DATE: April 14, 2022 6:30:40 PM CDT

Best Sapper Competition kicks off, action starts April 23 — spectators, press welcome

Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (April 14, 2022) Fort Leonard Wood’s 15th Lt. Gen. Robert B. Flowers Best Sapper Competition is slated to officially begin with an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. Friday, April 22, in Lincoln Hall Auditorium. But the action begins bright and early the following day at 4:30 a.m.

Spectators are welcome to view most events to be held over the three days and should check-in at 1st Engineer Brigade in building 741, 6221 Iowa Ave., for a packet containing competition information, spectator rules and a map of viewable events. Call the brigade staff duty at 573.596.0222 for schedule information.

Media wishing to cover this event, or part of it, should contact the Public Affairs Office at 573.563.5038 or 573.855.7661 by 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 19.

Throughout the annual competition, 50 two-person teams compete in a variety of events, which, in years past, included a non-standard physical fitness test, land navigation, a ruck march, sapper skills showcase, and mystery events designed to test the teams to their mental and physical limits.

More information on the Best Sapper Competition, as well as the Sapper Leader Course, can be found at https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/units-tenants/USAES/Sapper/BSC. For the most current updates on the competition, follow the Best Sapper Competition on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/BestSapper.

The opening ceremony, some events and the awards ceremony are scheduled to be livestreamed on https://www.facebook.com/fortleonardwoodmissouri.

Competitors helocast into the lake at Training Area 250 on Fort Leonard Wood during the 2019 Best Sapper Competition. (U.S. Army Photo)
Two-person teams swim with their poncho rafts across the lake at Training Area 250 after dropping from a helicopter during the helocast event of the 2019 Best Sapper Competition at Fort Leonard Wood. (U.S. Army Photo)

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post 80 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains nearly 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission