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Dummy drag part of toughest two minutes in sports

Seven Thompson firefighters have spent the first half of the year training and they're about to put their skills to the test at the Firefit Combat Challenge regional competition in Prince Albert - in what has been called "the toughest two minutes in
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The dummy drag, 100 feet pulling 175 pounds of dead weight, is the final stage of the Firefit Combat Challenge that Thompson firefighters will compete in this weekend in Prince Albert.

Seven Thompson firefighters have spent the first half of the year training and they're about to put their skills to the test at the Firefit Combat Challenge regional competition in Prince Albert - in what has been called "the toughest two minutes in sports."

"We've been training now since January," says Ryan Chigol, who will be entering the competition for the fourth consecutive year, since first getting Thompson Fire and Emergency Services involved in the competition with former department member Russ Friesen in 2006.

The team members started the year with weight work, building their strength and power in the gym and then moved into high-intensity training over the last two months, concentrating on core work and anaerobic training, keys to getting below the two-minute mark. "You want get your anaerobic capacity, your heart rate, up as high as you can."

Kane Doran, who will be in his second year of competition, says it's also important to watch what you eat.

"This year I concentrated on diet a whole lot more," he said. "Everybody's been training really hard. We do a lot of aerobic training."

There are also some first-timers, including Mark Cortens, who's been on the job with the fire department for the past eight months.

"It's a good way to improve my personal fitness," said Cortens, who also joined up for the team aspect. "I heard it was a lot of fun."

Other members of the squad include Mel Angelstad, Corey Armstrong, Keith Day and Lonny Kopan.

The Firefit Combat Challenge puts contestants through a grueling course that tests the skills firefighter use to battle fires.

Racers complete the course in full turnout gear, which firefighters wear when responding to alarms. It includes a helmet, boots a firefighting jacket and pants, as well as a self-contained breathing apparatus.

The start at the base of a 60-foot tower, running up six flights of 10 stairs, all while carrying a 42-pound hose bundle. At the top, they grab another hose that hangs over the tower's edge, attached to a 45-pound hose bundle. This is pulled to the top, hand-over-hand. After racing back down the stairs, the firefighters use a mallet to move a device that simulates making a forced entry. This is followed by a zig-zagging 175-foot run around pylons. Then the competitors pick up a hose filled with water and run another 175 feet, where they open the nozzle and knock over a target with the stream of water. For the final stage, the firefighters pick a 175-pound dummy in their arms and drag it 100 feet.

"The dummy drag is the hardest," says Cortens, pointing out that all of the tasks in the competition involve the legs, apart from pulling the hose to the top of the tower. "You're all tired out. You've got not too much left in the tank to finish it off."

Two years ago, a team of five Thompson firefighters placed third in the relay event in the regional Firefit Combat Challenge, finishing ahead of six teams, while Chigol and Friesen both qualified for the national competition, where they both made the final round, finishing in 49th and 150th place. Last year, Chigol won the individual event in Prince Albert while working for another fire department.

Chigol likes his team's chances this year.

"The relay, I think, we have a good chance to win at the regional," he said. "It's good experience if we can go to the national level."

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