An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Airmen dominate in Rodeo 2011 ‘Fit-to-Fight’ competition

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Abigail Klein
  • Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 Public Affairs
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. --  Their arms and legs in unison with the chants of their teammates, Airmen from 150 teams of active duty, Guard, Reserve and 30 teams of allied forces from around the world competed in the Air Mobility Rodeo 2011 "Fit-to-Fight" competition.

Rodeo is a biennial international competition that focuses on mission readiness, featuring airdrops, aerial refueling and other events that showcase the skills of mobility crews from around the world. This was the first of six competitions for the biennial event.

The "Fit-to-Fight" challenge mirrored the Air Force fitness test of push-ups, sit-ups and 1.5-mile run. Unlike most Rodeo events which focus on air mobility forces' professional core abilities, this even challenged one of the Air Force's most important issues -- fitness.

"This competition continues the feeling of a fit Air Force," said Maj. Jon Karnes, "Fit-to-Fight" competition organizer. "It was good to see the camaraderie between all the teams."

As the five-person teams lined up, spectators cheered, waved banners and even dressed in costumes.

The cheers more than made up for the hours of preparation that many of the competitors put in.

"I felt really good about our team," said Senior Airman James Jackson, representing the 305th Aerial Port Squadron from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "Looking at the other competitors, I think we have a great chance to win this event."

Airman from the Yokota Air Base, Japan, team were also confident.

"We are ready and plan on winning this event," said Airman 1st Class Brandon Jenkins, representing the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron from Yokota AB. "Our team has been training every day of the week to prepare for this competition."

Thumbs up and chants in several languages also echoed all around providing a preview to each of the Airmen about how this and other Rodeo events foster stronger relationships amongst the competitors, said Karnes.

The reveal of the winning scores is not until later in the week.