Soldiers compete in power-lifting competition

Photo By 1st Lt. Kenya Saenz | Spc. Camelle Morris, 864th Engineers, performs the dead lift at the first power lifting competition at Forward Operating Base Sharana.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AFGHANISTAN

01.15.2008

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

By Army 1st Lt. Kenya Virginia Saenz
Task Force Pacemaker Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan - Soldiers had the opportunity to show their strength in a first-of-it's kind weightlifting competition, Dec. 28.

The event was organized to create an esprit-de-corps for the deployed Soldiers.

Army, Navy, Air Force and Polish service members participated in the competition that included three events; the bench press, dead lift and the squat. The winners of each weight division were decided by their total weight lifted in all three events. The winners not only won bragging rights, but they also received a certificate of achievement and a $50 AAFES gift certificate.

The competition winners were Polish Pfc. Jacek Domanski who lifted 1350 pounds, Polish Pfc. Tomasz Niedziela who lifted a total of 1200 pounds, Army Maj. Ell White who lifted 1155 pounds and Spc. Camelle Morris, the only female out of the competition, lifted a total of 685 pounds.

"I was proud to be a representative for the females and to show that we are mentally and physically tough," said Morris. "As a member of the Task Force Pacemaker family, we must have strength to deal with the combat climate and the [length] of the 15-month deployments. Not only are we Pacemaker strong, but we are Army strong."

"The power-lifting contest was a good morale booster because it gave us time to compete, which builds esprit-de-corps and gives us a brief pause from our regular operational duties in a forward deployed combat location," said White, from Pratville, Ala.

Many spectators showed up to give their support for their fellow Soldiers.

• Date Taken: 01.15.2008
• Date Posted: 01.15.2008 13:14
• Story ID: 15479
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, AF