Airmen build comradery through powerlifting Published Sept. 20, 2019 By Airman 1st Class Nathaniel Hudson, 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill.— Powerlifting has become a popular hobby for Airmen on base as a way to push themselves to the absolute limit. Airmen like Airman 1st Class Samal Bautista, 435th Supply Chain Operations Squadron supply specialist, look to participate in competitions as a way to connect, so when he couldn’t find any being held close to the base, he decided to sponsor one with the help of the fitness center staff and volunteers. He arranged for judges, spotters, scorekeepers and volunteers to assemble the equipment and keep the competition running smoothly, which was held in August. “Events like these are crucial for improvement and learning how to do it safely,” he said. The competition was open to all members of team Scott and consisted of a squat, bench press and dead lift competitions. The day saw 23 competitors participating in all three events. For Tech. Sgt. Eleem King, 375th Security Forces Squadron, the event was a way for him to hit his personal best. “I’ve been powerlifting for a year and have really enjoyed it,” he said. “Finally having a competition on base was great for the powerlifting community here, and hopefully it can be held annually for a long time.” Comradery is a huge part to powerlifting. Seeing everyone compete, but also cheer each other on is such a rare thing in any sport, said King. Everyone just wants to see each powerlifter hit their personal best weight. For this event, the heaviest lift was completed by Master Sgt. Lyzander Jones, Air Mobility Command, who lifted 605 pounds during the deadlift competition. “It was a good day!” said Bautista. “A lot of people hit or came close to their personal best.”