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The Connecticut SWAT Challenge brings police officers and military personnel from across the country to the state

  • Competitors compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Competitors compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Quinn Herrmann, 2, drinks water during the final day of...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Quinn Herrmann, 2, drinks water during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Competitors jump into the water as they begin the first...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Competitors jump into the water as they begin the first station of challenges during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Tech. Sgt. Francis Gelada leapfrogs over a teammate of his...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Tech. Sgt. Francis Gelada leapfrogs over a teammate of his as they compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

  • Brian Davies, captain of the 103rd International Guard, leads his...

    Kassi Jackson / Hartford Courant

    Brian Davies, captain of the 103rd International Guard, leads his team in air squats during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

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Police officers and military personnel scaled walls, hauled telephone poles and dove into the West Hartford Reservoir during the Connecticut SWAT Challenge’s final training competition on Thursday.

The annual four-day challenge celebrated its 15th year this week as police departments from across the country came to West Hartford, Avon and Simsbury to show their skills and push their limits. The three days prior consisted of individual competitions in shooting, tech defense and vendor demonstrations.

Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.
Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

Teams from across the country

Each team sported around 15 members on Thursday, but many more fellow officers came to support their units. Family, friends and pets also cheered from the sidelines.

The 31 teams of police and military units didn’t know what challenges awaited them at the West Hartford Reservoir for the competition’s final day. Each year, the stations change and the requirements are different. In the past, participants have had to take on obstacles after wolfing down a warm can of tuna of an entire sleeve of Oreos.

This year’s physical training challenge featured 35 stations, beginning with a timed 50-yard swim in the reservoir and finishing up with a tall wall. It took a little more than two hours for each team to make it from start to finish, and they certainly faced their share of physical tests along the way. This year, teams had to carry a sandbag, a bell weight and medicine ball from stage to stage.

Competitors jump into the water as they begin the first station of challenges during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.
Competitors jump into the water as they begin the first station of challenges during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

Taking to the water

The first station on the course challenged pairs of competitors to jump into the reservoir, swim 25 yards to a buoy and then back to shore. Once they pulled themselves back up onto the grass, the partners did 25 Burpees and 25 lunges in unison. While only two members of each team went at a time, the rest of the team stood by cheering them on.

Dan Bedford of the West Hartford Emergency Services Unit sat near the water’s bank as he team finished at the first station. He’s competed with the squad for four years now, and said they finished in second place once. Bedford said the annual competition is a great way to build camaraderie.

“It also reinforces your training and shows your deficiencies,” Bedford said through a gas mask he was strapping on for the next challenge.

Quinn Herrmann, 2, drinks water during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.
Quinn Herrmann, 2, drinks water during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

Family members came to watch

Kaylee Cordero came to support her husband Jeremy Cordero on the course Thursday afternoon wearing a shirt from the 2016 CT SWAT Challenge. She brought their one-and-a-half-year-old son Cristian to watch his father swim, jump and run through the challenges. Jeremy Cordero, 33, has participated with the New Haven SWAT team at the competition for the past seven years.

“Watching what they go through is really insane,” Kaylee Cordero said.

Jeremy said the competitions allow units to meet other squads from across the state and the country, who otherwise they would never see. They’ll trade tips on staying in shape and new workouts that keep them prepared for action.

“You get to know other people around you and they’ll display what they’re doing. You get to bounce ideas off of each other,” Jeremy Cordero said.

Mark and Susan Dagnese of Cranston, R.I., watched proudly as their son geared up for the challenge course. He’s been on the Cranston Police Department team for three years, and they’ve come to see him compete each time.

“They’re always your child, no matter how old they get or what their profession is,” Mark said.

Competitors compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.
Competitors compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

Year-round training

During a later stage of the competition, four team members approached a section of a telephone pole and prepared to lift it above their heads in sync. Before they could begin their 45 reps, the rest of the team had to take on a plank position on the ground. The four lifters had to move as one unit, and the planking team members could not touch the ground.

“It’s great training for us,” Brian Davies, a member of the Air National Guard team based in East Granby.

He cheered his division through the challenges and lead their sprints from station to station. Nicholas Augelli said those feats go beyond normal, predictable training for these guys.

“They throw in all these different obstacles, so you don’t know what to expect,” Augelli said. “You’ve got to be strong, got to have endurance , got to be good at just about anything.”

Augelli wasn’t competing this year, but he brought his two miniature bull terriers, Dallas and Bailey, to support the East Granby team. He said the men representing the 103rd on Thursday had to try out to make the team.

“You’ve got to be training year round for this thing. ‘Always fit to fight,’ that’s out motto,” Augelli said.

Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.
Teams compete during the final day of the 2019 Connecticut SWAT Challenge at the West Hartford Reservoir Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, in West Hartford.

Slade Rand can be reached at krand@courant.com