Oklahoma Recruiting Battalion holds monthly Beat the Old Man competitions

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Recruiting Battalion conducted its monthly Beat the Old Man competition Dec. 20 at CrossFit405, where soldiers compete against the Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Brian Horvath in a timed, strenuous multi-fitness activity.

The monthly rotating fitness challenge is part of the commander and the Army’s incentive to keep soldiers striving to improve their physical fitness, according to a press release.

“When recruiting high-quality personnel, it also involves incorporating fitness into our ranks,” Horvath said in a statement. “A soldier who’s physically fit will look and feel like a soldier, and if you look and feel like a soldier, you’ll act like a soldier. And that’s why we’re here — to keep fit, team cohesion and camaraderie, as well as show our community what we do every day and bring awareness to the U.S. Army.

“Our focus is recruiting high-quality personnel for America’s Army and the next generation of leaders. About 75 percent of today’s young adults admit they know little to nothing about their Army and we are working in our communities to educate them, that we have career options. We have over 150 jobs available in the Army, offering career choices, a chance to travel and the opportunity to create their own adventure.

“We are very fortunate to be able to use CrossFit405 in our community for this monthly event. It shows that we are engaged, active, present, and gives an awareness to our community; as well as adding value and collaborating with other organizations.”

The Department of Defense’s Total Force Fitness program and the Army Campaign Plan, H2F represents a cultural shift in the way commanders train, develop, and care for our soldiers, according to the press release. H2F is focused on improving the readiness of soldiers through five domains: physical, mental, nutrition, spiritual, and sleep. The backbone of the H2F system is the establishment of H2F Performance Teams at the brigade-level, consisting of physical therapists, occupational therapists, registered dietitians, cognitive performance specialists, certified athletic trainers, and certified strength and conditioning coaches to optimize soldier performance and individual readiness across the five H2F domains, according to the press release.