Fitness a cool thing at ’10 Sports and Field Day

Published July 13, 2010
By Margie Arnold
21st Force Support Squadron

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Despite partly cloudy skies and unseasonably cool temperatures, Team Pete's Sports and Field Day was a ray of sunshine for more than 2,500 people from units around the base. Airmen from the 21st Space Wing and its mission partners got out of the office and engaged in games of skill, finesse and athletic ability, and strengthened camaraderie.

"Excellent turnout," said Al Strait, 21st SW Director of Staff, who participated in the 5k run, the 10k bike ride and in the volleyball competition. "It was a great day to be outside, have some fun and build relationships with our mission partners.

"I thought (the Force Support Squadron) did a great job setting up the event and The Club really came through with a great lunch," he said.

Dark clouds, thunder and light rain didn't dampen enthusiasm but they did force the awards ceremony to move from its traditional spot at the Eagle Park pavilion to The Club at 4 p.m. For the small unit category, the 544th Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group took first place, the 21st Medical Support Squadron took second place and the 76th Space Control Squadron took third. In the medium unit category, the 21st Operations Group/Operations Support Squadron took first place, Air Force Space Command /A8/9 took second and AFSPC/A6 took third place. In the large unit category, Team Colorado took first place, 21st Civil Engineer Squadron took second and 21st SW Director of Staff/Comptroller Squadron took third place.

Points were earned for volunteering, too. The 21st Force Support Squadron was the unofficial champ with 114 points, and Team Colorado followed closely with 100.

"It's hard to imagine the scope of Sports and Field Day," said Warren Latham, coordinator of this year's event. "Volunteers are key. With more than 35 events scheduled all over base in a span of several hours, Sports and Field Day is a huge event that could not exist without the event managers and the many volunteers."

"Once again, the Team Pete community came together to provide an outstanding event," said Dan Schofield, 21st Force Support Squadron deputy commander. "Our FSS key coordinators - Mr. Warren Latham, Mr. Curtis Clayton and Ms. Marjorie Bennett - did a great job with executing the plan, and with the assistance of all the volunteers from throughout Peterson Air Force Base, I believe the entire event was a huge success."

A great part of the event's success can be attributed to the event sponsors, who not only contributed financially to the event but also brought excitement to Eagle Park. Young Airmen tried to conquer the state-of-the-art Cybex Arc Trainer, Polycom/AGT served up countless snow cones, MuttMasters Canine Academy showed off some well-dressed, well-trained adorable dogs, Webster University offered face painting, and AAFES, Sprint, ENT, Colorado Technical University, DeVry University, CSU-Pueblo & Colorado Springs, Harris IT Services, Keller Williams, Rocky Mountain Blue, Colorado R&R, Sunbird Restaurant, Tierra Vista, Troops to Teachers, University of Phoenix and USAA offered giveaway items galore and had drawings for prizes.

2010 Peterson Air Force Base Sports and Field day