FORT JACKSON, S.C. Aca,!" After nearly 45 minutes of exhausting struggles, small triumphs and a little sweat, Blue teamAca,!a,,cs Maj. Kenneth Crowe connected a quick transitional one-yard pass to Sgt. Ryan Moorer to secure an overtime win over the Gray team, 8-7, during a ultimate Frisbee match held here recently.
Aca,!A"Game over,Aca,!A? shouted Chief Warrant Officer Darrell Peak as he tried to catch his breath after the weekly battle between Active Guard and Reserve Soldiers assigned to the U.S. Army ReserveAca,!a,,cs 81st Regional Support Command.
Before the early South Carolina sun delivered 90-degree temperatures and high humidity, Wildcat Soldiers and a Department of Army employee bantered, taunted and declared early victories between teams before the game began.
As slow as a major league hockey game in the middle of summer, the Blue team started off with four missed goals. Their dry spell finally ended after eight minutes of play as Moorer connected with Master Sgt. Kenneth Greene in the corner end zone.
The Blue team fired two more quick goals as Lt. Col. David Richardson launched a rocket to Crowe and CroweAca,!a,,cs quick interception and straight pass to Staff Sgt. Reinaldo Rivera stunned the Gray players. The Blue team climbed to a quick 3-0 lead as the Gray team struggled both on offense and defense.
After 10 minutes of play, the Gray team finally won a small victory as Sgt. Maj. Malcolm Wolfe dismantled the Blue teamAca,!a,,cs momentum with a stealthy interception that seemed to turn the tides of a potential defeat.
After a few miscalculated errors by the Blue team, the newly energized Gray team slid by a tiring defense as Wolfe connected with Master Sgt. Terry Mahone for the Gray teamAca,!a,,cs first point of the game.
One addition to the field for the Gray team was Curdell Allen, a DA civilian who works as an information management specialist here.
Along with team building, Crowe said the command is just as interested in the physical health of the civilian staff as the Wildcat Soldiers themselves.
Aca,!A"A healthy, physically fit and resilient civilian staff is also better equipped to meet the demands of supporting an Army at war in a more effective and efficient manner,Aca,!A? he said after the game. Aca,!A"We work as a single team throughout the duty day; allowing our civilian staff to voluntarily participate in our physical training is yet another way to build the team.Aca,!A?
Unfortunately for Crowe and the Blue team, Allen was a hidden weapon and constant headache for his opponents. The Gray team climbed back with three more unanswered points as Allen caught a wobbly white disc inside the end zone to go up 4-3 against a visibly confused Blue team.
Several minutes passed as each teamAca,!a,,cs defense held ground forcing a change in strategies.
As the Blue team struggled with their offense, the GrayAca,!a,,cs crushing defense capitalized on several quick goals from Mahone and Staff Sgt. Patricia Stewart, to go up 6-4.
Aca,!A"They are starting to get scared,Aca,!A? shouted Mahone as his Gray team prepared for a second unanswered kickoff. Aca,!A"They donAca,!a,,ct want it. They are afraid to catch the Frisbee.Aca,!A?
That ineffective taunting refueled the Blue teamAca,!a,,cs motivation with less than four minutes to play; the Blue team forced their opponents to launch offensive attacks deep in their own end zone.
With a controversial tackle going unnoticed by the referee, Master Sgt. Loma Lewis, Peak was able to loft a pass to Crowe to come within one point of a Gray teamAca,!a,,cs fading victory.
Chief Warrant Officer Betty Agnew, who was nearly unnoticed the entire game, caught the rotating disc past the orange cones to tie the score, 6-6, for the Blue team.
As time left in the game was quickly disappearing, Rivera could have sealed a Blue team victory, but a high pass and short jump combined for a missed chance to end the game. Luckily, CroweAca,!a,,cs quick pass to Moorer raised the Blue team over the Gray 7-6.
The Gray team fired back to tie the game, 7-7, as time expired.
Overtime quickly ended as it began when CroweAca,!a,,cs pass to Moorer sealed a victory Aca,!" defeating the Gray team, 8-7.
As the handshakes ended and teams vowed for another match and another week, Crowe said that at the end of the day a true measure of Soldiers and a unit is their physical fitness readiness.
"Developing physical strength and endurance is the enabler that allows us to employ our knowledge and skills with clarity in uncertain and protracted situations,Aca,!A? he said.
Crowe said by conducting fun events, like ultimate Frisbee, participants recognize their own fitness levels and are driven by their own competiveness to maintain their conditioning while traveling.
Aca,!A"Another key element is the team building established in an event that everyone can participate in,Aca,!A? he said. Aca,!A"It is an opportunity to build moral and the team while having fun.Aca,!A?
After the game, Stewart said physical fitness is important because it keeps Soldiers, civilians and their family members healthy and builds team cohesion and esprit de corps.
Aca,!A"I do know mistakes happen, that\'s why the Blue team mistakenly won,Aca,!A? she said laughing. Aca,!A"Whether it's muscle failure, running, or even participating in unit sports, physical training makes my day a little easier and I can focus on my day-to-day mission.Aca,!A?
From the grassy fields and miles of running tracks around the Wildcat lair, Soldiers and civilians assigned to the command work together in and out of the office to ensure they provide the best service for Army Reserve Soldiers who call the Southeast home.
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