Silver Spoon Syndrome

Silver Spoon Syndrome...        

Selection Challenge Class 010 was a challenge for the Hellweek PT™ Crew let alone the Candidates. Faced with horrendous weather on Saturday and Sunday, we were against the odds to run an efficient event and deliver the core ethos of what makes us who we are.

We did it, despite the odds, and where others would have collapsed in a ball on the deck and panicked! Instead, we took charge, we delegated right from the start and we made every effort to run as smooth an event possible in the worst possible conditions.

There were insinuations that we should have been cancelled, feedback given that the o-course was not a patch on our Day of Days Challenge O-course and that the weather was too bad.

Most people want everything handed to them, society as a whole has become accustomed to things being readily available and supplied. A little bit of that silver spoon syndrome was a little bit evident on Sunday March 24th. What we do here at HWPT is raw, it's never been any different. We take nothing, and create something from that - showing people that in order to succeed, you need to diversify, adapt, make the best and most of what you have! 

An event will never please everyone, it will never live up to everyone’s expectations, but look back at what was promised – the o-course was stated as a “mini” o-course, designed to aid team-building and camaraderie. Yes, we could have managed it a bit better on the execution of candidates going through it, but we got there and lessons were learned.

That aside, the whole core ethos of a Selection Challenge or Course is to find people that will come together and bond right from the start as a team, and over time find those that have the heart to be there right to the bitter end even when it gets boring and tedious. This is the very mental strength that we speak about all the time, having your buddy’s back even when focus is at an all time low – and you have to kick it back into the touch!

Let’s look at the weather, and the event overall. This challenge is designed “around” the weather being bad – hell, we could run this challenge in the summer, have everyone turn up and it would indeed just be a PT session on the beach. The elements and conditions required to test a person’s willpower would not be there! Why? Because anyone can run a beasting session, bootcamp or fitness challenge, it’s more difficult to create strong teams, teach leadership, enhanced decision making skills and above all else cognitive behaviour! To that you need to test a person’s desires to be there, in any conditions, most will quit and go home, it takes a special kid of person to stick it out when it gets bad. In war, once the bullets start flying, there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide! You stand and fight with your brothers and sisters or you die.

A person can prepare themselves to run 42.2km, do a thousand press-ups and all sorts of physical activities, but take them out of the comfort zone, place them in an environment where their very success is paramount to the success of others, and their whole attitude changes! Place the added pressure of howling Force 6 winds, -5C wind-chill and +1C Water with breakers that would bring the toughest of the tough to tears… and make them endure its temperature, it’s sting, the bite of the wind and still have a brain that functions to allow your body to move, and at the same time motivate your crew mates, work with them, support them and at the end of it all, complete something amazing!

A comment was made that there was no difference in this challenge to what we ran  last year even though we had a Navy SEAL on the deck – that simply means the quality of what we ran in the past has been authentic, our experience shone through and if you’re looking for a pure simple beasting session with no purpose – you should seek life elsewhere! That’s not what we are about.

183 people were due to report  to the Hellweek PT™ Quarterdeck on March 24^th for Selection Challenge™ Class 010 – of that number, 60 arrived, 47 stayed and took part – helping to create our mini o-course and be part of it all right from the start – they endured, they got hammered at one stage, they endured again, they questioned why they were there, they endured, but one by one, they began to drop like flies because they couldn’t handle the conditions. Some were Medical DOR’s, others were those that hadn’t got the loyalty to their crews to stick it out because they couldn’t handle the cold and knew the water was coming.

37 candidates from 183 made it to the end of an almost 10 month journey! It’s not all about the day itself, so many people made the decision one way or another to pull out before the challenge itself arrived, so many quitters! And there is no other way to put it… those of you that know who you are, you took the easy road. Those that showed up can be proud, even the wash-outs. Those that made it to the end, they have something special inside! 

Physical Fitness and strength is one thing to have, and yes it’s admirable that people can bench or lift or squat twice their own body weight, but when it comes down to it, if you can’t endure hardship, if you’re not willing to even try, simply because the opportunity to test your self for real is there… then you have very little else going for you in life.

The banter in the bar afterwards was great craic. The feedback was superb, even the negatives, it all helps us to be better the next time.

Instructor Mcleod was blown away by our conditions over here, he even said that in BUD/S they would never get those conditions – they don’t experience anything like that until they hit SQT in cold, cold Alaska after BUD/S. He thoroughly enjoyed the event, and he thought you were all superstars.

The difference between those that stayed and those that left or didn’t show [bell ringers no matter what the here-say is] is choice! Simple as that, choice! Some chose to stick it out to the end, others chose to quit!  

Not knocking anyone that quit, but there was an evident lack of prep for the day on most candidates’ behalf. It can’t be stressed enough that you underestimated what the challenge would be like and you underestimated how we would run it. We’re very adept at this; we’ve been building teams and preparing people for war for a very long time.

There are 140 t-shirts or so sitting in a box that will never be claimed, because the names on them didn’t bother to show up… what does that tell you about a person’s character? 

Please take the valuable lesson away that you can do anything feasibly possible if you just put the work in, set micro goals as part of bigger macros and stick with the plan. Take your self out of your comfort zone, build confidence, and don’t allow others to carry you up the crucible next time! Be humble about your achievements in life and don’t forget that others need your help. When the chips are down and others are relying on you, be there for them, they will return the gesture when you need them.

We all look forward to working with Instructor Mcelod again for Class 011.

Signing off by saying a big thank you to all that made the journey to Mornington Beach on March 24^th for Selection Challenge Class 010, wear your t-shirts with pride, those that graduated, wear your unique patches with immense pride, and remember, the only easy day was yesterday!