FORT DRUM, N.Y. --
Before waging battle, one must be schooled in battle.
Members of the St. Lawrence University hockey team in Canton participated in a team-bonding event Saturday at the Fort Drum Light Fighters School on post.
"Our football team came here last spring, and they had a great experience," said SLU hockey head coach Greg Carvel. "We are an hour away, and Fort Drum is an important part of the area. It's good to expose the guys to a different lifestyle and different circumstances."
The day started with an introduction from Sgt. 1st Class William Partin, Light Fighters School deputy commandant, who explained the courses given at the school and how they prepare Soldiers for combat operations.
LFS courses are physically and mentally strenuous, ranging from combatives, marksmanship and air assault to pre-ranger. They are all geared toward leadership development.
The hockey team then tackled the obstacle course, where they tested their physical strength and agility while jumping over vaults, doing the belly crawl over logs and walking across balance beams. They also tested their psychological will by tackling the height of the tough one ladder and the ropes of the confidence climb.
"I knew it would be a bit of a physical and physiological challenge," Carvel said. "It's exactly what I was hoping it would be because a couple of the guys had to deal with some fears of height and other guys that are real strong in the weight room looked kind of clumsy on some of the obstacles.
"So it was an ego check for certain guys," he added. "Smaller guys were able to do things better than the bigger guys, so it's been a great day."
Fort Drum often hosts team-building events for organizations and athletic teams, bringing members of the civilian community on post to meet Soldiers and experience some of the activities they undergo on a daily basis.
Staff Sgt. Joshua Dozanti, Air Assault School noncommissioned officer in charge, said he believes that when Fort Drum hosts these events, civilians learn about the Army firsthand instead of what they see on television. He said there is more to Soldiers than just training for war.
"We are also teachers and trainers," Dozanti said. "So it's good to see civilians come here and see what we do on a daily basis."
Carvel said that before each season starts, he likes to take his players out for a team-bonding event. Last year, he took the team on a mountain-climbing expedition in the Adirondacks. He said this year's event was especially important since there are 11 new teammates on the roster, including eight freshmen.
"Doing these types of exercises with everyone is great for us," said Kyle Essery, a senior at SLU who plays center for the team. "Helping each other on the obstacle course (is) the best thing we can do for the team before the season happens, because you bond with each other, sweat with each other and (endure the pain) with each other."
Once the last obstacle was conquered, the team headed over to a display of military vehicles and weapons where they learned more about rifle marksmanship courses. After lunch, everyone took turns enjoying knocking each other around in the pugil stick arena.
"It's been a great day," Carvel said. "A lot of laughs, good stories and the freshmen had a chance to come together with the rest of the team a little more quickly than if we didn't do something like this."
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