USAG RP Soldiers compete in Best Warrior 2017

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Two of U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz's best Soldiers will define strength, endurance, mental acuity and warrior skills against opponents from other garrisons at the 2017 Best Warrior Competition held at USAG Ansbach, March 19 to 23.

Staff Sgt. Ryan Theobald and Spc. Jorge Brackett with the Directorate of Emergency Services are up for the challenge and will be tested in the areas of warrior tasks and battle drills, essay and written exam, Army physical fitness test and weigh in and a command sergeants' major board appearance.

Although these two are already physically fit, they hit the gym more frequently to prepare for the competition.

"I'm an avid gym goer," said Brackett, a military police investigator with DES for three years. "I'm in the gym every day for two hours doing various exercises. I started to incorporate more cardio into my workouts -- stair steppers, cold sprints, rowing machines and stationary bicycle to prepare."

Theobald, a garrison physical security inspector, starts his day well before sunrise.

"My day starts at 4 a.m., and I hit the gym at 5 a.m. Later in the afternoon, I'll come back and do some cardio," said Theobald, who is married to Shannon, a Kindergarten teacher at Smith Elementary in Baumholder, and has a 2-year-old son, Luke. "For cardio, I run about 15 miles every week. I also row about 20,000 meters a week too. It's a lot of rowing, but it's a good workout."

The cardio workouts help them with the physically demanding events like the 12-mile ruck march and several mentally stressful events like the casualty assessment under fire, response to nuclear, biological and chemical attack, meeting the CSM board and warrior task drills.

Getting into the physical and mental mindset of the competition, the Soldiers changed the way they train, think and how they eat.

"In the past I would take a lot of whey protein, but now I try to eat more natural foods," said Brackett, a native of East Lyme, Conn. "I eat a lot of chicken, green beans, Jasmine rice with coconut oil on it -- and lots of hot sauce."

Balancing work, family life and training, Theobald wanted to compete to test himself.

"As a Soldier, I've been training my whole Army career -- these are things I should be able to do well," said Theobald, who hails from Troy, Ohio. "For me, it's the challenge. To accept the challenge and compete to represent the garrison is an honor for me. I'll go out there and try my best."

With several events to participate in, Theobald and Brackett agree about their biggest strengths and weaknesses.

"I'm strong at land navigation, weapons, the 12 miler, PT test," Theobald said. "My weakest area is the board. That is the most intimidating part for me."

Brackett agreed. "My weakness is the board too. I did a mock board a few days ago, and I still have some work to do in that area," he said. "Warrior task skills are my strength too."

Brackett is looking forward to representing the garrison and bringing home a win.

"I'm excited to get out there and prove to the world I can do this," Brackett said. "I think this is going to be fun. I'll try my best to win."

Theobald was happy for the challenge and opportunity to compete.

"I want to give something back to this garrison that no one but me can do," Theobald concluded. "I just want to represent at IMCOM the best way I can."

USAG RP Command Sgt. Maj. Ulysses Rayford will be there to support the event and participate on the final board to determine the winner.

"The Best Warrior Competition is important because it fosters teamwork, motivation, healthy competition and facilitates shared learning," the command sergeant major said. "Additionally it's good to have bragging rights once we win."

Rayford is no stranger to healthy competition. Back in 2003, he competed and won the Fort Gordon Drill Sergeant of the Year and considers it the highlight of his career.

"The best advice I can give them is to just show up and give maximum effort," he said. "Win or lose, they are already great young leaders whom I am honored to have on the team."