Photo By Sgt. Jonathon Downs | The Branch Babies get in a formation against the ATA Warriors at the Flag Football...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. — Current and former 3rd Infantry Division (3rd ID) Soldiers competed in the Flag Football World Championship in Tampa, Florida on Jan. 10 and 11, 2023. Over 800 teams participated in the event hosted by USA Flag, an organization that aims to put the sport of flag football on the map.
Staff Sgt. Bill Tuigamala, formerly a Soldier with 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd ID, originally got the team, the Branch Babies, together to compete in the Battle of the Branches tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.
Though the Battle of the Branches, hosted by the Jacksonville Jaguars, may have only been the qualifying tournament for the team, it still wasn’t easy. Despite going up against units from multiple states and branches, the team soared above their competition and won the tournament.
“We ended up winning the whole thing,” Tuigamala said. “It got us to come out here to play in the World Flag Football Championship.”
Their success at the Battle of the Branches made them eligible to compete in the World Championship. This; however, would be a much more daunting task. This series of games would feature about 45 divisions of teams and last five days. The team needed to prepare if they wanted to succeed.
“We got together, went over key assignments, and just established practice over the weekends,” Tuigamala said.
After all their preparation, the Branch Babies went on to compete in three during the first two days of the tournament. Despite their best efforts, the team did not find the sweeping success that won them the Battle of the Branches. Even so, they maintained a positive outlook for the future, finding optimism where others would only see defeat. Instead, the team was happy to have had the opportunity to represent their old unit, the 3rd ID in the World Championship.
“It felt good to represent 3rd Infantry Division,” said Tuigamala. “We brought more eyes to Fort Stewart, and hopefully, more people want to get involved with this USA Flag World Championship.”
Though the championship had ended, the Branch Babies planned to continue to represent the 3rd ID whenever they had the opportunity. Tuigamala saw the team as something that would continue to evolve over time, keeping its 3rd ID roots even as players join or leave.
“We look forward to returning next year,” said Sgt. David DeLeon, the only active duty team member who attended the event. “Hopefully we have time to enter more tournaments throughout the year so we can build our chemistry and return for next year’s Battle of the Branches and World Championship.”
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2024 15:44 |
| Story ID: | 462109 |
| Location: | TAMPA, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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