Security forces trio nab triathalon trophy Published Nov. 20, 2006 By Frank McIntyre Public Affairs Vance Air Force Base, Okla. -- Physical training is a high priority for the 71st Security Forces Squadron, but the results don't have to be just better conditioned warriors meeting their missions here and on numerous deployments around the globe. Three SFS warriors demonstrated their fitness Aug. 5 when they joined more than 200 competitors at the 23rd Annual YMCA Willow Lake triathlon in Enid. Entrants came from many points within Oklahoma, as well as from neighboring Kansas and Texas. Second Lt. Patrick Fruge, installation antiterrorism officer, Tech. Sgt. Robert Innis, operations superintendent and Tech. Sgt. Todd Rosenzweig, NCO in charge of training, decided at the last minute to team up for the competition. Sergeant Rosenzweig started off the day with the 500- meter swim, followed by Lt. Fruge's 9.1-mile bike ride and ending with Sergeant Innis's 3.1-mile run. The trio's 1 hour, 5 minute and 2 seconds time was good for a third place finish in the team category. They were just five minutes behind the second place team and more than 12 minutes ahead of the fourth-place finishers. "We were especially happy with the results," said Sergeant Innis, a Kiefer, Okla. native who has been at Vance for three and a half years. "We did real well considering that we never trained for this event, we just went out and did it." "It felt really good to be the only team wearing the Air Force PT uniform," Lieutenant Fruge said. "It was a great team effort, everybody gave 110 percent. We enjoyed the opportunity to represent security forces, Vance and the U.S. Air Force. Even Captain (Brandon) Shade, the 71st SFS operations officer, came out to support us. This was the second Willow Lake triathlon for Lieutenant Fruge, how participated last year as an individual. The Stockbridge, Ga., native has already signed for the individual category in the base's Aug. 26 triathlon. This was the second Willow Lake triathlon for Sergeant Rosenzweig. Last year he did the run as part of a different team that finished second. "Participating in this event was a pride thing -- to go out there while wearing the Air Force PT uniform and actually do half-way decent but never really training for it," Sergeant Rosenzweig said. The Broadalbin, N.Y., native has been here two months longer than Lieutenant Fruge, who arrived a year ago. Sergeants Innis and Rosenzweig indicated they were checking the free-agent market for a third team member to replace the "deserting" lieutenant who opted out of the team to try for individual honors in the Vance triathlon. "Lieutenant Fruge and Tech Sgt. Innis set a very high standard for us as the unit's physical fitness leaders," said Maj. Herbert Meadows, 71st SFS commander. "Sergeant Rosenzweig joined them to make an almost unbeatable team. "The PT sessions are tough and are getting tougher, but the results are phenomenal. The training these members endure on a weekly basis allows them to quickly form a team, leverage their individual talents for an event like a triathlon and successfully represent their unit as well as Vance AFB. I'm proud of them," said Major Meadows, who is rumored to be one of the free-agents under consideration by his NCOs for their team.