I was blessed to have been invited to attend the 2023 Florida “SWAT Roundup” in Orlando, Florida on November 8th and 9th. This week long event featured 49 Tactical (aka SWAT) Teams from all over the world to test their skills against the best in the business. It is hosted once a year by the Florida SWAT Association. Teams include NASA SWAT, Hungary TEK, Saraievo Police Department, AOCU SWAT HUNGARY, Sint Maarten Police Force, Korean National Police, Jamaican Constabulary Force, as well as a large number of teams from throughout the United States. At the end of the week, San Antonio SWAT was the overall winner!
Having had the opportunity to have competed in the SWAT Roundup many years ago, I was pleased to observe how much it has changed and grown. The venue is no longer at the old Orlando Landfill but now consists of many new state of the art shooting ranges and buildings. The teams are young and stronger than ever. The vendor show has grown to literally hundreds of vendors on site demonstrating their wares that consist of anything tactical.
What follows is a story in photographs of what this year’s Roundup was all about. Makes me want to suit up and get back into the game! Oh to be young again!!!
The Competition!
The Vendor Show
A large portion of SWAT Roundup is the Vendor Show, a large gathering of businesses providing products for the Tactical community. The Vendor Show was set up under a large pavillion between the ranges which was accessable to everyone at the event. Nearly anything related to the needs of SWAT Teams was available, unlike the early days when we designed and fabricated much of the gear we used out of need and neccessity. If we had only known how the tools of yesterday would evolve into the state of the art equipment being offered today!
Top SWAT Cop Event
The TOP SWAT COP event was well attended and was one of the highlights of the week. The event looked very similar to a Crossfit competition. The competitors were required to run, perform chin-ups, leg-lifts, weighted sled pull, multiple rope climbs, tote weighted bags (one of which weighed 200lbs), shoot various steel targets with a handgun and a long gun, bike ride and to repeat these events until all the sandbags were moved. This was one of the toughest events I have ever witnessed!
SWAT Medic Competition
Thursday was individual events and one of these was the SWAT Medic competition. Before the event, I met and spoke with the coordinators and judges and they were more than willing to allow me to watch and photograph the event. The event started with the medics dragging a life-sized dummy in a sled for about 100 yards and then they entered the “shoot house” which was a two-story building with a catwalk above for judges to watch the competition below. This event was intense. The Medic had to work his way thru the house, assessing victims as he went, wearing a gas mask while a smoke machine clouded his way and sirens, gunfire, and radio traffic were blasted in the house. Once he got to the surviving victim, he had to determine the victim’s injuries and administer life-saving first aid techniques. The victim wasn’t a live human being but a robotic mannequin that was incredibly life-like and controlled by an operator upstairs. The robot registered a pulse and breathed. His eyes moved and his “wounds” bled as blood pooled on the ground from several wounds on his body. The controller told me that the technology for these robots originated from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan as Corpsmen and Field Medics worked to treat the wounded. These robots simulated the injuries sustained on the battlefield. Unfortunately, they also apply to the situations our First Responders deal with on a daily basis in our own Country. These robots provide real life scenarios that allow our First Responders to train and respond when the time comes. The Medics did an outstanding job under the watchful eyes of several judges who graded his every move and timed his efforts. Even though I was only an observer with a camera watching from above, this event was so intense it had me amped up and I found myself wanting to jump in and help. It was amazing to watch.
Cherish the Moment Guys…..
It has been over 20 years since I’ve been to Roundup. Thing have greatly changed since that time. The competition is no longer held at the Orange County Landfill and the new course is state of the art. The equipment has evolved making an incredibly dangerous job as safe as possible. However, the athletes still display incredible talent and dedication much like we did back in ‘the day. They understand that their skill set must be maintained at a high level because at any time they will be called to address situations that pose a deadly threat to their communities, their teammates, and to themselves.
It was great to visit Roundup once again and to see how much has changed. It is no secret how I miss those days and how I miss the outstanding operators that I was honored to have served with, several of whom are no longer with us. Hopefully, the athletes who competed this week understand how special these days are because it won’t be long and they, too, will be standing on the sideline watching younger competitors performing at these events as they once did. They will also miss rolling the ops that challenge their skills in their communities, where all the training will be applied to the test for which they exist…to save human life. May God Bless You Guys.
“Then I heard the Voice of the Lord saying “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said….”Here am I, Send Me!”
Isaiah 6:8
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