Company A! Hoo-rah!

Yippee! Cross off week 3!

I’m a little hesitant to write this because I don’t want to jinx anything, but... Jay’s 3rd week at the Academy was a good one. He scored 100% on one of his POST tests and also really enjoyed his his classes. PT was rough as always but he made it through. The best part about week 3? Jay’s company, Company A, really started coming together as a group. Here’s how it started:

Friday morning, they all started with really good attitudes and even cheered as they went into PT. It was a good workout (they got to swim instead of run!) and they felt that the PT staff were impressed with their enthusiasm.

Later that morning Company A went to PMA class feeling like hot stuff... ok, maybe not hot stuff, but at least mild stuff. PMA is also taught by the PT staff, and any good impressions the PT staff had did not carry over into this class. The cadets were made to do knuckle push-ups, which go a little something like this: grab the baton, place it on the ground, get in plank position (starting push-up position) without your knees hitting the ground, and then do a push up on your knuckles. All your weight is essentially on your wrists and it is difficult and painful. No thanks.

So the PT Staff is counting off the push-ups and *everyone* is having a hard time. Jay wasn’t able to do a single one properly. The instructors didn’t notice Jay, however, because they were circling one particular female cadet, Cadet B___, and just yelling in her face. “Get your knees off the floor! You’re cheating! You’re weak! The whole company’s waiting for you!” You get the point. These instructors can tell when someone is on the verge and they just pounce.

They told everyone to stop and they called the entire Company up front where they all sat in a semi-circle. Sgt G stood, pointed at Cadet B___, and said, “You. Cheater. Get up front.” He made her grab her baton and get in push-up position. He did the same and was staring right in her face, yelling at her to do the pushup. The whole Company could see she was on the verge of tears because of the pain and the stress of the situation. Then Jay heard a voice from the back. A cadet named Espos sounded off, “Sir!” He walked up to the front with his baton. “I cheated too, sir!” He got in push-up position next to Cadet B___ in a show of support.

The instructor yelled “Any other cheaters out there?” Every single cadet in Company A got up, put their batons on the ground, and all dropped down together. The adrenaline of the situation helped Jay power through. As they were coming back up, Cadet Espos shouted, “Company A!” and they all responded, “HOO-RAH!” The PT staff looked impressed at the way they came together as a group, and knuckle pushups were not mentioned again ... at least for that day.

Later, during a break from another class, Company A cheered for Cadet B___ to thank her for “taking one for the team.” HOO-RAH! It may sound cheesy, but the teamwork and support they showed that morning helped them come together as a group and really got them revved up. That’s what it’s all about... as a CHP Officer you need to know you can count on your coworkers, and that trust starts to build in the Academy. Company A is the only company to not lose a single cadet this class. Let’s hope it stays that way.

And now another weekend has come and gone. It was wonderful to have Jay home and we had a great time as a family. I did make a slight mistake, however, when I bragged a few entries back about not doing any of the ironing. This weekend Jay was working on his autobiography that’s due on Wednesday so I attempted to military press his shirts. Two words for you: NOT FUN. I was so stressed out trying to make them perfect that it took me 45 minutes to do one! And I still wasn’t happy with it! Jay finally took over for me. Poor guy, having a wife who can’t even iron...

Here is Natalie helping Jay study... so sweet! Maybe Kindergarten wasn’t such a bad idea after all.


The new Saturday ritual: Jay takes the kids to get bagels while I sleep in. That, my friends, is heaven.

And now we start another week filled with adventure and excitement and ... dishes... and laundry... and cooking ... and... I think I'm going to go to bed.