2017 Commander’s Cup:
Schriever athletes competed in a variety of sporting events in 2017, from racquetball to archery. New champions were crowned, and new traditions started. The 4th Space Operations Squadron led the competition for most of the year, coming out on top in both monthly events and intramurals.
The final 2017 Commander’s Cup standings were as follows:
1. 4th Space Operations Squadron- 1,825 points
2. 3rd Space Operations Squadron- 1,570 points
3. 50th Operations Support Squadron- 1,065 points
4. 1st Space Operations Squadron- 865 points
5. 2nd Space Operations Squadron- 805 points
Fitness center events:
Schriever hosted The Murph May 19, in honor of U.S. Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, who was killed in action on June 28, 2005 while serving in Afghanistan.
The competition consists of a 1-mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups and 300 body squats, followed by another 1-mile run.
The goal of the competition is to finish in an hour or less, and participants are able to complete the calisthenics in any order they chose.
For the first time in eight years, a new contestant took first for the males: Michael Morris, 2nd Space Operations Squadron.
Morris finished with a time of 34:40, followed by Matthew Cork, 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron with a time of 36:24 and Brady Weaver, 50th Operations Support Squadron, came in third with a time of 39:36.
“I had just finished up Season 4 of ‘Vikings’ the night before so I was pretty amped going into the competition,” Morris said. “It’s great to see the fitness center promote such a grueling and worthwhile workout. Hopefully it continues to garner attention as a Memorial Day tradition.”
Five Schriever athletes participated in a “round robin” racquetball tournament at the fitness center Dec. 4-8.
The round robin tournament format meant all participants played each other once and the player with the best overall record won.
Scott Husted, 50th Mission Support Group, won all of his matches 4-0, claiming the champion title.
“For a player, the annual fitness center tournament is always the highlight of the year,” he said. “Knowing who I was playing against, the level needed to be top-game. Generally, these tournaments may not bring the big numbers, but they do bring the best quality.”
Intramurals:
For the second straight year, the 4th Space Operations Squadron and U.S. Air Force Warfare Center faced off to determine the 2017 intramural basketball championship Feb. 23.
USAFWC won in the 2016 championship, but 4th SOPS came out victorious in 2017, winning the game 58-38.
4th SOPS defense shut down the USAFWC, holding them scoreless for nearly 10 minutes.
“They wore us down and we ran out of gas,” Mark Engesser, USAFWC, said. “They’re a good team with good depth and a good bench.”
The 3rd Space Operations Squadron took the intramural softball championship over the 50th Security Forces Squadron Aug. 22.
3rd SOPS sealed the deal with a 13-3 victory and third consecutive championship win, while also maintaining an undefeated season.
“This merger split a lot of us (3rd SOPS Airmen) up, so coming out here and being together makes it much more special,” said Cameron White, 3rd SOPS team captain. “This is what we look forward to all year.”
Ultimately, 3rd SOPS came out victorious because of their strong defense.
Special events:
The United States Air Force Academy, Peterson Air Force Base and Schriever AFB hosted the Tri-Wing Triathlon June 3-July 21.
The competition started at USAFA, and athletes had a choice of five kilometer, 10 kilometer or one-mile run. Swimmers had the option of completing a 25, 15 or 10-minute swim at Peterson AFB June 24. The triathlon concluded at Schriever, with most contestants completing a rigorous 23.2-mile bike ride.
Capt. Matthew Cork, 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron, took first place in the men’s category during the bike ride, finishing with the overall time of 1:22.38.
Lt. Col. Sylvette Ortiz, 379th Space Range Squadron, was the top female finisher with a time of 1:56.19.
Typically, all triathlon events are performed consecutively on the same day. The Tri-Wing Triathlon was unique in that it allowed participants from varying levels of fitness and duty schedules to compete.
Comprised of ladders, pull-up bars and a series of parallel legs, the Alpha Warrior event Sept. 29 tested functional fitness training in individuals and teams.
First Lt. Skyler Awisus, 50th Operations Support Squadron, finished with a time of 1:06.94 and had a positive experience from start to finish.
“It was nice to build some camaraderie with Air Force personnel from all over the state while still maintaining a competitive attitude and a desire to win,” he said.
The event was meant to focus on Comprehensive Airmen Fitness, challenging participants to channel situational awareness, preparation, practice and flexible execution.