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JBSA News
NEWS | Sept. 14, 2017

First BOSS Strong Championship to shape future Soldiers functional fitness

By Robert Dozier U.S. Army Installation Management Command Public Affairs

Teams of America's rugged professionals -- U.S. Army Soldiers from across the globe -- have converged on San Antonio from Sept. 11-24 to determine who best represents readiness, fitness, and resilience. Five teams of six Soldiers began the BOSS Strong Championship Sept. 11 at Retama Park, competing in a sequence of daily events that measure application of the five healthy aspects of Army life: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.

BOSS refers to Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, an Army program designed to increase exposure to educational, social, recreational, and artistic activities by unaccompanied military members at Army garrisons around the world.

The BOSS Strong Championship will climax Sept. 24 with an obstacle course competition and presentation of the championship trophy. During the two-week event, the Army will record each team's progress for delayed broadcast on the U.S. Department of Defense News website and other online platforms. The web series will tell the story of the contestants and follow the teams as they progress through the competition.

The goal of the competition, anticipated to be an annual event, is to increase Soldiers' awareness of the most modern ways to increase functional physical fitness, and to highlight the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs and facilities available on Army bases for Soldiers to use in their personal workout programs.

Five trainers will be assigned to each of the five teams. The trainers are Olympians, Alpha Warrior champions, and Soldiers from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program. The trainers will follow a fitness and nutrition blueprint designed by Bennie Wylie, the winning trainer in season one of the NBC "Strong" series. Each trainer will push the team members to enhance their physical abilities, while competing for cumulative points toward being named BOSS Strong champions.

There will be no elimination in the contest, but rather each team is scored on how well they work together to improve the squad over a hectic two-week program that tests outdoor recreation skills such as swimming, rock climbing, golf, horseback riding and obstacle courses. Related events include life skills such as healthy nutrition and cooking, and the competitors will participate in a community service event.

The competition is sponsored by Cerasport Rice-based Electrolyte Drink, Trigger Point Performance Therapy and Global Promotional Sales.