Airmen bring their best for the sports smackdown

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Collin Schmidt
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  The Malmstrom Air Force Base quarterly Wing Sports Smackdown brought Airmen together yet again for a day of competition and fun July 11 at the Grizzly Bend.

The event gathered more than 300 Team Malmstrom members and offered several games Airmen could participate in to challenge themselves while enjoying food, music and fellowship.

Spearheaded by Tech. Sgt. Nayda Ferguson, 341st Force Support Squadron customer support supervisor, and Staff. Sgt. Hugo Reinor, 341st Medical Group physical therapy technician, hosting the event took more than two months of planning and coordination with multiple agencies, all to ensure the smackdown would be enjoyed by everyone who attended.

"It's always something that people look forward to," said Ferguson. "We try to make it a very fun and competitive environment for the Airmen. We had a great turnout and I think everyone who attended enjoyed what was offered."

This quarter added a new outlet Airmen could use to test their limits, the strongman competition. The strongman station was refereed by Capt. Michael Cheatham, 741st Missile Security Forces Squadron operations officer, and Airman 1st Class Anthony Westberry, 341st Security Forces Squadron member. The competition consisted of three different sections where Airmen were required to carry four kegs, push a full-size pickup truck and perform a heavy rope pull.

"We try to add a new event each quarter to draw out new participants," Ferguson said. "After every quarter, we take the feedback we receive from people and use it to make the next quarter better."

One thing Airmen were glad to see was support from the senior leadership. Officers and senior noncommissioned officers took time to connect with Airmen, by participating in sports events and judging competitions.

Airman 1st Class Elijah Johnson, 341st FSS customer service technician, participated in the volleyball competition during the event.

"It was a good time," he said. "Just the fact that you can see a bunch of people having fun and enjoying the weather was great. We played cornhole with a chief and a first shirt, and we actually got a chance to laugh with some people that we normally wouldn't have an opportunity to."

The Wing Sports Smackdown continues to help build camaraderie within the Malmstrom community. Next quarter looks to build upon the platform that has already been made from past events by offering Airmen of all ranks the opportunity to enjoy one another's company, and help bring the community together.

"It's a team effort," Ferguson said. "We could not have done it without the help of everyone involved and I think the next quarter will be a success, just like this one."