Navy SEALs push CIAA athletes to get mentally tough

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Five teams of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association athletes hit the water and scaled walls as part of their training in April at the U.S. Navy SEALs’ Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Chowan University, Saint Paul’s College, Bowie State University, Saint Augustine’s College and Virginia State University players all got a taste of the rigors of training with the SEALs in a 12-foot-deep, Olympic-size pool and on the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 Confidence Course, a 17-station land obstacle course.

The training—part of a “Mental Toughness, Never Quit” campaign conducted by the SEALs for CIAA schools—occurred April 16-17. The event was a follow-up to on-campus seminars at the CIAA schools in February and March.



The “Mental Toughness, Never Quit” program, focusing on schools in the CIAA—the nation’s oldest black athletic conference, established in 1912—was developed as part of the Naval Special Warfare’s effort to attract top minority talent. More than 1,000 athletes from 11 schools attended the on-campus “Mental Toughness” seminars.

The goal of “Mental Toughness, Never Quit”—which includes goal-setting, visualization, positive self talk and 4x4x4 breathing skills—is to provide valuable training to athletes while making them aware of potential career opportunities within the SEAL Teams. The SEALs provided players with a unique look into how mental preparation is essential to winning.

Navy SEALs are a special breed of warrior who conduct special operations in any environment, but who are uniquely trained and equipped to operate from, around and in maritime areas. SEALs take their name from the environments in which they are trained to operate: sea, air and land. Their small highly trained teams usually work quietly at night conducting some of the nation's most important missions. SEALs are constantly deployed throughout the world to protect U.S. national interests.

VISIT: THE CENTRAL INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
VISIT: U.S. NAVY SEALs

CIAA athletes train with the U.S. Navy SEALs

If you know how to swim, raise your hand. Most of the 36 black college football players gathered around the indoor pool at Little Creek on Saturday lifted their hands in response to the SEAL's directive.

"When we say 'swim,' " Master Chief Shawn Johnson added, "we mean, 'If we put you in that pool right now, could you tread water for five minutes?' " The young men looked at one another. All but four hands dropped. "That's OK," Johnson said. "We can work with that."

Minutes later, the Chowan University athletes were in the water, practicing the sidestroke, navigating obstacles and learning how to use their clothes as flotation devices.

They were among hundreds of athletes from a dozen colleges in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association who have signed on to train with the SEALs this month at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.

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