The morning started with 22 Army Reserve Soldiers of various ranks and ages receiving the pre-competition briefing while stretching and warming up their muscles. By the end of the day, only 4 soldiers were left, each one a winner in his respective weight class.
The event was the first annual combatives tournament hosted by the Military Intelligence Readiness Command (MIRC) at Wells Field House, Fort Belvoir, Va. The participants were MIRC Soldiers from throughout the US…Soldiers who had already competed at the unit level and were now at the command headquarters, facing the best of the best.
The winners in the four classes were: Spc. Shivan Agha, Theater Support Command, lightweight; Staff Sgt. Eric Jaworski, 345th Military Intelligence Battalion, middleweight; Staff Sgt. Eric Castaner, Detachment 1, EUCOM, heavyweight; and Sgt. 1st Class Luis Roman, 368th Military Intelligence Battalion, welterweight. On hand to present the trophies to the four winners was Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Nick Catone, aka ‘The Jersey Devil’. The MIRC has strong ties with the UFC and the group is a strong supporter of the military.
Many of the competitors had taken Level I and Level II combatives and relied on that training to move through the double elimination rounds. Others also used their Army training and experiences.
“It’s good to know that I can come to compete and still take care of business,” said Jaworski, the middleweight champion.
“It shows all my Army training through the years has paid off,” he said.
The Soldiers competing were of all ranks, from field grade officer to junior enlisted.
“I was blown away by the diversity of the competitors,” said Sgt. Major Robert Swift, acting MIRC Command Sergeant Major.
“They showed camaraderie throughout the competition, continually cheering and supporting each other,” he said.
Four females competed as well. Sgt. April Brombacher defeated several males in the lightweight class to compete in the lightweight championship round. For her the experience was a long road, but worth it.
“This feels good…everything I worked hard for happened,” she said.
Her advice to any female Soldier who might be intimidated by competing against male Soldiers is to “definitely do it.”
The MIRC is planning to host an annual combatives tournament with plans to expand the number of competitors next year and perhaps even include Soldiers from other Army Reserve commands. The goal is to give MIRC Soldiers a chance to show off their hard work and fitness levels.
“Having a tournament like this allows us to showcase the vast array of talent we have in our formations,” said Sgt. Maj. Swift
“We have extremely intelligent Military Intelligence professionals, but we also have battle-hardened warriors who can handle their own in any complex environment,” he said.
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