Team Vance beats out competition in Texas

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Kyle Smith
  • 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  An eight-man relay team from Vance Air Force Base placed third among more than 30 teams, Oct. 18, in the relay division of the Rambler 120 Team Challenge at the Randolph Recreation Park at Canyon Lake, Texas.

Fifteen members from Vance participated in the annual event hosted by Randolph AFB. The challenge included a 22-mile bike ride, 6-mile run, 2-mile raft paddle and this year's mystery event: disc golf. Participants from Vance, Randolph, Lackland and Laughlin Air Force Bases competed in the challenge.

There are two divisions for competition - the X-treme division and the Relay division. The X-treme division consisted of four-person teams, in which each competitor competed in each event. The Relay division allowed 8-person teams, in which a minimum of four team members were required for each event.

"Team Vance" consisted of Col. Chris Nowland, Lt. Col. Neil Woods, Majs. Todd Dyer, Joseph Markowski, Jason Smith, 2nd Lts. Mark Fraser, Alan Calfee, Zach Thuli and David Wilfong as the driver responsible for shuttling team members. They placed third in the Relay male division with a time of 2:29:40, seven minutes shy of 2:22:50, the first place time. A team from Vance's 32nd Flying Training Squadron also participated. Members of the team were Capts. Rich Hennies, John McGregor, 1st Lts. Matt Gjertsen, Mark Thompson, Frieden McLean and Jason Jones.

Team Vance took the lead from the start gates. Lieutenant Alan Calfee said, "We were screaming past the other teams," while he biked alongside Colonel Woods, Major Markowski and Lieutenant Fraser. Majors Dyer and Smith both ran the first and second halves of the running event, while Colonel Nowland, Major Markowski, Lieutenant Fraser and Lieutenant Thuli put their best strokes forward in the raft. Lieutenant Fraser represented the team in the disc golf event.

The day ended with a barbeque and awards ceremony. Gen. Stephen Lorenz, Commander of Air Education and Training Command, joined Team Vance for the final event - ice cream eating.