Manic in the Mountain - Athletes and Coaches Focus on Defenders

Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station-  While military bases around the world celebrate Thanksgiving Day with everything from food service teams cooking up amazing meals to morale and recreation teams offering up turkey trots... a group of athletes and coaches turned the focus on a group of defenders and operators inside a mountain.  

The defenders and operators of the USAF 721st MSG are no strangers to visitors.  Cheyenne Mountain's tunnels are walked by hundreds of distinguished visitors each year. For those not authorized to go inside the fortress, group photos are taken just outside the main entrance… as the camera lens snap photos and guides host walking tours… US and Canadian Airmen, Army Soldiers, Navy Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen look on.   

On this Thanksgiving, American300 revisited the mountain with Olympian and XGames wunderkind Erin Simmons Nemec and Manic Training coaches: Graham Muir, Dave Barnes and Pete Beuth.  The goal being to focus attention on the defenders and operators… let them know just how special they are and offer them a taste of what it's like to train the way elite Olympic athletes do. 

This was the second installment of an on going commitment by American300 to support those who support so much activity around this facility.  "These Service Members and civilian support staff members receive so many visitors who are coming to the mountain with a focus on finding out what goes on inside," says Robi Powers, the host and founder of American300 Tours, adding "our goal is to focus our special guest's attention on those who perform the mission… the mountain comes second." 

Sharing Olympic and XGames medals and tips on training and life was the theme of the day with more then one Airmen fired up to add functional fitness to their on going personal fitness programs.  "I've been running and working the weights for years, but the way the Manic coaches mix cardio with weights showed me just how far I need to go to be fit for life." said one Staff Sergeant who is responsible for defending the mountain. 

American300 will return to the mountain again in a month or so bringing another message of personal resiliency and Never Quitting. "We develop relationships with leaders like Colonel's John Shaw and Travis Harsha of the 21st Space Wing and 721st Mission Support Group and make a commitment to them to develop long term connectivity," says Powers, "there's enough grip and rip one hit wonder programming going on… our programming is about creating life time friendships backed by a theme of being the best we can all be in duty to our country, families and friends." he added. 

For more on American300 Tours visit:  www.American300.org

For photos from the 'Manic in the Mountain' Never Quit Tour go to: American300 Tours 

American300 Tours are a 501c3 all volunteer program designed to support the U.S. Department of Defense Armed Forces with unique resiliency tours.  No federal endorsement of sponsors or nonprofit is ever intended or implied - American300.org