April 24, 2014 -- Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany’s Boyett Park bustled with 30 sweaty, cheering Marines as well as civilian-Marines, who competed for the annual Daniels Cup Challenge winning trophy and this year’s bragging rights, April 16.
At kick-off, the challenge had registered six, fivemember teams, both males and females, who were flanked by a crowd of shouting/applauding fans and spectators, who showed up to support their favorite teams.
Everyone waited in silence as Whitney Hendrix, recreation assistant, Daniels Fitness Center, MCLB Albany, announced rules and instructions before the start of each of the three scheduled activities.
“The challenge’s primary goal each year has been to promote teamwork, sportsmanship and fitness, while testing stamina, strength and cardio endurance from the five-member teams,” according to Hendrix.
First place winner for the 2014 challenge was Weapons Systems Management Center.
Winning team members were: Christopher Wilcox, Wayne Davis, Amanda Pierce, Efrain Rodriguezsaldana and William Lyman.
The team’s reaction was loud and comical.
Laughter was intermingled with their comments concerning how being the “oldest” team in the competition was not an impeding factor when they defeated, by their assessment, “younger, stronger teams” for the 2014 championship.
“The competition was a little weak this year,” Davis said, amidst the laughter from his teammates. “I’m just one of the old guys. It was nice to see the runners beat the bodybuilders.”
Another WSMC team member randomly chanted, “brains beat muscles,” while the team flexed their muscles, donned their bright, neon orange winners’ T-shirts and showed off the championship trophy as they struck their final victory pose.
Second place went to Marine Corps Logistics Command Marines team: Jonathan Anderson, Kory Drake, Fredrick Graham, Anthony Fernandez and Artisha Burnett.
Marine Corps Police Department’s Special Response Team captured third place with team members: Jeremiah Fenn, Mark Laux, Patrick Lyons, Rhamaro Murphy and Monica Laux.
Other teams participating in this year’s event were Marine Depot Maintenance Command, LOGCOM’s
Dogs of War (team one) and Dogs of War (team two).
First, on the list of challenges, the teams tackled the tote-n-carry. In this exercise, the teams were charged with waiting for the “go” signal before loading the first set of weights onto a two-man-carry, metal frame, lifting it and walking it across a 30-yard line, turning and bringing it back 30 yards to the starting line.
Two of the remaining three teammates, then switched out with the two team members, added more weights, lifted the frame and walked the same route and back, and repeated the process for a third time, until all team members had participated in the routine and all of the weights had been used.
For the second challenge, teams competed in the tire-pull/flip. Three of the teams’ members used ropes, pulled a huge tractor tire 15 yards, where two teammates awaited. Once the tire was completely across the 15-yard line, the remaining two team members flipped the tire end-over-end 15 yards back to the starting line.
The final challenge for the day was the sled relay.
A 25-yard box was marked off on the field. The first team member pushed a sled loaded with 90 pounds of weight for 25 yards. At the 25-yard mark, the second team member added 50 pounds of weight to the sled, then pushed it 25 yards. The third team member added 50 pounds of weight and pushed it 25 yards. At the final leg of the relay, the last two team members added 50 pounds and pushed the sled together 25 yards to the finish line.
Each of the activities was timed and the team with the best overall time in the challenge became the reigning champions and earned the rights to display the trophy for the next 12 months.