FORT JACKSON, S.C. --Task Force Marshall flexed its collective muscle, taking this year's the Commander's Cup and proving that teamwork leads to victory.
The coveted award was presented Thursday during the Eighth Annual Fort Jackson Sports Banquet at the Solomon Center.
"We could not have been successful without unit cohesiveness and camaraderie," said Lt. Col. Randall Pauley, Task Force Marshall commander. "I want to thank all of my Soldiers who made this a possibility."
Winning the Commander's Cup, which is Fort Jackson's highest sports award, is based on a points system. Units compete in a variety of team and individual sports, and the one with the highest cumulative point total at the end of the year receives the award.
Task Force Marshall earned 2,037 points. The 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment took second place with 2,020 points and 4th Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment placed third with 1,260 points.
"I am a huge fan of intramural sports and (this banquet) is something we should continue," said Maj. Gen. James Milano, Fort Jackson commanding general. "I firmly believe some type of competition is important. Sports does wonders for a unit and builds fellowship, camaraderie and self-esteem."
The banquet's speaker was Charles Waddell, associate athletics director of the University of South Carolina. Waddell took time out during his speech to recognize the similarities in sports and the military.
"When you look at a successful team, they share all of the same characteristics of a Soldier - hard work, teamwork, camaraderie and the ability to overcome adversity," Waddell said. "When you go through basic training, (the training) is some of the same fundamentals our players are taught, except for you it is a difference between life and death."
Waddell is a 1975 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the last three-sport letterman at UNC, earning letters in football, track and basketball. Waddell went on to play in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers.
"If you competed in intramural sports last year I want to commend you," he said. "It isn't important whether you are a champion or not. It is the fact that you competed."
More than 1,500 Soldiers and civilians participated in individual and team sports on Fort Jackson in 2010. Sports included flag football, basketball, volleyball, golf, the Army Ten-Miler Team, Strongman Competition, darts and softball.
Social Sharing