Diary of a Boot Camper

by Danielle Corriveau

Dear Diary: I have spent the last four months in active duty in The Sergeant's Program, a physical fitness program for adults. I joined the program to strengthen my legs after knee surgery. What I have gained in camaraderie, confidence and calmness, far surpasses any of my expectations of strength training.

Pre-Program. Patrick Avon, who started the program in 1989, puts me through the bakery of "ups" tests, (i.e. sit, push, and step). After a humbling review of the computer print-out test results, we decided I was indeed fit enough to begin the program.

"Boot is for new folks who need strict discipline right away," said Avon. Boot Camp meets every Monday through Friday (rain, shine or snow) at 6:00 a.m. in an outside location. Each morning session lasts for 45 minutes.

I am told that after completing the four-week Boot Camp and passing a modified, Military Style Fitness test, I could enter the ongoing Maintenance Program. That program also meets Monday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. I signed-up for one year.

Boot Camp-Day One: It was a chilly April morning. Three women and five men stood around the perimeter of a basketball court in a Falls Church neighborhood park. Brian Sulc, our "Sarge," began speaking in that strict, flat military tone, so as not to be misunderstood. As we did shoulder shrugs and circles with our arms, he explained that this was not a competitive environment. He gave us an overview of how the next three weeks would progress.

Boot camp during the first week involved doing 25 push-ups, 10-minute jog, 50 abdominal crunches, 15 bench dips and 2-3 chin-ups each day. During the second week, the requirements are raised to 35 push-ups, 15-minute jog, 75 crunches, 15-20 dips and 2-3 chin-ups. Week three numbers jump to 45 push-ups, 20-minute jog, 100 crunches, 20-30 dips and 2-4 chin-ups.

Week Two: Each morning while we stretched, Brian asked us what we had for lunch or dinner the day before. In the beginning, he often rolled his eyes when we responded with confessions of meat, peanut butter and cheese consumption. After a brief calculation, Brian would dish out a number of push-ups in proportion to the lack of nutritional value of your meal. I did push-ups everyday, except one, but I became more conscious of my diet. I’ll never forget the day fellow programmer Mike responded in military tone, "I abstain from answering and assign myself 30 push-ups." The program didn’t make me give up meat and cheese, but I do associate chunks of cheese with stacks of push-ups.

Week Three: By this time I had come to love the term "Reeeeelax," because that meant we were done with an exercise. My new favorite saying was "Take it to the wall," which meant we were done for the morning and it was time to stretch. By this time our group was bond-ing with Brian. At some time, all of us tried to imitate his quirky "counting voice."

By this time I began to notice some changes in myself. I was calmer. Frustrating situations did not seem to rattle me as much. I didn't have that reserve of energy that I didn't know what to do with. My body and mind were getting used to "going" in the morning. l wasn't in autopilot anymore as i took a shower. Now, I was putting on my shorts, knee brace and running shoes in the morning with the goal to do one more push-up than I did the day before. I also became more confident, especially at work. One morning Brian said, "You should be proud of yourselves people. You're showing up." It felt really good to hear him say that. From that inspiration, I developed a mantra - Just show up, rain or shine.

Thursday was our last day as Boot Campers with Brian because he couldn't make it on Friday. As we leaned against a brick wall and stretched our quadriceps, Brian walked away waving his arms like a conductor and loudly humming the tune, "Pomp and Circumstance." One more day until graduation. That misty Friday, our last day of boot camp, we met at George Mason High School with our substitute Sarge for the fitness test. We congratulated each other and said, "see you in maintenance" as if it was months away.

Maintenance Program Day One: Boot Camp is for babies! Maintenance is for men. I identified with Mike who said, "I was just beginning to feel pretty good about myself," as we puffed our way around the goal post. For three weeks I received accolades just showing up. No more. It was time to toughen up.

That first day, when our group of fresh Maintenance students joined a group of seasoned Maintenance veterans, we never stopped moving. It was tough adjusting to the extra 15 minutes in this program. And we could no longer stretch and talk about food the first 10 minutes as we did in Boot Camp. Now I had to stretch before class on my own time.

To me, taking it to the wall meant collapsing on the wall. But something made this one of the most beautiful mornings ever. I was leaning against the wall, panting, stretching an Achilles Tendon, when I glanced over at a nearby basketball court. A new group, three men, stood on the perimeter of the court at 7 a.m. I heard Brian say, "This is not a competitive program. . . We don't want to see anyone get hurt. . . " and I felt good again. That first day of boot camp, I never imagined I could do 225 crunches. Today I can. That first day, I never thought I would do 75 push-ups (split into three parts, of course), but now I can. I was glad I wasn’t in Boot Camp anymore because, at that time, I didn't know what I could do. But I knew the program was going to help me find out. If I just showed up.

Maintenance Program: (14 days later) Our programs have merged now. The Boot Campers and the seasoned members are a unit. We work out with our weights and we pull for one another. T. J. McCutchen broke the ice with Debbie Eakin by asking her if she got her purple-plastic cove weights out of a cereal box. Mac, a boot camper, was Missing In Action for a week. We were all relieved to see him return and hear that he went to an extended Bachelor Party.

Maintenance Program:(21 days later) I am getting up at 5:40 a.m. because I live close to the park. It's dark as I put on my shorts and Grateful Dead T-shirt . I move quietly through the house where everyone else is sleeping. I take a swig of orange juice and pull the front door shut. I will never be a morning person, but the Sergeant’s Program gives me a place to go in the morning. It is difficult for me to get up in the morning without some type of motivation. I need to know that I am part red of a group. I know my team will be there and I know they notice if I am not there. It’s a good feeling to know you are among friends who support you to the very last push-up. I had missed the previous day and on my answering machine at work was a message from a fellow Maintenance person imitating a Marine colonel. "Slacker, where were you this morning?" said T. J in a strained, disguised voice. I smiled. Yeah, I slept in. But I’ll try not to let it happen again because I don’t want to miss out on any fun. I’m not ready for the Marine Corps Marathon, but if I keep showing up to the Sergeant’s Program, someday I could be.