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Sports Day scores big point

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Andrew Gates
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Even with a solid victory from a combined team and a whirlwind competition for last place, the true winners in Friday’s Communicatior Sports Day were the more than 300 participants.

A combined team from the Defense Information Systems Agency and Defense Information Technology Contract Organization knocked the 868th Communications Squadron off the “top of the heap” to claim bragging rights and the sports day trophy for 2005.

Meanwhile, last place, and the prestigious “bone trophy” was hotly contested. Two teams, the 805th Communications Support Squadron and the Air Mobility Command A-6, communications and information directorate, section were tied for last place, according to 1st Lt. Darrell Pressley, 868 CS and project officer for the event. The teams broke the tie in a “bone-off” for the huge dog bone-shaped trophy with a dizzy bat competition.

“Watching these two teams vie to not be the last place team was one of the highlights of the day,” said Maj. Robert Duman, 375 CS Sports Day project officer.

Seven Scott communications teams competed in 10 events – a 5K run, one-pitch softball, three-on-three basketball, soccer, washers, volleyball, dodge ball and closest to the pin golf, dizzy bat and tug of war competitions – during the day-long event.

The Communications Sports Day started in 1998 to build esprit de corps and camaraderie between the various communications units on Scott, said Lieutenant Pressley. The event was born when the eight communications units on base started bragging about their importance to the Air Force mission. Since all the communications units have different missions, communications leaders decided to settle the dispute on the sports field. After the first sports day, the event was on hiatus until 2003.

“Every year, the event is different,” he said. “Since we won bragging rights last year, the 868 CS planned the sports day this year. We brought together representatives from each of the other communications squadrons to determine events for this year.”

The day is a huge morale boost to the communicators, the lieutenant said. “This is the best esprit de corps builder I have been involved with in 12 years of service. Getting bragging rights as the top communications squadron on Scott is top priority. I did have the opportunity to make seven or eight friends that I would never have met if it weren’t for this event.”

Other participants in the day’s events agree. Master Sgt. Larry Woehl, Air Force Communications Agency, has been involved in the sports day for the last three years.

“I’ve run events and participated since 2003,” he said. “This friendly competition is great – we’re a tenant unit on Scott. We rarely get the chance to meet other communications people on base. This is a great opportunity to get out and let our hair down and do something fun. Even the commanders get really involved – it’s a fantastic way to fire up the troops and talk a little ‘smack’ about the other units.”

In the past three years, a different communications unit has won the overall trophy, said Lieutenant Pressley. In 2003, 805 CSPTS took the top spot, while last year the 868 CS won the event. The combined DISA/DITCO team, as this year’s winners, not only get the traveling trophy provided by the Air Force Communications and Electronics Association, but also get the opportunity to host next year’s games.