Military Channel :: Best Ranger: Events

February 11, 2012

Best Ranger 101

Day One Events | Day Two Events | Day Three Events |

DAY TWO EVENTS

After a brief rest and medical check, the remaining teams face off in a round-robin series of events called the Day Ranger Stakes (DRS), which takes place in a special competition area. The day concludes with the night-orienteering challenge, which lasts well into the morning of Day Three.

DRS - Prusik Climb
Ranger units from as far back as World War II and Vietnam used the prusik climb and rappelling as means to ascend and descend onto their objectives. On June 6, 1944, the Delta, Echo and Fox companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled 125-meter cliffs at Point Du-Hoc to destroy German artillery positions. All Rangers receive training in combat mountaineering, acquiring essential skills that can be carried over to other insertion/extraction operations.
Scoring: After completing a knot test, competitors must ascend the 60-foot tower with climbing equipment and rappel back down within 3 minutes or less. Scoring is based on time; if any competitor exceeds the time limit, his team member is also penalized.

DRS - Grenade Assault Course
During the Korean War in 1951, a platoon from the 8th Ranger Company defeated two Chinese reconnaissance companies by employing hand grenades. In fact, hand grenades have consistently been among the most effective explosive devices used in combat by Rangers.
Scoring: This course is a timed accuracy event in which competitors are scored on how close and quickly they can "destroy" four targets with a cache of six non-exploding practice grenades. Grenades must land within five meters of the target to be counted as "kills."

DRS - First Aid Lane
The battle fought by the 1st Ranger Company at Chipyong-ni in mid-February 1951 has been called the turning point of the Korean War. It may also have been the first time that transfusions of whole blood were given well in advance of all traditional medical facilities. Rangers must be able to render life-saving first aid in combat situations to live up to the Ranger Creed, "Never shall I leave a fallen comrade." Today, all Rangers receive a military version of "First Responder" procedures, training that greatly increases the survivability of casualties.
Scoring: Under simulated battlefield conditions, teams must locate and provide treatment to an injured "buddy" (a full-weight man-sized dummy). Competitors must package the "buddy" on a skid stretcher (SKEDCO) and move him to a casualty collection point, call for evacuation and rig the SKEDCO for air extraction. All tasks must be completed in 25 minutes, and time penalties are given for incomplete tasks.

DRS - Tomahawk Throw
Rangers trace their history to the French and Indian War of 1763. Rogers' Rangers used to carry hatchets as part of their combat load. Rogers published 20 standing orders that are still relevant to Ranger operations today. No. 19 states, "Let the enemy come till he's almost close enough to touch, then let him have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet." The Best Ranger competition often includes a historical weapons event inspired by the founder of the American ranger tradition.
Scoring: After six practice throws, each competitor has four scoring throws at a target 14 feet away. The weapons must stick in the gold center portion of the target to receive any points.

DRS - M-4 Carbine Challenge
A shorter, lighter version of the M-16 rifle, the M-4 is the standard infantry firearm of the today's Rangers. Over the past decades, the Rangers have made themselves intimately familiar with every component and function of their weapons. Indeed, their lives and mission may depend on this essential skill.
Scoring: A timed event in which each competitor must first disassemble and then reassemble an M-4 carbine correctly within 10 minutes while wearing a blindfold.

Orienteering
Throughout history, the need for a small, highly trained, far-ranging unit to perform reconnaissance surveillance, target acquisition and special-type combat missions has been readily apparent. In Vietnam, this need was met by instituting a long-range patrol program to provide each major combat unit with a special capability. One of the most important abilities of these small units was that of navigating through the dense vegetation of the jungles of Southeast Asia. Mission success depended greatly on the Ranger's ability not only to complete his mission, but to make it safely back to camp to fight again.
Scoring: Competitors must carry out an extended night-orientation challenge over a large mixed-terrain area. Using a red-lens flashlight, map, compass and a list of coordinates giving the positions of 30 designated points (marked in the field with blue chemlight and orange panel), each team must try to locate as many points as possible in 12 hours. All designated points are weighted in relation to their distance from the starting line — the farther the point, the higher its value. Out of a maximum score of 434 points, each team must earn a minimum of 85 to stay in the competition.

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Pictures: DCI |

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