The 916
Tough as Nails
This local mom is showing her mettle on national television. BY LAUREN KATIMS
G
ranite Bay mom and fitness trainer Merryl Tengesdal has self-proclaimed “thick skin,” and she has the resume to prove it. After serving 10 years in the U.S. Navy, she joined the Air Force, where she remains the only Black woman to have ever flown a Lockheed U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. In 2017, she retired as a colonel. Now, Tengesdal (nickname: Dragon Lady) is again showing her resilience on the CBS series “Tough As Nails,” where 12 contestants compete in group and individual events that test physical strength and mental endurance. Tengesdal talked to us about her experience on the show, inspiring her daughter and why she believes every child should set big goals—and follow them. HOW DID YOU GET THE NICKNAME DRAGON LADY? It’s the actual name of
the U-2. It started in 1955 under a black program (highly classified) in the CIA. The U-2 was designed to collect imagery and signals against the Soviet Union. WHAT’S IT LIKE, FLYING? The U-2 is one
of the most challenging aircrafts that I’ve flown. It’s difficult to land. It’s like flying a plane without power steering. You have to manhandle that aircraft. We wear pressure suits similar to NASA (because of the high altitudes). DID YOU ALWAYS WANT TO BE A PILOT?
HOW DID YOU END UP ON “TOUGH AS NAILS”? The casting producer saw a post “Dragon Lady” Merryl Tengesdal
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SACRAMENTO MAGAZINE May 2021
that I put up right before a boxing class. I was having fun and dancing and having a good time. They reached out to me and tim engle
4/13/21 10:49 AM
Top: Aurelie Erikson
I always wanted to be an astronaut since I was a kid, and I knew one of the things I had to do was be a pilot. If someone said to me today, “Do you want to train to be an astronaut?” I would make that happen. It’s all about the journey; it’s good to have goals because you don’t know where you are going to land.
