LARAMIE, Wyo. (Oct. 16, 2018) – As a part of the athletic department's Excellence at 7220 program, University of Wyoming student-athletes were treated to a special presentation on Monday night by former Navy SEAL and professional CrossFit athlete Josh Bridges at the High Altitude Performance Center.
 
Discussing his perspective on perseverance and mental toughness illustrated by stories about his time serving in the military and competing professionally, the Cowboy and Cowgirl athletes across a number of different sports had the opportunity to ask Bridges questions and pick his brain on what has gone into all he has achieved.
 
Bridges is a four-time CrossFit Games veteran and has been a CrossFit athlete since 2005. He is a former collegiate wrestler at Lindenwood University and three-times deployed U.S. Navy SEAL before retiring in 2015. In CrossFit, he has won three of the five regional competitions he's competed in, while finishing on or near the podium in three of his four CrossFit Games appearances.
 
"Just being able to listen to somebody that has that status of professional athlete, Navy SEAL, college athlete, it puts what I'm doing now into perspective and makes me think of what I'm doing as worth it in the end," Wyoming wrestling All-American Montorie Bridges said. "He came and watched us practice earlier today and it was pretty cool because it's not every day that you get to have that guy come and watch you work out or in a way spend his day with you. I think him talking about his mental preparedness and routines and things like that gives me pointers in my life and things that I can implement to make me mentally stronger, a better athlete, and just a better overall person."
 
Wyoming associate head wrestling coach Ethan Kyle, who is partly responsible for Bridges' appearance on campus, believes that UW athletes and especially his wrestlers stand to benefit greatly from hearing such an accomplished individual speak.
 
"I met Josh during high school, he was wrestling at a conference rival school in St. Charles, MO where we both grew up," Kyle said. "We never competed at the same weight class but were at many of the same tournaments, and often trained together outside of the season.  I stumbled across him again this summer watching a documentary on the CrossFit Games, and searched him to find out he's former Navy SEAL, and perennial top CrossFit competitor for the last number of years.  I was interested to reach out to him given his intersection of wrestling, military service & professional athletics.
 
"I thought he would be incredibly inspiring and relatable to our student-athletes and provide some immediate insight that our guys could incorporate into their daily life immediately.  Josh's experience as a Navy SEAL and professional athlete are so relevant to what it takes to excel as a student-athlete in terms of mental toughness, discipline, perseverance and ambition, especially for our guys in a combat sport.  I hope our guys can also gain insight into how Josh has made transitions in and out of various phases or careers in his life, and inspire some of our guys to pursue military & or athletic careers after graduation."
 
Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Success Taylor Stuemky believes that Bridges can provide student-athletes a difference perspective on athletic success and life, given his accomplishments as a wrestler, Navy SEAL and CrossFit athlete.
 
"Bringing in a speaker like Josh Bridges gives our student-athletes a different perspective on life," Stuemky said. "They can relate to him in the sense he was a former collegiate athlete and the physical and mental stamina it takes to do so. Josh's story is about never being satisfied and always pushing himself to the next level. He has achieved greatness as a Navy SEAL and a consistent top ten contender in the CrossFit games, yet continues to challenge himself.
 
"I hope our student-athletes can be rejuvenated in their own lives and inspired to continue pushing themselves beyond their limits. I am very grateful for Coach Ethan Kyle with men's wrestling for connecting us with Josh and allowing our student-athletes to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience."
 
The Excellence at 7220 program is focused on helping develop leadership skills in both student-athletes and Athletic Department employees. The central tenets of the program include: developing tomorrow's leaders; promoting personal growth; encouraging community engagement; improving the well-being of student-athletes, coaches and other departmental personnel; promoting excellence; teaching skills for life; encouraging professional development; and helping guide each participant on an individual level.
 
Key elements of both the student-athlete and employee development programs feature training sessions on specific topics, establishment of mentor programs and bringing to campus guest speakers who focus on teaching leadership to organizations and individuals on a national level.