Photo By Sgt. Scyrrus Corregidor | Sgt. Demer Wilder, an indirect fire infantryman assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th...... read more read more
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With 18 events during Ivy Week 2022 at Fort Carson, Colorado, none encapsulated the Ivy Spirit quite like the hand-to-hand combat tournament. If the Utah Beach physical fitness event was the grand opening, the hand-to-hand combat finals were the jaw-dropping crescendo.
Starting on May 23, the first day of competition used standard rules – grappling and submissions only. The second day featured intermediate rules, which allow submissions, open-hand strikes, kicks, and knees. The championship bouts were full-contact cage fights or advanced rules on the final day of competition.
“Hand-to-hand combat forces individuals to train hard and be ready to fight,” said Staff Sgt. Jacob Grove, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the Fort Carson Combatives Program. “Competition increases the enthusiasm and spirit of Ivy Week, and that is why this week is so exciting.”
After three grueling days of competing in hand-to-hand combat, only four Ivy Soldiers out of 70 came out on top as champions in their respective weight classes.
For the JLTV division championship, Sgt. Demer Wilder of 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, took first place; Bradley division, 1st Lt. Austin Tucker of 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team; Stryker division, Staff Sgt. Danny Phillips of 1st Battalion, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade; and for the Abrams division, Capt. Tyler Mclees of 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
The overall team title went to 1st Brigade, 41st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.
“It feels good to win and come out here and put your skills out on display for the crowd,” Mclees said. “You get to show all the hard work you’ve put in behind the scenes and the Warrior Ethos.”
The first two days of the competition were inside the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion Company Operations Facility. At the onset of the tournament, there was so much excitement surrounding it across the post that many hopeful spectators couldn’t get inside to watch because the venue was so packed.
The championship fights on the third day were at the heart of Fort Carson on Founder’s Field. The roars and cheers of the crowd surrounding the cage and packed into the bleachers echoed loudly across Wetzel Avenue and into 4th Infantry Division Headquarters.
The overwhelming turnout for hand-to-hand combat cannot be attributed merely to the entertaining nature of the event. Deeper than this, those who came to watch, understand and respect the grave reality of the Army profession – that to be a Soldier means to fight.
“Our job is to go to hostile places and get into really uncomfortable situations in order to fight and win,” Mclees said. “And I don’t think there is a better way to train for that than to get into a cage in front of a bunch of people and get punched in the face and choked out. I’m just really grateful to have had this opportunity.”
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2022 15:12 |
| Story ID: | 421556 |
| Location: | FORT CARSON, COLORADO, US |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Ivy Week 2022: Hand-to-Hand Combat Championship, by SGT Matthew Rabahy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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