Blair Green and her UK teammates had to push a tank during their workout at Fort Campbell. (UK Athletics Photo)
It may not have looked like fun but Kentucky senior Blair Green insisted a bonding trip the UK women’s basketball team recently took to Ft. Campbell was a “lot of fun” for the team. The UK players trained with soldiers at the Ft. Campbell Assault School during the overnight stay and left with a far greater appreciation for what being in the military meant.
“We really did not know what we were getting into,” said Green. “For the soldiers, it was just a workout. For us, it was hard but it forced us to get to another level and figure out there is more to us than we even know.”
The soldiers put the UK players — along with coaches and other staff members — through a series of training regimens.
“We went way past our normal limits,” Green said. “We literally carried each other. It had to be a team effort for us to finish. It was the best and most effective team bonding you could ever do.”
The players woke up at 5 a.m. to “pots and pans banging” and then had a five-mile workout carrying 30-pound packs every step.
“It was crazy. We were just there a night and afternoon, but it was really hard,” Green said. “We were even pushing tanks.”
Pushing tanks? Aren’t those really heavy?
“It was tough, but once we finished it was awesome seeing everyone achieve that and carrying each other to get it done,” Green said. “We were split into teams with at least five or six people pushing and the rest were behind us pushing our backs to help.
“It was brutal. We really battled each other but it just showed us how strong we can be if we work together.”
