Nearly 100 athletes from 13 California high schools tested their physical limits and mental toughness during the fourth annual Navy SEAL Invitational Tournament May 10 at the Naval Special Warfare Center.
The high schools were each represented by a team of seven student athletes and a coach. The high schools were: Irvine from Orange County; Cathedral Catholic, Coronado, Del Norte, Eastlake, El Capitan, Hoover, Lincoln, Mount Miguel and Saint Augustine from San Diego County; Central Catholic and Thomas Downey from Stanislaus County; and Fillmore from Ventura County.
The tournament included physical and mental challenges on both water and land that measured individual persistence, athleticism, endurance and enthusiasm.
Athletes first negotiated the infamously tough SEAL obstacle course and then they commenced a two-mile run in the sand, with one runner from each team carrying a 35-pound sand bag. The teams then chose a pair of members to swim a 150-yard relay in the ocean, battling the surf and tide. After the swim, each member participated in a relay carrying the 35-pound sandbag 150 yards across the beach before handing off to the next teammate. Following the relay, one member from each team finished with a rope climb. The athletes completed the day with the PT Challenge: 70 pull-ups, 300 pushups, and 300 sit-ups as a team.
The Navy Parachute Team, known as the Leap Frogs, made a special aerial appearance by parachuting onto the beach in front of a crowd of hundreds of athletes and family members.
At the end of the grueling day the crowning title of “Toughest and Best Team” was awarded to Saint Augustine High School, whom won the title for the second consecutive year.
Click HERE for more information about becoming a Navy SEAL.
Story and video courtesy of the Navy SEAL & SWCC Scout Team.
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