Go Ruck Selection Welcome Party

[Polypro]

Originally Posted by Devildoc

And this is why I have gotten away from the community. The amount of faux-badassery is just insane. Many people who do them think "based on...training" is same as "completed training and have deployed."

My own workout group has formed a ruck club (cool: it's great exercise), but they like going out in the worst weather, in the middle of the night, and brag about hauling a 40# ruck 6, 8, or 10 miles. I just roll my eyes....

I can only imagine. "Ya know, if I wanted too, I bet I could...." Yeah, STFU zippy - get those TPS reports done.

[Polypro]

Pussies. Do it with a Large ALICE Pack, and LCE "Hooks" digging into your Kidneys. Uncushioned Jungle Boots with the steel plate heating up on Ga pavement of course.

[Polypro]

Originally Posted by Gray Rhyno

The group culture seems to have a lot of appeal to a certain segment of society. I'm not sure why, but I'd like to hear any insight if anyone has some.

Some people need to "belong" - may be tribal genetics. I prefer "alone" with my volleyball 'Wilson'.

[Colonel Flagg]

Originally Posted by leopardprey

Now in terms of one wants a good "ruck" challenge? Without having to enlist, I say go hike the Appalachian or Pacific Crest trail. Or if a time constraint the Wonderland trail at Mt Rainer national park (I have done it twice and I consider it the best hikes in the world - and this is coming from a guy that has had five treks in the Himalayas).

Or if one wants that real ruck international adventure, go trekking in Nepal or India.

My three personal events I have yet to do and want to, if I ever get the time , funding or fitness level again:

Two week Japanese alps trek
Bhutan Snowman Trek
Nepal Everest Marathon

Everest Marathon is on my bucket list as well.....tick tock(I’m not getting any younger)

I did the Goruck Ascent a few years back(I’ve got a bit of a climbing/scrambling bug).

It wasn’t cheap, and there were a few goruck radicals there, but most of the folks were pretty solid, same with instructors.

Colorado 14ers are pretty awesome. Really epic area to scramble around with something for everyone.

[Colonel Flagg]

Originally Posted by Polypro

Some people need to "belong" - may be tribal genetics. I prefer "alone" with my volleyball 'Wilson'.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

My anecdotal experience with GoRuck is that it’s a business model built in Sebastian Junger’s book “Tribe”.

Not criticism, more like cunning response to natural human behaviour.

[Gray Rhyno]

Originally Posted by Colonel Flagg

Colorado 14ers are pretty awesome. Really epic area to scramble around with something for everyone.

In the last month, my brother and I summitted Mt Elbert in Colorado and Mt Katahdin in Maine. Good way to spend quality time together.

[leopardprey]

I need to climb Mt Fuji soon.

Father did it when he was a Marine, with my Uncle who was an Army MP, both stationed in Japan back in 1956. Father still has his stamped Fuji stick in the corner of his office

[leopardprey]

Originally Posted by Polypro

Pussies. Do it with a Large ALICE Pack, and LCE "Hooks" digging into your Kidneys. Uncushioned Jungle Boots with the steel plate heating up on Ga pavement of course.

Yeah, no kidding. I cannot even imagine running around in a pair of jungle boots now. I remember for SFAS we all took our jungles down to this boot place on Bragg where they took out the steel plate and also replaced the soles with this ripple sole.

[Devildoc]

Originally Posted by Gray Rhyno

It reminds me of Crossfit, not that I participate in either Crossfit or GoRuck, in that it's more a social "thing" than a fitness "thing". The group culture seems to have a lot of appeal to a certain segment of society. I'm not sure why, but I'd like to hear any insight if anyone has some.

This is true. It is definitely about the team-building social aspect. The essential idea is not a bad one, throw people together in teams, make them suffer for 12 to 15 hours through very physical and mental events, and make them understand they can do more than they think they can do.

The ones I have done have been custom events with my workout group, so I already knew all the guys in it. It is interesting to see the guys who've never been in the military and see how they respond because the cadre are all active duty or vets and are all very predictable in how they run the groups. It does very much attracted the CrossFit, Spartan, Tough Mudder type of people, but when they are done they think they have just come out of deployment or made it through an entire selection course LOL.

Their bags are excellent, but so outrageously overpriced it's ridiculous. I have used either a 5.11 rush or a UM21 SPEAR patrol pack.

[Stanley_White]

This is all about control of the environment.

If you want to push yourself in a controlled environment, i.e. nobody is there trying to kill you, then Go Ruck or Spartan Race or the Midlife Crisis Challenge.

If you want the opposite, well, many of us know how to get there.

-Stan

[Massgrunt]

I wish SOTB were here to call this GAY.

[275RLTW]

Originally Posted by Massgrunt

I wish SOTB were here to call this GAY.

^^^ This

Why pay for a watered down imitation of what I used to get paid to do every morning, with group of office bitches trying to find their balls?

[Devildoc]

Originally Posted by 275RLTW

^^^ This

Why pay for a watered down imitation of what I used to get paid to do every morning, with group of office bitches trying to find their balls?

true, to an extent. Listen, I have no beef with people trying to make a dollar, and I can see some of these types of events used for businesses or organizations for team-building because that's kind of partly what it is. My issue is with the people who do them, and what they think about it. To see them crying because they had to walk 20 miles with a 45-pound backpack, and some of these dudes are seriously athletic. I roll my eyes and just tell them, quit your bitching, do it with 135 lb of gear, for 30, 40 miles or longer, and Sub-Zero temperatures, or when it's a 110+.

Like I said, it's kind of a cult. The owner, a former SF guy, definitely has a niche market in a very strong and loyal client base.

[Gray Rhyno]

Originally Posted by Massgrunt

I wish SOTB were here to call this GAY.

Fucking A.

[GPC]

Originally Posted by Massgrunt

I wish SOTB were here to call this GAY.

Amen!

[Stanley_White]

Before the GWOT the niche market was like...

-Stan

[leopardprey]

Originally Posted by 275RLTW

^^^ This

Why pay for a watered down imitation of what I used to get paid to do every morning, with group of office bitches trying to find their balls?

Lmao....

[Justaclerk]

Originally Posted by Devildoc

true, to an extent. Listen, I have no beef with people trying to make a dollar, and I can see some of these types of events used for businesses or organizations for team-building because that's kind of partly what it is. My issue is with the people who do them, and what they think about it. To see them crying because they had to walk 20 miles with a 45-pound backpack, and some of these dudes are seriously athletic. I roll my eyes and just tell them, quit your bitching, do it with 135 lb of gear, for 30, 40 miles or longer, and Sub-Zero temperatures, or when it's a 110+.

Like I said, it's kind of a cult. The owner, a former SF guy, definitely has a niche market in a very strong and loyal client base.

I'm way the fuck out of my lane here, but I'll take the criticism. In no way, shape or form is GORUCK anything close to the long term commitment that any BTDT makes to SOF. The cadre emphasize that the events are slices of what they went through in their qualification courses, but more importantly they try to instill the ethos into these events.

As far as the Toughs go, it's not that physically demanding, 12 hours under the ruck, carry some coupons along the way and get a little wet and sandy, but anyone who's in reasonable shape and done some training prior to the event should be able to complete it. The Heavies are more difficult as a 24-hour event, but again, training and mental preparation should see one through it. And I agree with Devildoc, some participants see completing these two events as equivalent to the services' courses of significance and for this I throw the bullshit flag.

On the other hand, Selection is a whole 'nother animal and this is where I'm way the fuck out of my lane. Selection takes selection course elements from all the services and compresses it into one 48-hour period with no train up to that kind of stress inoculation. In my opinion, and extreme correct me if I'm wrong, it's like showing up on Day 1 for BUD/S or SFAS and immediately being thrown into the Hell Week portion of either course with no prep other than your own. I believe this accounts for the 98+% attrition rate for this event.


SOTB's take is here.

[Dark Helmet]

Originally Posted by 275RLTW

Why pay for a watered down imitation of what I used to get paid to do every morning, with group of office bitches trying to find their balls?

This.

[gavin]

Originally Posted by Justaclerk

On the other hand, Selection is a whole 'nother animal and this is where I'm way the fuck out of my lane. Selection takes selection course elements from all the services and compresses it into one 48-hour period with no train up to that kind of stress inoculation. In my opinion, and extreme correct me if I'm wrong, it's like showing up on Day 1 for BUD/S or SFAS and immediately being thrown into the Hell Week portion of either course with no prep other than your own. I believe this accounts for the 98+% attrition rate for this event.

You are wrong.