DVIDS – News – College Trains Its Pupil Leaders on the Blue Grass Army Depot

RICHMOND, Ky. – “I’m right here at this time to learn to be a frontrunner.” These have been the phrases of Andrew Schwartz, captain of the Lexington Christian Academy College varsity soccer staff. LCA introduced a bunch of student-athlete leaders to the Blue Grass Army Depot final week to make the most of the depot’s management response course as a part of their scholar improvement program.

The management response course is a set of varied obstacles, every with totally different challenges designed to check individuals mentally and bodily, stretching them past their consolation zones. The Army makes use of LRCs to show troopers to work collectively to finish complicated, however obtainable duties, in a speedy method whereas coping with unknown variables, similar to a teammate’s ‘dying.’

LCA college students needed to efficiently ‘cross a minefield,’ ‘construct a bridge,’ and ‘cross a river,’ utilizing nothing however the supplies and personnel available. Every scholar chief needed to rapidly assess the scenario, confirm their staff member’s strengths and weaknesses, and devise a plan to finish the problem earlier than time expired.

In keeping with Steve Fugmann, Ninth-grade well being and PE trainer at LCA, who can be a soccer coach, “A few of these guys are mine. The Kentucky Excessive College Athletic Affiliation’s HYPE convention was at this time, however we determined to exit on our personal and do one thing inside our athletic program for our scholar leaders,” he stated. The Kentucky Excessive College Athletic Affiliation web site states the HYPE conferences promote staff constructing, respect, and sportsmanship, whereas working with ‘the way forward for the state, the cream of the crop.’ LCA had comparable targets for its college students finishing the management response course however needed every scholar to have extra time main others.

“We have now nice services right here at BGAD,” stated Col. Brett A. Ayvazian, Commander, Blue Grass Army Depot. “The Army is all about growing leaders, and we’re joyful to accomplice with faculties growing tomorrow’s neighborhood leaders.”

Each coach on the Lexington Christian Academy selected two college students from their staff who they thought would profit from the management response course coaching at BGAD.

A type of college students was senior Lauren Barber, staff captain on the volleyball staff.

“I really feel like, to be a greater chief, you need to proceed sustaining your skillsets,” stated Barber.

Col. Joe Blanton, an active-duty Army soldier assigned to Bluegrass Station, Lexington, and volunteer working with LCA, agreed.

“Every scholar right here at this time is an athlete throughout the faculty. And all chosen by their coach for exhibiting distinctive management potential,” stated Blanton. “We’re seeking to start speaking management and growing younger leaders at earlier levels in a scholar’s life,” he stated.

“Our coaches chosen us for what they noticed in us,” Schwartz added.

BGAD’s management response course has 15 totally different stations with assorted situations to unravel – 13 lively and two remodels. LCA coordinated using the management response course with BGAD’s Army Coaching Coordinator, Invoice ‘Gunny’ Huntzinger. The varsity rotated its student-athletes via management positions as they handed from station to station, giving every youth an opportunity to be in cost and work on options.

“Our management response course is nicely maintained and updated,” stated Huntzinger. “It is a wonderful manner for small-level models to study to work collectively. It is about studying totally different personalities and folks’s strengths in your staff whereas rising belief to beat difficult obstacles rapidly.

BGAD’s Army Coaching Division makes depot services and gear out there to different navy models from all service branches. Moreover, school ROTC and highschool Junior ROTC applications prepare at BGAD to enhance their expertise.

After finishing BGAD’s management response course, college students from Lexington Christian Academy accomplished a service challenge, packing meals for residents of Jap Kentucky affected by excessive flooding earlier this yr.

The Blue Grass Army Depot began operations in 1942. It’s a part of the Army’s Natural Industrial Base which manufactures, resets, and maintains Army gear, offering essential materiel and sustainment assist to Joint Warfighters. BGAD’s major mission is storing and delivery standard munitions, whereas safeguarding the nation’s chemical munition stockpiles awaiting demilitarization.