The weekend the Condors were Marines

Rarely has Chilean sport seen such an incredible comeback as that of the men’s rugby team against the United States. In inhospitable conditions, with a temperature of 36 degrees, an altitude of more than 1,600 meters and a disadvantage of 19 points in the game and 20 in the series, the Cóndors struck the big blow and qualified for the World Cup. world for the first time in their history, showing unfailing mental tenacity.

On the weekend of April 2 and 3, the players had an experience that would ignite the character of the group for the final stretch of the Qualifiers. It was about a stay at the Chilean Navy Marine Corps Basic Training Center, located at Fort O’Higgins in Talcahuano, where rugby players performed various drills and extreme tests with the marines.

“We are living the ultimate test of the marines, which is the warrior’s challenge. We were in charge of them for 16 hours, during which they showed us different tests and how they live. It was a unique experience, very painful, but very entertaining. We are learning great lessons as a group. That’s where our big motto comes from, which is that it’s all in the mental toughness, something we needed for those times. I take this opportunity to thank them, because they have always believed in us », says Rodrigo Fernández, one of the figures of the team.

Commander IM Jaime Gómez was in charge of leading the athletes. There, the unit commander presented them with a pennant, which had to be protected at all costs. Players geared up like soldiers and immediately faced the rigors of the tasks, where the main objective was to foster physical and mental fitness, as well as build spirit, morale and foster self-discipline.

“Based on our experience as marine trainers, a training plan has been developed emphasizing: teamwork, generator of group cohesion and the mutual trust necessary to face any obstacle; resilience, ability to overcome adversity, individually and collectively; physical and mental attitude, aimed at possessing strength and stamina, as well as fostering a mental and emotional aptitude that maintains the will to fight at all times “says Captain Gómez.

The commander points out that it is not the first time that they have accepted a request for these characteristics, since in 2007 Cenbim received the rugby club Los Troncos to carry out their pre-season for the national championship, which they would finish by winning. “In this context, the current administration of national rugby, as part of its preparation for this historic challenge, has decided to carry out training work with us, which has been requested from the command of this institution. “, Explain.

“El objectivo plantado por la Federación Deportiva Nacional de Rugby de Chile fue realizar un entrenamiento militar that will allow to improve the individual qualities and collectives of the team, poniendo a prueba espíritu de superación ante las adversidades impuestas, probando in different conditions the physical and mental capacity of the players “, precise.

Second Lieutenant, Marine Luis Videla, together with the group of IM military instructors belonging to Cenbim, divided the group into two to deal with initiation activities, mental challenges and military marches. During the night, they had to walk 35 kilometers, sleep under the stars and recover the flag that had been taken from them while they spent the night. At 5 am on Sunday 3, and after a very short period of sleep, the players started dragging a large truck for several meters, with different slopes.

“We had to pull the truck 600 meters, and the longest time was 30 minutes and we did it in 18. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We had a bad time, but you end up loving them the same reveals Matías Dittus. “We did different drills, passing things, crawling on the ground; things about strategy, a lot about teamwork and leadership. It gave us that extra push we needed when we thought we couldn’t get things done. Afterwards I think we were more convinced, because we had lived through worse “, adds Fernandez.

Dittus also remembers this moment. “Everything was very hard, from start to finish: being from 3 a.m. until 11 a.m. the next day and, in between, sleeping outside for 20 minutes in a sleeping bag, walking around with weapons that were fake, but it was walking with weight all the time… The tests were all difficult, but they helped us a lot to stay united as a team. It was extraordinary. I saw it all as the worst possible scenario, the whole night was a test of success for us he reflects.

The experience ended with a competition between boat patrols, calling on a navy unit to seal the ritual with a confident leap into the sea from a ship. Back in Fort O’Higgins, they are received by head coach Pablo Lemoine, who sees his students arrive at the Patio de Honor loaded with two amphibious boats.

The Uruguayan coach remembers how this idea was conceived. “Our external consultant, Craig White, devised a 12 month plan of mental work and one of those steps was to take on a challenge they had never taken on in their life. They had to be brought to face something totally destabilizing. These guys are trained to a superlative level, so it’s very difficult to generate a physical stimulus that will knock them out. “, he admits.

The renowned strategist values ​​the experience and believes that it meant a before and after in the preparation of the Cóndores. “The truth is that it was a fabulous experience. All of the physical and mental wear and tear goals have been met, but humanly speaking, these boys are out of this barracks of other people. They understood the value of much simpler things; respect for the flag; to the t-shirt; of how things build up mentally when you have no more strength and you have to make extraordinary efforts. Everything from mental effort, because physically they were liquefied, since they had been in a state of extreme physical demand for 15 hours, but they understood that the mental was stronger “, phrasing.

The Uruguayan remembers that his leaders had no mobile phone, watch or any technological element during this raid, and tells an anecdote. “When they slept, they thought they slept three hours, but in reality they slept six minutes he says to celebrate the internal power of its leaders, something that is directly linked to the historic victory over the Americans. “The match ends up defining with mental strength “, establishes.

“We can see that they had a positive and winning mentality at all times, which even allowed them to break some records for the different ‘combat’ situations imposed by this IM Training Center”, underlines the unit commander, who feel free to describe the experience. as something rewarding. “I think both sides have learned. We appreciate your commitment to performing each test and situation with professionalism, courage and humility. “, he concludes.