Photo By Sgt. Edwin Gray | Capt. Rob Meyer, chief of operations with the 20th Engineer Brigade, and a Fort...... read more read more
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By: Sgt. Edwin Gray
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – The sight of several huge trash bags full of plastic water bottles lying in the corner of an empty supply room could be interpreted as someone on trash detail took an extensive break from their job.
Giving them the benefit of the doubt, the trash detail for empty bottles in Iraq had a purpose. These empty bottles were not deemed as trash for very long. These bottles would soon be used to float on top of water rather than being recycled or thrown completely away.
Service members and civilian contractors raced self-made boats constructed of tape and plastic water bottles at the boat regatta May 29 at the Joint Base Balad, Iraq, outdoor swimming pool.
Participants were only allowed to use plastic water bottles and duct tape to make their boats and accessories. In hopes to build morale, 21 boats were registered into the contest. Some went as far as researching some old designs to uniquely put an extra spark in their creation.
“Coming up with the idea was pretty quick, but we did race the last two times the regatta was here so we saw some of the old designs,” said Pedro Careaga, a Phoenix, Ariz., native with the Department of State and team captain of the boat that came in first place in design. “We did a little research on the Viking boats, because we kind of like that. It took us about three days to build the whole thing.”
Although it may have seemed like a ferocious competition and lots of work to compete in it, many participants felt it was a morale builder regardless of the outcome of the race.
“It took some time trying to tape it together, but we worked on it an hour here and an hour there,” said Staff Sgt. James Rider, supply sergeant for food services with the 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and a Trenton, Ohio, native. “I think it’s going to work out pretty good, but it’s a big morale thing for everybody, so have fun. If it sinks, it sinks. If it floats, it floats.”
Some started collecting bottles as early as March.
“I started asking people to save bottles shortly after we got here. We got a couple bags of trash, but for the most part we have a lot of bags full of bottles,” Rider said. “I said ‘If we are going to build a boat, we need to start saving bottles,’ and the next thing I knew, people were bringing me bottles every day. We probably used 250 bottles and approximately 10 rolls of duct tape.”
With approximately 10 hours of working on their boat, Capt. Rob Meyer, chief of operations with the 20th Engineer Brigade and a Fort Collins, Colo., native, and his partner Sgt. 1st Class Blanchard B. Woodcox, a diving supervisor with the 7th Dive Detachment, 20th Engineer Brigade, and a Lake Havasu City, Ariz., native, won the race and a video game console for their first-place ranking.
Before the race, they felt confident but also ready for a highly competitive race.
“We were pretty confident going into the race, but there were many great designs and strong teams so we knew the competition would be tough,” Meyer said. “We were pretty beat from pushing the boat through the water, but overall we were proud and excited we were able to bring home the gold.”
To try to win the race, some teams built two different boats and had a tryout for the boats prior to the regatta to see if the boat was efficient enough for the race. Regardless of where they placed in the race, everyone had fun with hopes to have another regatta.
“We really did enjoy ourselves,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Randy Pedregon, a customs border clearing agent with Navy customs and a Los Angeles, Calif., native. “It was a great workout and I’m hoping we have another regatta before the pool closes.”
With nearly every branch of the military and numerous civilian contractors participating, this may have been one of the most diverse events many spectators will see on JBB.
Overall, the regatta was for morale, and many participants and audience members said it turned out well.
“The event was a great success. Twenty-one teams showed up with some really creative designs,” Meyer said. “It was fun to do something out of the norm and compete in such a unique event.”
| Date Taken: | 05.29.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2011 03:06 |
| Story ID: | 71606 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 113 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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