SCHRIEVER AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --
Commander’s Cup
Despite not winning any intramural championships, the 50th Space Communications Squadron took home the 2016 Commander’s Cup.
Only 80 points separated first and third place in the Cup standings at the end of July, with 50 SCS 10 points behind the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and just ahead of the 4th Space Operations Squadron. 4 SOPS took the lead with a strong showing in softball, but a disappointing football season allowed 50 SCS to take the lead for good.
The final Cup standings were:
1. 50 SCS; 1,570 points
2. 4 SOPS; 1,455 points
3. USAFWC; 1,145 points
4. 3rd Space Operations Squadron; 1,070 points
5. 1st Space Operations Squadron; 1,005 points
Here is a look back at the way the rest of the year in sports played out.
Intramurals
The USAFWC overcame a slow start, missing its first three shots from the field, to roll to a 55-37 victory over 4 SOPS and claim the intramural basketball championship.
A 16-0 run at the midpoint of the first half, coupled with a 14-2 run to open the second half, gave USAFWC all the breathing room it would need to run out the clock and get a victory over a team that had edged out the eventual champs twice in the regular season.
The USAFWC got off to a slow start, but once it found its rhythm rolled to a 25-19 and 25-14 victory over the 22nd Space Operations Squadron to claim its second consecutive intramural volleyball championship. The win not only gave USAFWC its second straight volleyball championship, but also its second team championship this year.
3 SOPS rolled through the competition all season on its way to a second straight appearance in the Schriever intramural softball championship game.
4 SOPS provided 3 SOPS with its first, and only, test of the season keeping pace with the reigning champs for six innings before the 3 SOPS offense exploded for seven runs en route to an 11-4 victory.
In 2014, the 1st and 3rd Space Operations Squadrons played one of the most thrilling intramural football championship games in Schriever Air Force Base history.
3 SOPS put the only blemish on 1 SOPS’s record that season with a 31-25 victory as a late 1 SOPS drive ended when quarterback Josh Print’s final pass fell incomplete.
Print, who said that game was “the best flag football game I’ve ever played in,” and 1 SOPS had to wait two years to avenge the loss, but took full advantage of the opportunity as the squadron scored on five of its six possessions en route to a 35-18 win in the championship game. Print had a hand in all five 1 SOPS touchdowns, throwing four and running in another, as the 2016 squad remained undefeated.
Monthly Fitness Center Events
Rodrigo Ocampo, 4 SOPS, regained the base Bench Press and Dead Lift Competition title, edging out Gregory Sambula, 21st Medical Squadron, by 2.5 points despite not grabbing the top spot in either event. Ana Shockey, 50th Force Support Squadron, took home female honors as she recorded the highest bench press and dead lift among female competitors.
Sam Bessinger came within seconds of setting a new base record en route to his seventh consecutive win in The Murph competition and for the first time since 5-time champion Brenda Lewis won in 2013, a female repeat champion was crowned as Jessica Trundy took home top honors for the second straight year.
Zach Owen, 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron, and Christine Pasun, 50th Operations Support Squadron both had a good year on the running and biking trails as Owen took home top honors in both the duathlon and triathlon and Pasun won the triathlon and half marathon. Krystal Conkling, 50th Space Wing, won the duathlon and Mike Wasson won the half marathon.
Special Events
In addition to the annual intramural sports and monthly competitions, Schriever hosted a few special athletic events as well.
Three Schriever Airmen, Trundy, Greg Overton and Mark Skinner, both 2nd Space Operations Squadron, competed alongside two of the top-ranked CrossFit athletes in the world, Sara Sigmundsdottir and reigning champion Katrin Davidsdottir, in the CrossFit Games 16.4 Open Announcement March 17.
The event aired live online and is available in a taped version at http://games.crossfit.com. All the athletes went through a grueling workout, which consisted of 55 dead lifts (225 pounds for the men and 155 pounds for the women), 55 wall balls (20-pound ball for men and 14-pound ball for women), 55 calories burned on a rowing machine and 55 handstand push-ups. The total score for each athlete was the number of repetitions completed in 13 minutes.
Trundy led the Airmen, completing 160 reps, while Overton and Skinner tied at 149. Sigmundsdottir won the event with 274 reps, Davidsdottir finished second with 246.
After all seven Tri-Wing Sports Day events were finished, the 50 SW (Schriever Air Force Base) and 460th Space Wing (Buckley Air Force Base) were tied with 310 total points each. The tiebreaker went to the winner of the final event, tug-o-war, where the 50 SW went 2-0 to win the overall event title Aug. 5.
The potential for severe weather forced the cancellation of outdoor events, but that didn’t keep the event from being filled with clutch performances and excitement.
U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program wrestlers Cadet Michael Hooker, University of Colorado Colorado Springs ROTC and 2nd Lt. Marco Lara, visited Schriever Air Force Base for a tour and to host a wrestling demonstration, Nov. 15.
The day concluded with a wrestling demonstration open to all Department of Defense employees and their families. Staff Sgt. Morris Thomas and his wrestling team “Children of Valor” were on-hand to help and learn during the demonstration.