing what you're supposed to be doing. And still trying to you know, be the fastest runner, fastest swimmer and still lead your men and women. You did learn a lot. The things you learned at BUD/S helped you do better in deployment. But there's things in deployments that you couldn't prepare for. And these are things that because you were mentally challenged in BUD/S, your brain was you know, your mental capacity was just so much stronger come deployment. So, when you were faced with challenges, you were able to overcome them. But however, deployments still challenging, because you got all these other things, you know, some guys and gals have spouses at home, they have kids at home, they don't know what's going on. And it's hard for them to not think about these things when they're on deployment. But it's they need to try to block that out when they're doing life or death situation things. And, you know, they're learning a lot of these little things while they're here at SOAS and then when they eventually move on to BUD/S. So, BUD/S is challenging, but it's preparing you for what's coming next.

Scott Williams

Now, look at this evolution here where they're getting ready to attempt the balance logs. And we should point out that this isn't just like the balance beam you'd see in a high school gymnasium, where it's stationary. These are actually logs that are set down low, you know, they're no more than probably a foot or so off the ground. But they are sort of free-standing if you will. In other words, when you walk on them, they rotate. Like they can move back and forth from side to side. And that's what throws the balance off. It's not just about walking across a narrow space, it's about the rotation of the log. And, you know, we can see some of the candidates having difficulty with that. Now they're going to try to move a boat across these balance logs. And that is really hard. So, this is, this is really a critical thinking exercise.

Andrew Dow

Absolutely. So, the logs without a boat is challenging. I mean, going through BUD/S, many years ago, the balance logs was always one of the number one things that got, BUD/S students. This and the rope swing. It was just you're trying to do the obstacle course as fast as possible. Because you're always trying to beat your old time. If not, you pay a price. You're trying to always do better. And now like the bounce logs, there is no real friction those things are the slightest left shift of weight or right shift the weight, those things are spinning. So, I mean, there's a million ways to do it, but it's just okay, find that balance and get through it. Now we're adding a boat. Something candidates should look at is, yeah, okay, each we require them to each complete the obstacle and then get the boat through. Sometimes what I recommend is probably getting the boat through first and then start sending guys through just because,one, it's probably easier with a boat because it's more weight dispersed. But this one section, this is still section one that we're looking at over here is probably the hardest, and most likely these guys will not finish because it's just ...

Scott Williams

Okay here we see another boat crew. And they're going through the vaults, which is a series of five logs set about roughly waist high that you have to just vault over and go to the next one. And each one of these guys is going over the vaults which was relatively easy, but they're also trying to muscle that boat over the obstacle as well and it looks like they're succeeding.

Andrew Dow

So that one that one's relatively easy because you can just rest the boat on top of the logs but let me just let the viewers know that these boats are 200 pounds and of course, there's going to be sand in it so you'll get an excess of 10 or 20 pounds inside there and then when they get to the water it's even worse but it is crucial to do well in this entire evolution of SOAS, it's teamwork. I mean we're looking at communication, and critical thinking, but teamwork is the biggest hurdle that sometimes guys you know, you get guys and gals who don't agree on certain things, and it shows. As you can see, we just finished so each boat crew... wow every boat crew got through that one. That's impressive. Usually, we have some boat crews that can't get through the balance logs or specifically section three with the tower lot .... the rope slide for life. Of course, they're not doing the high they're doing the low rope. But now we got candidates running around. Right now, they just finished with their time but they're getting hydratED because like I said hydration is so important here for them to perform well.

Scott Williams

So, Andrew, after today, they're going to go on and they're going to do more evolutions and how many hours per day would you say that they're active?

Andrew Dow

So, Monday ... so candidates arrive on Saturday, you know, check-in, and then on Sunday, they do a PST, that's the first thing they do. Then they'll do some classwork. And then Monday is when it starts, they usually start at about 5 am and they'll go till about eight, nine o'clock at night. You know, they'll get three meals a day, hour breaks, and plenty of time to stretch and drink, but they're doing this Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday is a shorter day. So, they'll finish around 6 pm. And then it's a mystery. I can't really tell the viewers what's going to happen Thursday, or Friday, but let's just say it's nonstop for a little bit of time.

Scott Williams

Yeah, I can only imagine that the challenges are getting harder and harder each day.

Andrew Dow

Absolutely. So, I mean, this is the second block this summer where we're seeing, you know, we've lost quite a few candidates already just them realizing that, hey, this is not what I want to do anymore, or they weren't physically prepared. And it's really challenging specifically for the OCS and ROTC guys who don't really have experience, you know, maybe making a visit here or having the facilities at their location to kind of like, you know, be a little kid again, because this is like a big kid's playground. That's how we look at it, and just unfortunately ROTC and OCS don't have that. Naval Academy has some things like this with a confidence course and the Marine Corps obstacle course. So, they have opportunities to work their upper body and lower body in conjunction with working as a team. But we've seen a lot of candidates, you know, just realizing that, hey, this, this isn't for me, or I wasn't prepared, and they'll try to prepare and come back next year.

Scott Williams

I know, we've talked about this in previous episodes, but just looking at it out here today, as these guys, you know, are navigating these obstacles, the strength that's required, the coordination that's required, and the endurance. What would you say is probably the best thing they could do physically to get ready for a day like this?

Andrew Dow

So, without getting too into the weeds, the biggest thing candidates can do before coming to SOAS, in general, is make sure you're in running shape, and make sure you've ran in boots on some sort of soft ground doesn't have to be sand, but it needs it can't just be running on concrete or hard surfaces all the time. Everything you do at SOAS has everything to do at BUD/S is on some sort of uneven, soft ground. So just conditioning your lower body to be used to that type of environment to perform in is very important before showing up. I mean, you have the other things you should be strong. You know on the SEAL SWCC website, they have the SEAL, the PST calculator. They're able to, you should be always going back there. If you can't do the math yourself, it's set up perfectly to input your scores, they should always be reviewing on their PST scores to see how they're performing. Because PST isn't everything. But it gives you a good indicator of where you're at physically, you know. Upper body is huge at SOAS and BUD/S, but so is lower body. Everywhere you go, you're running. Everywhere. Every evolution you're going to be doing you're going to be lifting something. Either over your head or on your back. So, you're constantly working. So full body workouts, not heavy weight. More like lightweight, high reps. And just constantly, it's you're conditioning for a marathon vice conditioning for a sprint.

Scott Williams

I know when I've talked to the guys at prep that they stress the importance of neck strength, ankle strength, and stability. Because these are things that guys don't often think about. But with that boat on your head, that 200-pound boat, your neck is going to be tested and running on that uneven ground or

running on those uneven surfaces, you know, ankles can get turned in this kind of thing. And swimming with fins really helps a lot with that. But I think the candidates who are best prepared seem to have worked on those things, not just the big muscles and the endurance but also those stabilizing parts of their body.

Andrew Dow

So, there's a lot of injuries in first phase. We see shin splints or knee pains. It's just like you said it's a small muscle on bones that aren't conditioned, aren't used to the soft surfaces. That I highly recommend you condition before you get here because you'll be at such an advantage because if you're healthy going through buds going through SOAS I mean, you got a leg up on anyone else. Strong ankle support, right, because like we said, you're running everywhere you're jumping, climbing. We're watching guys conduct the obstacle called the dirty name, which is two uneven logs. And if you don't have that core strength, you're not going to be able to jump across, get your body over it, and then swing over and land. It's if you're not careful and not mentally there. I mean, this can be very dangerous. But we have staff everywhere watching this. We have constant eyes on each individual candidate. And I mean these instructors have been doing it for years. BUD/S has been going on for years. So, we know all everything that can happen and what will happen, and how to take action if something happens.

Scott Williams

Yeah, and of course, the corpsman is always out here too. Whenever we do these evolutions, so if somebody does get injured then he's Johnny on the spot to take a look at it and assess it and see what it needs. BUD/S medical handles a lot of these, you know, injuries like the shin splints and the occasional, you know, stingray.

Andrew Dow

Surprisingly, I think that's been a culprit for injuries. Yeah, just students at the surf, and those Stingray stingers go right to your boots and well there's just a huge population right here on the Pacific on the Silver Strand, right outside our base. So, it's very weird that when you see a guy come to medical, and it happens so often that I got stung by a stingray, you kind of laugh, but it's pretty painful.

Scott Williams

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I see one group we've got that's attempting to navigate the dirty name. And they've just about got the boat all the way over the dirty name, the first log is about six feet high, I'd say. And the second one is about 10 feet high. And it's about what maybe eight or nine feet away, you got to jump up on the first log, then jump over to the higher log, get over it, and then drop down. And they've managed to get the boat over.

Andrew Dow

Yeah, they, they navigate it the right way. That one group right there that communicating. There's not just one person barking orders or commands, it looks like they're working good as a team.

Scott Williams

Our second group over here is working on the low wall. And we say low wall, but that wall is what 12feet?

Andrew Dow

Yeah.

Scott Williams

So, you got to jump up, grab it, pull yourself up, and then go over. And now it looks like two of them are stationing themselves up there on top to take the front painter line of the boat and hold on to it while the others hold up the other end. And they're going to have to get over. And then they're going to have to work it down on the other side and the opposite fashion.

Andrew Dow

And yeah, those boats are heavy. So, I hope they don't leave one guy on the other side, because 200 pounds coming from a high elevation from cold way even more. Exactly. But yeah, they're doing that's a good technique that they're doing right now, you know, having guys on both sides of the wall working together, they're communicating moving through, while the guy on top is help navigating the boat over.

Scott Williams

Now here's the fascinating thing, we've got a third group that is working on ...what is the name of this obstacle again?

Andrew Dow

The slide for life. Yeah, that's right slide for life, which is basically there's two levels of ropes, parallel ropes, one comes from 30 feet up and the other one's at about six feet up, candidates are not doing the high one, because it's just one, you can't get a boat up there. And to the lower ones actually harder because there's no gravity pulling you down. So, it's all upper body and leg work to get across the rope. So, they have to navigate the boat across the lines to the end. And of course, if you can see, what we're

seeing is that there's slack in the line. So, once they get past the halfway point, it's all uphill. So, they're trying to get a boat up the hill. And they're struggling a little bit. But the hard part coming right now is getting it over the last crossbeam. Got it all the way across the ropes. They're trying, they're talking through it right now. But this is going to be interesting to see how they get it over. There's a couple ways to do it. I mean, that's one way to do it. But it's ...

Scott Williams

Yeah, it looks like they're going to turn it and try to take the front across without it falling between the two ropes and hitting the ground. So again, it's problem solving.

Andrew Dow

Yep. Critical thinking. Yep. So, they're being assessed on a scale of one to five. Each individual is being assessed on their critical thinking skills, communication and teamwork.

Scott Williams

Well, Andrew, after we finish up this week, what's next for them.

Andrew Dow

So, this is SOAS block two. They'll finish this week on Friday. And then they'll move into exposure interview week where they'll conduct their community interviews with a SEAL officer and a senior SEAL enlisted. And then from there, it's the following Friday, they head home and wait.

Scott Williams

Wait to find out who has been chosen.

Andrew Dow

Exactly. If they're selected to go to BUD/S and potentially become SEAL officers and that'll happen in September.

Scott Williams

Well, that's amazing. It's been great to be out here today and just take a look and see what's going on during the physical week of SOAS and we wish these candidates luck and, hope that they're able to make it to the grinder one day and then try even harder things to get that pin. Andrew, thanks forjoining me today.

Andrew Dow

Well thanks, I appreciate it.

Scott Williams

This is the third segment of four for our SOAS series. We hope you have enjoyed today's episode. And we look forward to the next one when we can talk about what happens after this week and we get to selections. I'm Scott Williams. This was 'The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday'. Andrew, thank you verymuch.

Andrew Dow

Thanks again.