JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — It is the spirit of competition that drives Soldiers to test their limits and push themselves harder than their peers in sports — continuing the legacy of dodge ball.
Teams from the units serving Joint Base Balad took part in the 80th Ordnance Battalion's Joint Base Balad Dodge Ball Tournament in the East Circuit Gym, Aug. 15.
"Dodge Ball is a very coordinated game," said Staff Sgt. Terence Sparks, tournament coordinator with the 80th Ord. Bn. "You have to have good eye and hand coordination and be agile on your feet. You need cat-like reflexes, kind of like a cheetah."
The tournament was held to give service members at JBB an afternoon to relax and enjoy their time in during breaks from their often stressful work weeks, said Sparks.
Sparks said dodge ball is a way for service members to decompress from day-to-day missions, spend quality time with their unit and build team cohesion, all while getting good physical training.
"If you can dodge a wench, you can dodge a ball," he said.
Of all the teams that participated in the event, it was the Average Joes from the 37th Engineer Battalion who took the trophy home at the end of the day.
"This is a fun game," said Pfc. Charles Carillo, a member of the Average Joes. "It's a good morale boost and it makes being here better. It's a good thing they put together."
The 80th Ord. Bn. plans to hold other such events for the morale and welfare of JBB service members, to ease stress and keep them ready for the mission at hand, said Sparks.
Date Taken: | 08.15.2009 |
Date Posted: | 08.23.2009 17:18 |
Story ID: | 37866 |
Location: | BALAD, IQ |
Web Views: | 188 |
Downloads: | 126 |
This work, 'If you can dodge a wench you can dodge a ball', by SGT Michael Camacho, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.