Sports Day 2009

  • Published
  • By Tec h. Sgt. Jonathan E. White
  • 111th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
WILLOW GROVE AIR RESERVE STATION, Pa. --  Team D-2 defeated its thirty-one opponents by scoring an overwhelming 1,820 points to claim the Sports Day II Championship. Tea m B-2 took second with 1,785 point s and Team V finished third at 727 points at Willow Grove Air Reserve Station, Pa., on Oct. 4.

Sports Day is an event where 32 teams (comprised of 111 t h Fighter Wing members) compete in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities which tests their thinking skills and athletic abilities. The team scoring the most points at the end of the day is declared the winner. Sports Day I was held in October 2007 and was established to bring the unit together after the long, hot summer and multiple deployments that year. The goal is to foster camaraderie, have fun and work together as a team.

"There's no 'I' in team! " shouted Senior Master Sgt. John Heidrick, Team D- 2 Captain, who won his first-ever team championship. "Strategic planning and coordinating through the strengths of our team were the keys to victory. We found the strong points in our members and used the mind-versus-muscle technique in situations that required it."

Sergeant Heidrick was unaware that victory was within reach as D-2 had trailed through out the entire day because Team V had the lead at half time with W in second place.

During its third sector, Team V, anchored by the powerful Senior Ai r man Terrance Graham, won the tug-of war in an epic battle against Team W. This loss eliminated Team W's chance s of finishing in t he top three.

At that moment in time, Team V looked more like its nickname, "Team Victory" and appeared to be on course to winning Sports Day.

"We just won the tug-of-war by sticking to our 1- 2- 3 pull strategy," said Staff Sgt. Sara Schwartzberg, Team V.

However, the tide turned when all teams entered their fourth and final sector of the day. This was where D -2 pushed its way to victory.

"We didn't know where we stood in the standings going into the final sector, but we knew we were doing well the entire day. We realized there was an opportunity to gain a lot of points with the crunches and push-ups," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Stehly, Team D-2.

Team D-2 sealed the deal with an astounding 241 points in the push-up event which was the most scored by any team throughout the day.

"We knew we did well on the push-ups, but we didn't know we did that well," said Sergeant Stehly.

Meanwhile Team B-2, who missed an earlier opportunity at first place by losing the tug-of-war, secured second place by scoring 217 points in the sit-up event. This left Team V in third place at the end of the day. Although V was not "Victorious," the team continued to remain up beat.

"I think we exceeded our own expectations, and we had a great time. In the end it's all about having fun!" said Staff Sgt. Thomas Clayton, Team V captain.

In addition to the top three overall finishers, there were also teams who performed well within the sectors.

The basketball free throw, football toss, tug-of-war, relay race, horseshoes and planks proved to be a nail biter for Team R who edged out Team X by one point to claim Sector One superiority.

Despite the windy conditions, the football toss-distance saw exceptional results. Staff Sgt. Ryan Sommers, Team X, launched the ball 64 yards followed by Senior Master Sgt. William Ketner, Team Y, airing it 62 yards.

Sector Two, which consisted of darts, football toss with beer goggles, a 12-station video game challenge provided by GameStop, ladder ball, and a four-phase relay, was a breeze for Team G which accumulated 284 points.

The most points scored in a sector took place in Sector Three where Team D-2 scored a total of 856 points in events such as the basketball shootout, pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, balloon toss, fireman's carry, mystery mud and sumo suits.

Finally, Team X demonstrated its intellect in Sector 4 by scoring 370 points in Texas Hold 'Em, Uno, blackjack, Sudoku, Yahtzee, Perfection and Spades.

A big thank you to Senior Master Sgt. Scot Baughman, Master Sgt. Rich Eggles, Tech. Sgt. Tyrone Mitchell, Tech. Sgt. Talitacumi Acevedo, Staff Sgt. Charlotte Baker and other committee members for the planning and coordination of this year's Sports Day. Much appreciation and gratitude to over 130 volunteers from the Wing whose contributions made Sports Day II a huge success.