thedrifter
10-25-08, 11:21 AM
Iwakuni ‘Gladiators’ compete for prestige, cash
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, October 26, 2008
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — When Sgt. Gregory Joseph’s team heard "Hit the deck!" his teammates did what Marines are trained to do — they jumped from their racing raft and started doing push-ups beside the gymnasium pool.
But the situation called for a more literal interpretation — the racers were simply supposed to slap the far-end pool deck before turning around for the next lap.
The headquarters squadron team already had fallen behind in the first lap of the raft race, one of several sporting events in the annual Gladiator competition held here Friday.
Their opponents — a team of Marines from the air station’s crash, fire and rescue unit, or crash crew — slapped the edge of the pool and paddled furiously ahead in the race.
"He did like 10 push-ups," said Joseph, speaking of one of his teammates who jumped from the raft halfway through the race. "We hit the deck."
The headquarters team and the Gladiator event judges huddled to deliberate the mistake and haggled over whether the team should be penalized.
"We waived them the penalty," said Alma Dickinson, health promotions director for Marine Corps Community Services. The team still finished behind in points, which are tallied after each event.
Five teams, made up of servicemembers from units across the air station, competed in Gladiator throughout the day, and the winners received a trophy and $150 in party funds, Dickinson said.
The first half of the day focused on nine water-sport events — including the "wacky swim relay" — and the afternoon was devoted to field events.
The crash crew team won the Gladiator traveling trophy and the cash prize, Dickinson said.
"It’s a fun event that gets the units out to compete against each other," she said. "We also provide unit party funds, which is a little incentive there."
And the crash crew competitors turned out to be double winners on Friday, when they were awarded the air station’s annual Commander’s Cup, Dickinson said.
The Commander’s Cup is the culmination of nearly a year of sporting events and includes a traveling trophy and another $150 party fund.
Ellie
By Travis J. Tritten, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, October 26, 2008
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan — When Sgt. Gregory Joseph’s team heard "Hit the deck!" his teammates did what Marines are trained to do — they jumped from their racing raft and started doing push-ups beside the gymnasium pool.
But the situation called for a more literal interpretation — the racers were simply supposed to slap the far-end pool deck before turning around for the next lap.
The headquarters squadron team already had fallen behind in the first lap of the raft race, one of several sporting events in the annual Gladiator competition held here Friday.
Their opponents — a team of Marines from the air station’s crash, fire and rescue unit, or crash crew — slapped the edge of the pool and paddled furiously ahead in the race.
"He did like 10 push-ups," said Joseph, speaking of one of his teammates who jumped from the raft halfway through the race. "We hit the deck."
The headquarters team and the Gladiator event judges huddled to deliberate the mistake and haggled over whether the team should be penalized.
"We waived them the penalty," said Alma Dickinson, health promotions director for Marine Corps Community Services. The team still finished behind in points, which are tallied after each event.
Five teams, made up of servicemembers from units across the air station, competed in Gladiator throughout the day, and the winners received a trophy and $150 in party funds, Dickinson said.
The first half of the day focused on nine water-sport events — including the "wacky swim relay" — and the afternoon was devoted to field events.
The crash crew team won the Gladiator traveling trophy and the cash prize, Dickinson said.
"It’s a fun event that gets the units out to compete against each other," she said. "We also provide unit party funds, which is a little incentive there."
And the crash crew competitors turned out to be double winners on Friday, when they were awarded the air station’s annual Commander’s Cup, Dickinson said.
The Commander’s Cup is the culmination of nearly a year of sporting events and includes a traveling trophy and another $150 party fund.
Ellie