At 5:30 a.m. when most students were in bed, some ROTC Gators were taking a plunge.
The UF Army ROTC program conducted its annual Combat Water Survival Training on Wednesday morning at the Florida Pool, where cadets tested their survival skills in the water with full equipment in tow.
Capt. Nathalie Conley, an assistant professor of military science in the UF Army ROTC department, said the test is a commissioning requirement for all UF Army ROTC students.
It requires students to complete a 10-minute diagnostic swim, five minutes of treading water and a 15-meter swim.
It also includes a blindfolded 3-meter drop in the water with their equipment and a drop in the deep end of the pool where they have to take off all the gear without surfacing, Conley said.
“This training is generally not harder than other programs, except for those who don’t know how to swim,” she said. One cadet had to be rescued by the lifeguard during the exercise.
“Lately, there has been a turn in the Army where people aren’t up to stuff on their swimming skills or their aquatic abilities,” said cadet Tyler Schaper, a 22-year-old UF geography senior. “This training just gets them used to swimming and dealing with water problems.”
Conley said ROTC provides free lessons to students who are struggling with swimming.
[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 4/10/2014 under the headline "ROTC Gators train, are tested in water"]
