brad bell is live and to show what has changed. >> not everybody agrees. last year, there were a number of injuries. what they got today was a record time for the climb but also an event which many people said was anticlimactic. the monument climb began as it always has, with the freshman class sprinting toward the granite obelisk. that is where the similarities came to an end. usually slathered in lard rounded with mud, this year, a monument was bone dry. some in the crowd called it a military battle of wimpy does. >> we are training these kids to go into harm's way. they should not be concerned whether they are injured on something like this. with the safety measures have were not publicly pronounced. it was suggested the plan had become too dangerous but that was the talk of the academy. we cannot find anybody who agreed. >> this is a camaraderie building event. >> back to decline. the goal is to remove the cap from the peak as a symbolic and to freshman year. it usually takes about two hours. today, a midget and got the job done in two minutes, five se