By Nate Wilkinson
The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 York Newspapers, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
They call it the toughest two minutes in sports.
There’s a sprint up five flights of stairs. Then a 42-pound hose has to be hoisted, a 160-pound sled has to be driven five feet and an other hose has to be carried through a series of cones.
It all ends when a 175-pound dummy is dragged 100 feet across the finish line. A good competitor can complete the Firefighter Combat Challenge in under two minutes. A bad compet itor may not even finish at all.
Kevin Holtzapple stood at the starting line at this weekend’s Paul Davis Restoration Challenge in York and hoped he wouldn’t fall into the latter group. His friends and family were looking on. His co-work ers were in the audience too.
When it all ended, Holtz apple and his teammate, fellow York firefighter Mark Bowman, finished the tandem event with a time of 4 minutes, 42.86 seconds to secure second place.
We caught up with Holtz apple in this week’s installment of Sports Q&A:
How are you feeling today?
To be honest, not too bad. I thought I’d be pretty sore, but I’m not too bad.
How would you de scribe the firefighter chal lenge? What does it feel like?
They call it the toughest two minutes in sports. It’s hard to describe how it is until you actually feel it. It combines cardiovascular fitness with weight training and everything ... You’re
using every muscle and you’re trying to catch your breath. If you complete it in record time or in no record time, you can feel good about finishing.
Did you have any idea you would do so well?
He (Bowman) and I were out to have a good time and just do the best we could. That was the first event this year we both did. We were just out to have a good time.
How was the crowd?
People came from all over. Because it was in the Mid-Atlantic region, a lot of people came from Massachusetts, New York, some from down in Maryland and a few from Illinois. The first day, Friday, we had well over 50 competitors.
How old are you now?
I’m just a few weeks shy of 40. I’m holding steady at 39. Once I hit 40, I’ll get 30 seconds subtracted from my time. If I hit 2:30, I’ll qualify for the worlds in Nevada. Right now I have to do a 1:50 to qualify.
Were you nervous at all?
Doing individuals, I was so more nervous than usual. My friends and family were there and you want to do well for your sponsors. It was an all-around exciting event. I can’t thank our sponsors enough.
What do your friends and family think about the competition?
They’re very supportive. My family was out there and they were shocked by some of it. They’re very supportive, especially my wife and kids and stuff. It was the first time they sang the national anthem at an event and my daughter sang it. I thought if she could do that, I have to do this for her.
Do these competitions motivate you?
It gives you a reason to stay in shape. You never know what you might face. It (the competition) makes you proud of what you do for a living.