STUSPENDOUS: 71st Student Squadron is intramurals' best in 2014

  • Published
  • By David Poe
  • 71st FTW Public Affairs
VANCE AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Go back in our intramural sports record books, and two numbers will stand out: 32 and three.

The 32 would be for the former 32nd Flying Training Squadron, the predecessor to today's 3rd FTS. Since 2001, the squadron has won 11 of 14 Commander's Trophies and seven of the last eight, yet in 2014, something changed.

"We had a lot of espirit de corps," said Capt. Jerrel Scriven about his team of 71st Student Squadron's Airmen. "We were very enthusiastic and competed in every sport."

Airmen from the 71st STUS edged the vaunted 3rd FTS, 227 - 223.5, during a Commander's Trophy season that included: basketball, racquetball, bowling, tennis, softball, golf, flag football, volleyball and a team challenge.

The STUS horses were slow out of the gate with a last-place finish on the bowling lanes at the Falcon's Nest in late 2013. They netted 16 points -- less than half of the 71st Communication Flight's 35.

Andre Chun of the STUS outdid Scott Addy of the 33rd FTS for the base's racquetball singles title, guaranteeing a narrow victory for the STUS with 11 Commander's Trophy points. Addy teamed with squadron mate Joshua Tobitt for the doubles championship later in the year for a 33rd FTS championship. The 71st STUS team tied the 71st Operations Support Squadron for second place in doubles action.

In basketball, the 71st STUS and 3rd FTS were head-and-shoulders above the rest with 41 and 39 points respectively. The squadrons were neck-and-neck throughout the season with the 3rd FTS besting second place 71st STUS as the regular season champion. The STUS bounced back for a post-season tournament championship with a final game win over the 3rd FTS.

The 71st STUS Airmen edged both the 71st OSS (21 points) and 3rd FTS (18 points) during the regular season, but did not place in the top three in the post-season tournament. With the 71st OSS scooping up 41 Commander's Trophy points, it is important to note that PAE contractors may have been the best softballers in 2014 - they were the regular season runners-up and the tournament champions. According to Air Force instructions, contractors are welcome to compete, but only military units earn points toward a Commander's Trophy.

Matthew Way and Trent McMullen, both of the 71st STUS, were tennis aces as they finished 1-2 in the base singles tennis tournament, guaranteeing a pocket full of points for their squadron with 15. Kyle Randall and Sabina England, also from the STUS, topped 3rd FTS commander Sean Martin and partner Erica Shortridge in the doubles tournament, and 71st STUS won 11-8, sweeping the tennis season.

The golf links were the 71st STUS's weakest showing as they finished at the back of the pack of eight teams. Airmen from the 8th FTS won the golf season with 33rd FTS duffers winning the base tournament title.

Team "Da Benjamin" from 71st STUS earned six points when they finished a close third in September's Adventure Challenge with a time of 53:47, trailing second-place Team "JayHawks" by two seconds. The 71st Security Forces Squadron's Team "5-O" won the competition with a time of 52:17. 

In flag football, the STUS was quiet during the regular season with a third-place finish, but rose to the occasion with 10 points in the base tournament. PAE defeated the 71st Student Squadron in the championship match, but because the contractors do not compete for the Commander's Trophy, the Airmen received the first-place points, while runners-up 71st OSS and 3rd FTS split the second-place point tally (2.5 a piece.)

Volleyball was all 71st STUS as the Airmen finished first ahead of the 3rd FTS and the 33rd FTS respectively during the season and stayed in the top spot with a tournament championship over the 3rd FTS.

Scriven said intramural sports participation in 2014 made for a more cohesive 71st STUS away from the fields of play.

"It did a lot for morale," he said. "We enjoy the wins; that's a given fact. The joys and laughter spent along with all of our trials made us a better team year round."

In his sixth intramural sports season, Adam Sloat, the sports specialist at Bradley Fitness and Sports Center, said he hoped that everyone who participated found the same benefits Scriven and the 71st STUS enjoyed in 2014.

"It's satisfying to see everyone come out and compete," said Sloat. "Whether it's their teamwork or their sportsmanship, intramurals are a great way to team build."

Lt. Col. William Maher, the 71st STUS commander, said he appreciated the work his troops put in on the playing fields while representing their unit and that their successes were not a surprise.

"I believe a squadron of 600 22-year-olds was a driving force [in 2014,]" he said. "I expect another successful season."

After the sportsmanship and big-picture benefits, Sloat, who said he is also a big sports fan, said he loved the drama of the 2014 Commander's Trophy season and said he expects more tight finishes in 2015.

"We have teams with athletes who've competed at the Air Force Academy - the players are amazing here," he said. "[Last year's] championship basketball game between the [71st] STUS and the third [FTS] came down to the last second - that was a great game.

"The third is so fanatic about football that a month before the season even starts, you'll see them out on the fields practicing their own plays."

While the 32nd and later the 3rd FTS may have an intramural sports legacy at Vance, the storyline for 2015 seems to start down the street at the 71st STUS.

"It was a great year," Sloat said, "and the STUS did something that no other squadron could do - they beat the 3rd."