You have the option of earning some coveted bricks while you are at the NA. The Yellow, Blue and Unofficial Green Brick.
The Yellow Brick: Earned for completing the Yellow Brick Road. Almost everyone gets one. The Yellow Brick Road is the final (but optional) test of the fitness challenge. It consists of a 6.1-mile grueling run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, maneuver across a cargo net, and more. When (and if) the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement.
My Yellow Brick with my NA Mug |
Two of my fellow Florida classmates with me after the Yellow Brick Road Run. Trevor is in the middle and I keep in touch with him. We had a lot in common and hung out together a lot |
Navigating the treacherous "Bear Pit" during the Yellow Brick Road |
The Blue Brick: Earned for swimming 34 Miles in the FBI pool while at the NA. About 30 people get these. Surviving the chlorine should have been another award. The pool is great but highly chlorinated. Be prepared to wear goggles and shower off well after each swim. Most students completed a half mile per day to achieve this award.
FBI Pool - Indoor and Very Nice |
The Green Brick: (Unofficial Brick) Earned for smoking 35 cigars (one more number than the blue) on 35 different evenings at the Grove. Many students earned a yellow brick but only 15 earned the green. There were many double and triple brickers in this elite group, including all the fastest runners in the class. The FBI Director even mentioned theGreen Brickduring his graduation speech for us. What an honor to have him speak to us. His core philosophy that I took away was that every employee is special, all should be treated the same as you treat the Director. He seemed to really care about his people and I could tell that.
The Green Brick created a great deal of comorradre. That's a large part of the NA.
Above: My friend Scott from Florida too. Look at his excellent physical condition. I picked up some nice nutrition tips from Scott, especially on supplements that I use today, thank you Scott! |