Photo By Spc. Santiago Lepper | U.S. Army Sgt. Mike Gioia, assigned to 75th Ranger Regiment, pushes the puck along the...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. – In the heart of Fort Stewart, a group of Soldiers with the 92nd Engineer Battalion has traded blueprints for breakaways, forming a recreational hockey team based out of Savannah, Georgia.
The Spartans, as they call themselves, is a unique hockey team that seamlessly blends active duty service members and Veterans from Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. The team was created by two engineers and host members from the 3rd Infantry Division Band, 75th Ranger Regiment, 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and retired Army Veterans.
Team captain, Sgt. Joshua Bailitz, of the 497th Multi-Role Bridge Company, sheds light on the team's origins and its mission beyond the rink.
“We wanted to make an active duty and veterans Hockey team to boost the camaraderie and morale of the Soldiers on Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield,” said Bailtiz. “It's a place to get away from the rigors of military life and have a good time.”
Since the team's creation, the response from the Army community and leadership has been encouraging and overwhelmingly positive.
“Our battalion commander, sergeant major, first sergeant and company commander have all come out to a couple games in support of our efforts,” Bailtiz added.
For these Soldiers military commitments will always take precedence.
“Military comes first, a lot of times our guys have training exercises, so we work around it, shoot from the hip and adjust as necessary,” said Bailitz.
Sgt. Balitiz was assisted in building the team by his co-captain and teammate Staff Sgt. Devin Henry, who brings a passion for hockey that ignites team spirit on and off the ice.
“I grew up in Canada following hockey,” Henry said. “I knew I wanted to play it, played college level and semi-pro, it’s something I've always had a passion for. It's one of those places where if I had a bad day, I could go out on the ice and it was my sanctuary.”
The team serves as a stress reliever and provides Soldiers with an outlet to unwind and connect.
“At work, we deal with a lot of stressors, being out on the ice gets us out of that work mentality,” Henry added. “We leave it all on the ice, push the stress aside and have a great time.”
The intensity, speed and camaraderie on the ice create powerful moments for the Spartans and ignite a winning spirit.
“There are times we could be down four to one with a minute and a half left in the game, get three goals in forty seconds and just like that we are tied up,” said Henry. “Pulling together as a team and creating opportunities is such a powerful experience.”
For these Soldiers, hockey is a strategic and adaptive experience with many parallels between combat and effectiveness on the ice.
“Being in the rigors of combat, you learn that you have to take the stress and perform,” reflected Henry. “The game moves fast on the ice, being adaptive and using our training gives a calm advantage in the face of adversity.”
Balancing their roles as Soldiers and athletes, the Spartans exemplify discipline and dedication.
“You have to be able to balance and separate work from play,” Henry added. “We are soldiers first and represent the 497th and 92nd engineers. Hockey is our play and our second job. When we gear up and hit the ice, it's full throttle.”
The Spartans' journey from blueprints to breakaways is not just a sports story; it’s a testament to the resilience, camaraderie and adaptive spirit of U.S. Army Soldiers who find solace and triumph whether on the battlefield or the hockey rink.
The team looks forward to the season’s upcoming playoff games and openly invites any Soldiers interested in joining the team to reach out to Sgt. Bailitz at jmbailitz@gmail.com.
| Date Taken: | 01.15.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2024 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 462536 |
| Location: | SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 397 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Blueprints to Breakaways: U.S. Army Engineer Hockey Team Conquers the Ice, by SPC Santiago Lepper, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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