Batallion Chief R.C. Smith, our 50 year old and 290 lbs Combat Challenge Competitor. See Video Clip

Name: Battalion Chief, R.C. Smith
Fire Department: Colorado Spring Fire Department
Age: 50
Position: Battalion Chief
Sports:
Hobbies:

THE GAZETTE Extra Pounds Aren't Handicap in ESPN "Firefight." by Deedee Correll

Its pretty amazing when a Battalion Chief puts himself on the line to compete in the Fire Fighter Combat Challenge. That is what Battalion Chief RC Smith did in 2002 and he is doing it again in 2003.

Smith started competing in the 1993 the World Police and Fire Games when it was held in Colorado Springs, CO. A team challenged Colorado Springs for the Muster, because the home team usually wins. They were the gold metal holders. Up until that time the team that hosted held the gold metal. Usually because the host team hast he advantage of practicing withthe exact equipment used for the competition.

They thought...they were going to be the first team to go somewhere else and win, because they thought no way we could beat them. So we started practicing and ended up winning. Then we went to Sydney and won again, we were the first team to win in another city. Then in Calgary we won the gold metal in one event and the silver metal in another. It was in Calgary that Smith got the idea to add another event to his repertoire and started power lifting. In the WPFG held in Calgary, Smith took the silver in the power-lifting meet, and then in Indianapolis he was the gold metal winner in the push-pull.

Exercising is very important to Smith because it makes him feel more positive about himself. In order to develop consistency, Smith thinks it is important to choose something you like to do. Then it becomes more of a break in the day, than a chore.

Smith is still a big guy, but continues to focus on his fitness instead of dieting. “I've always been by every insurance scale and general measure, overweight. I was bigger as a child. Right now, I'm overweight and I'm sure it prevents me from being as fit as I could be. But, I took the CPAT test, which is the fire department entry-level test and I passed it. A lot of thin guys can't do that. A lot of young guys can't do that."

Smith continues, "I could improve my cardiovascular fitness and losing weight would help that but. It’s another one of those things that becomes self-defeating. People put so much emphasis on weight. They control what they eat so much then they deny themselves, then they binge, then they don't lose the weight. Then as my wife would say, which is one of my favorite expressions, "then you're filled with self-loathing."

Name: Mike Kaup
Fire Department: Colorado Springs Fire Department
Age:
Position: Firefighter/Paramedic
Sports:
Hobbies:

Mike, another new member of the CSFD Combat Challenge Team, started out his season with a broken wrist he sustained while doing the hose hoist with Denny Peffer in March 2003. Do you think this stopped him?. Of course not.

As you can tell from the photos below, Mike is still giving it his all and as soon as he recovers he is there to support his team mate Juliet Draper in her recovery. Mike is a 48 year old, recovering smoker who's gone from one pack of cigarettes per day in the past four months to 3 cigarettes per day.