INFANTRY WEEK: Best Ranger Competition kicks off at Fort Moore
FORT MOORE, Ga. (WRBL) — It was dark outside as 56 teams for the Best Ranger Competition gathered at Camp Rogers. The annual challenge is reserved for the best of the elite and is the last event in the Army’s annual Infantry Week, hosted at Fort Moore.
This year’s Infantry Week began on April 7. The highly-anticipated Best Ranger Competition kicked off early on the morning of April 12. Ahead of the start of the event, competitors were doing their best to keep their heads in the game as the culmination of months – and in some cases over a year’s worth of training – drew closer.
“There’s going to be ups and downs in this competition no matter what,” said Capt. Aaron Arturi, who is competing as one half of Team 37 alongside Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Whitney.
Arturi and Whitney are representing the Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade (ARTB). This year is also each competitor’s last shot at the Best Ranger win. Competitors are only allowed three chances at the Best Ranger Competition during their careers.
INFANTRY WEEK: Snipers shoot to win Sniper Showdown at Fort Moore
According to Arturi and Whitney, while they have experience and training, they’ll have to keep in the right headspace throughout long, non-stop competition days to have a chance at winning.
“If we can keep ourselves on pace, keep ourselves up in the spirits … there’s no saying that we can’t do this thing,” Arturi said.
While this year’s Best Ranger Competition is the last hurrah for Team 37, for Team 34 it is a historic first. Capt. David Winnie and 1st Lt. Connor Nielsen are the first EOD team ever to compete for the Best Ranger title.
Winnie and Neilsen said they were excited to represent the EOD and pave the way for more EOD teams.
PARIS 2024: Fort Moore marksman to make Olympic debut this summer
For Team 35, representing the Maneuver Center of Excellence based at Fort Moore, the pressure was on as they waited alongside other teams just minutes before the start of competition.
“It’s just a culmination of all of our hard work,” said Capt. Chad Christopher, who is competing alongside teammate Staff Sgt. Wyatt Johnson. He added, “Coming out in that top spot would just be absolutely awesome.”
Competitors were off to the races before the sun rose, sprinting out to start a seven-mile run, immediately followed by a swim across Fort Moore’s Victory Pond, then another run back to go through Malvesti Obstacle Course.
The action was non-stop for the rest of the day, with the final event of the day – a ruck march of an undisclosed length – starting around 8 p.m. and going early into the next morning. Day Stakes on April 13 kicked off at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium at 9 a.m.
Best Ranger competitors will continue through competition until the final competition event on April 14. The Best Ranger Competition winners will be decided after three-days of work with a buddy run ending at the National Infantry Museum.
An awards ceremony is set for Monday, April 15 at 9 a.m. at McGinnis-Wickam Hall.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL.
