TAMPA, Fla. — USAA and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers teamed up to host “USAA’s Salute to Service NFL Boot Camp” on Tuesday afternoon.
Fifty Tampa Bay-based military members across seven organizations had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train like Bucs and compete against the other branches.
“We’ve been practicing a lot for this,” said Jonny Weischedele, who works in Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base. “We have some people that did it last year. We want to win.”
The boot camp is basically like a mini NFL Combine that features five different drills, including the 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone shuttle, receiving gauntlet, and the QB arm challenge.
“You would think they would do great in these drills,” said Shelina Frey, who works at USAA Military Affairs. “But this is different for them. This is a very unique experience for our military members. When they prepare to go to war, when they prepare for their military missions, they don’t run a 40-yard dash; they don’t do a broad jump, maybe a gauntlet toss and pass. The exercise, physical fitness part is about the same.”
Bucs center Ryan Jensen spent time after practice to sign autographs and take pictures with men and women that serve our county.
“It’s always awesome having our friends from MacDill out here,” Jensen said. “Come out, have a little fun, getting put through some drills today. It’s awesome to shake all their hands and thank them for their service.”
This is the sixth year the Bucs and USAA have hosted this event.
"I really appreciate it. It shows they appreciate what we do for the country,” said U.S. Coast Guard's Joel Longville. “It’s just their way of saying thank you.”
