Officer Liz McCoy and David Dipre Reflect on Academy days...

New recruits leave their families and friends for a seven month academy in Tallahassee and a “chance” at becoming a Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officer. Upon arrival, you meet your instructors and new classmates. This meeting is unlike any I have ever encountered. This meeting consisted of push-ups, more push-ups sit-ups, running, more running and feeble attempts at organizing ourselves into a united class. This was a quick way to make a connection with those around you based on a need to survive.

In everyday academy life you are up at 0445, pronounced Zero Four Forty Five Hours, to begin the physical training at 0500, pronounced Zero Five Hundred Hours. It was cold, frost on the windshield, steam in your breath, twenty four degrees in shorts and a T-shirt cold.  Physical training, aka P.T., consisted of three to six mile runs, calisthenics, and an abundance of motivation pouring from our instructors in the form of much yelling and “in-your-face” confrontation. On some days PT took place at the pool where we swam between one thousand and fifteen hundred yards and tread water from thirty to forty five minutes.  Much of this was achieved while in full uniform.  Did I mention that it was cold?

Once physical training is over you have anywhere from five to twenty minutes to shower and be at breakfast. Classroom work began at 0800 and there would be no sleeping. Although there is an allotted time for physical training, the reality is, you will be doing numerous push ups throughout the day, sometimes just to stop from sleeping in class.

Throughout the academy there are written tests almost every week. If you score below an eighty percent more than one time “YOU ARE OUT” and must face “The Long Walk”. The Long Walk is what none of us wanted to have to make. The tests are checked and the instructor enters the class room. The tap on the shoulder and the unpleasant words “come with me” is the beginning of the end and the last thing a recruit wants to here.

Much of the training is high liability training (firearms, first responder, driving and defensive tactics) if you fail “YOU ARE OUT”.  I learned more through all of this intense training than I ever did in any college course.  I learned that “Pain is only weakness leaving the body” and that I can do more push ups than I ever thought possible. I had the best/worst times on those cold mornings swimming and running with my friends and I would not change a thing.