Candidate Agreement

Disclaimer: The Sugar Cookies is NOT affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. or any foreign military
- Participation is 100% voluntary and not required by any branch of the military
- Unlike most programs, we are not here to simply “beat up” candidates
  - EVERYTHING we do has an important lesson
  - The workouts are designed to teach team building, discipline, intentional practice, mindfulness, mental toughness, injury prevention, nutrition, and preparing the ligaments/joints for training
  - We guarantee that if you follow our detailed instructions you will become a better person whether you make it through training or not
- We do keep data on candidates, but this is purely for our own personal information and is not being used in any official capacity
  - Emergency contact information
  - Information about what program a candidate is signed up for
  - Reasons for successes/failures
  - Notes on candidate issues or areas needing improvement
OK, here we go!
- The stuff included in these requirements is basic
  - If accomplishing these tasks is too complicated or not something you find important then I would recommend you save yourself the heartache of failing and quit now
  - It is extremely expensive to send someone to special forces training so you have to think about the millions lost to recruits who go to programs and quit
  - If you cannot follow basic instructions, do not put the burden on the American taxpayers and quit now because you are most likely not cut out for the highly disciplined lifestyle of special programs
  - This is not rocket science and should be easy for any moderately dedicated individual
- The first rule of Sugar Cookies is that you don’t talk to anyone about the specifics of what type of training we do
  - This policy is not for secrecy, this is because chances are you will spread misinformation
    - You do not know (even if you think you do) the planning that goes into each evolution or mental exercise, and we do not want people trying to replicate things without proper safety equipment, personnel, or taking all risk factors into account
  - You may say the following:
    - We are an unofficial training group that gets together to work out together, learn about safety, and practicing mindfulness. The areas of focus are:
      - Pool competency
      - Building grit, mental toughness, and resilience
      - Building the right type of muscle for each body type to be most successful during training
      - Building the strength of joints and ligaments to help prevent injuries during training by doing specially tailored, weighted-endurance events
      - Mindfulness and meditation techniques needed for making it through training
    - If you have further questions contact an instructor directly
    - For your safety and the safety of others, DO NOT discuss the specifics of how we do what we do with anyone
  - ACTIVE DUTY RECRUITERS ALWAYS HAVE PRIORITY
    - It is very important to separate your DEP mentors and recruiters with The Sugar Cookies mentors
      - Anything pertaining to DEP or Navy requirements should take priority over The SCs
      - If there is a major scheduling conflict, a Sugar Cookies instructor can speak with recruiters on your behalf to work something out, but when in doubt always refer to active duty military recruiter personnel
      - You should always follow the instructions of your recruiter
  - I truly cannot believe I have to put this in here, but due to many incidents I have to make this clear:
    - You MUST get proper sleep before SC workouts
      - Some of the stuff is dangerous and if you are not mentally aware you could hurt yourself or others
      - You cannot come in and say, “this girl/guy was really hot and I HAD to stay up all night before a 16-mile mountain hike with heavy gear” (I wish this wasn’t a true story)
    - You MUST eat a proper meal before coming to a workout
      - Typically candidates can burn anywhere from 2000 to 7000 calories in a single workout, so EAT ACCORDINGLY
    - You MUST hydrate the before, during, and after all workouts
    - ANYONE failing to follow these 3 rules will not be allowed to participate with the group
  - Must sign and return liability form before your first workout
    - If under 18, parents must sign the waiver
  - Must complete “goals” form after first workout and before second workout
  - Must be continuously listening to audiobooks and give verbal feedback reports on the following material each month, all the way until training begins at your program
    - Listening to audiobooks trains your mind to listen to detailed instructions given during training
    - If your mind drifts during listening, rewind the book and listen to anything that you miss
      - Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
      - The Upside of Stress by Kelly Mcgonigal
      - Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright
        
        This is not about Buddhism or any religion, it is about mindfulness meditation and the science behind it
        
        Being aware of your internal dialogue and your surroundings is imperative for success in any high-stress job
        
        You must learn to accept suffering
      - Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
      - Download “10% Happier” meditation app
        
        Complete all introductory courses on mindfulness meditation before leaving to boot camp
        
        Special warfare programs are about mental strength and stamina, much more than physical strength
        
        This type of practice is much more important, than hitting the gym every day
    - Prioritize The SCs’ workouts over everything including friends and family
      - Before leaving for boot camp these must be your priorities
      - Those who are making other things more important will be asked to not return to the program
        
        #1 Physical Health
        
        (always see a doctor for any injury right away and never push through an injury)
        
        #2 Work/School
        
        #3 Workouts or Sugar Cookies functions
        
        #4 Family Gatherings
        
        In the event of a death or some type of serious family-related issue we can make adjustments
        
        #5 Friends
        
        #6 Fun/Vacations
    - Anytime workouts
      - You will be required to participate in workouts anytime, anywhere, and for any reason, if instructed by SC staff
    - Uniform policy for workouts
      - White shirt
      - Last name stenciled in center of the chest and center of the back
        
        Print should be between 1 inch and 1 1/2 inches in size
        
        Make print neat and clear in black ink
      - Shorts
      - Running shoes
        
        Once a candidate is well trained they can move up to combat boots
      - No jewelry of any kind
    - Shave policy
      - All candidates must be cleanly shaven for any workouts or official SC functions such as fundraising or business meetings
    - No drinking
      - ZERO tolerance for alcohol usage even if you are 21+
      - This is one of the fastest ways to disqualify yourself from a military program
        
        Alcohol leads to poor decision making, arrests, or other legal issues
        
        Do not even hang out at places where excessive drinking is happening
        
        One small fight or ticket can turn into a lost career/contract
    - No drugs
      - ZERO tolerance for any drug use
    - No dipping or smoking cigarettes
      - This will result in severe punishments if caught
    - No dangerous activities
      - NO CROSSFIT
      - Skiing
      - Skateboarding
      - Ice skating
      - Football
      - Basketball
      - Moshpits
      - Use your brain and fill in the blanks on any dangerous sport or activity, injury prevention is #1 most important part of training
    - Must workout as a group once a week
      - Either with or without the instructor present
    - We ask that regularly participating cadidates participate in some basic fundraising once every other month
      - This is mandatory to do at least once for candidates who participate for longer than a month
      - May include holding signs in public, washing cars, selling merch
      - This pays for our monthly recurring expenses for the website, GPS, maintaining gear, etc.
      - You can also replace this with doing work for SC
    - Agree to candidate chain of command
      - Chief Candidate
        
        Arranges and schedules all workouts
        
        Responsible for all recruit uniform requirements
        
        Responsible for communicating with the CMC/Instructor
      - Candidate Recruit
        
        Any lawful order given by a superior officer must be followed or you risk being eliminated from the SC training group
        
        We want to facilitate people learning leadership and this is part of learning how to lead a group
      - Donate all gear before going to boot camp
        
        You will be issued all new gear by the military
      - Know listed knots by week 4
        
        Square
        
        Clove-hitch
        
        Right angle
        
        Beckett’s
        
        Bowline
      - Know all Navy ranks
        
        Enlisted and officer
        
        Make sure you know what the rank insignias look like as well as the corresponding E or O designations
      - Work on getting E-3 before you leave
        
        Talk with your recruiter for options, and explain that you will need to obtain E-3 before leaving for boot camp
        
        If you don’t do this you are losing thousands of dollars
      - Employment
        
        MUST work/school a minimum of 20 hours a week
        
        If not employed now you have 30 days to find a job or enroll in school
        
        If you get a job that doesn’t start for a few weeks, find somewhere to wash dishes or deliver food or anything that can be gained quickly
        
        Free time is your enemy and leads to making bad decisions
        
        Driver’s license
        
        MUST be actively working towards obtaining a driver’s license
        
        MUST have a license within 8 weeks of joining the SC training group
        
        Saturday swims
        
        Must participate once a month in S.M.OG. swims at Torrance beach
        
        They meet at 8 am every Saturday at Ave A, Torrance Beach
        
        https://www.facebook.com/groups/SMOGofficial/
        
        Commitment to financial counseling
        
        Must commit to starting a savings plan after boot camp
        
        Thrift Savings Plan or 401k equivalent
        
        Call Instructor Mull for help or see a base financial advisor