WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Athletes from four Air Force bases across the Midwest competed in the Regional Alpha Warrior competition on June 27, 2019, at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri.
The competition is a series of obstacles and exercises competitors must navigate through in less than four minutes for males or four minutes, thirty seconds for females in order to qualify for the next phase of the competition.
Eight athletes from Scott, Offutt, McConnell and Whiteman Air Force Bases raced against the clock to achieve the fastest time possible on the Alpha Warrior Osprey Course at the Whiteman AFB Fitness Center.
Tech. Sgt. Jamie Wells, with the 509th Logistics Readiness Squadron, placed third in the men’s division.
He cited the camaraderie between participants as a highlight of the competition.
“They were giving each other tips on how to be better, which you don’t see in the civilian world, rarely would you ever see that,” said Wells. “It’s nice to see that people are coming together to help each other.”
While being a seasoned obstacle course competitor in civilian hosted races, Wells is a first-time Alpha Warrior competitor. He was the only member from Whiteman AFB to place in the men’s division top three.
Whiteman AFB is one of 21 bases to host the competition at the regional level.
An Air Force wide program, Alpha Warrior is an opportunity for friendly competition while building the camaraderie and espirit de corps among the military services.
“It’s all about promoting fitness and bringing people together,” said Staff Sgt. Renee Catledge, the fitness programs manager and event coordinator assigned to the 509th Force Support Squadron. “It’s not just an FSS event, it’s not just an FSS rig, the base can use it. A lot of it is communicating and trying to pull from other squadrons so that we can let them know this is for the Whiteman community.”
The top Alpha Warrior finisher from Whiteman’s regional completion will compete in the Super Regional Competition at Joint Base San Antonio July 20, 2019.