FORT DRUM, N.Y. — A day after Will Hicks and Syracuse put Fort Drum troops through an SU warm-up workout, Wednesday was the soldiers’ chance to teach the Orange some things.

Half the roster went through marksmanship training, and the other half participated in various team-building activities. The drills tested the players’ athletic ability, memory, strength and trust and communication among one another.

“As a group, we’re trying to be on the same page,” senior linebacker Josh Kirkland said after the activities, “communicating at a high level, just kind of like what we’re trying to do on the football field.”

During the cognitive function training, the players had 15 seconds to study a layout of military equipment on a picnic table, including a pair of boots and a backpack. The Fort Drum troop then led the players through a log-lifting exercise before bringing them back to the picnic tables.

“I got the boots! I got the boots!” safety Ritchy Desir repeated during his round of what the troops called “Murphies,” a core exercise.

The group then had one minute, using purely memorization, to recreate the layout on another picnic table.

Although some players were sure they had perfectly replicated the arrangement, the troops were able to pick out some imperfections, and their attention to detail astounded Kirkland. For the soldiers, the slightest oversight could be the difference between a successful mission and a fatal outcome.

“One of the guys was talking about how all the little details go into the work,” Kirkland said, “and how one little mistake can be very detrimental to any soldier in the crew.”

At the next station, wood beams, straps and the shortest of the instructing Fort Drum troops awaited the players.

The soldier told the players that despite his size, his fellow troops count on him to be capable of carrying just as much weight as they do, and the task he gave the players was a test of strength.

The group split into two teams, captained by starting quarterback Terrel Hunt and tight end Kendall Moore. Using at least three of the straps, each individual needed to suspend himself in the air, and the group collectively had to hold it for a minute with each member hoisted off the ground.

It took the sides a bit of time to analyze their strategy and figure out how to interlock straps with each other, but Hunt’s finished 30 seconds ahead of Moore’s.

The competition among all the groups for the best performances had the players, especially defensive tackle Marcus Coleman, in great spirits at the end of the activities before the team began marching down the street.

“I had to show them my athletic abilities, which are very impressive,” a smiling Coleman said, inciting laughter from a group of reporters. “My team is Alpha team, best team out here. We definitely dominated every task we went up against.”

Published on August 13, 2014 at 3:10 pm

Contact Phil: pmdabbra@syr.edu | @PhilDAbb