Photo By Airman 1st Class Caleb Parker | U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Allyson Stephenson plays Halo Infinite on her gaming...... read more read more
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When someone puts on noise canceling headphones it is hard to hear the rising enthusiasm and roar of the crowd or the gasp of an astonishing play.
Airman 1st Class Allyson Stephenson, a member of the U.S. Air Force Gaming Team, spends her duty days as a 628th Comptroller Squadron financial services technician at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, but during Memorial Day weekend, she was preparing with her team in San Antonio for the first Halo tournament of its kind.
On May 28, Stephenson and her Air Force Gaming team fought against their counterparts from the rest of the branches in the first esports tournament officially recognized by the Department of Defense.
“It was a surreal and amazing experience to represent the Air Force in the tournament,” said Stephenson. “Knowing that I am now a part of history, still feels to this day, unreal.”
Stephenson and her team had a close call against the U.S. Army Gaming team in their first match of the tournament, but in the last minutes they pulled through to seize victory from the jaws of defeat.
Before the team could go to the grand final, they faced off against the U.S. Marine Corps Gaming team where they had a dominating performance.
The Marines had individually skilled players, but they didn't have a good team synergy. When the Air Force team faced them, the games were not close, said Stephenson.
After a commanding win over the Marines, Stephenson was named the MVP of the tournament and was presented with the World Wrestling Entertainment World Heavyweight Championship belt by WWE superstar Xavier Woods.
“I was surprised, it felt like a dream to be honest, one of those big moments that you reflect on in the future and feel a true sense of accomplishment,” said Stephenson. “I also felt as if my teammates were just as deserving of the award. I was really proud of them and how far we pushed ourselves together.”
Stephenson and her team only had one obstacle standing in their way of becoming the champions of the tournament: the U.S. Army team, who had fought all the way back to face them again in the grand finale.
“We played a lot better against them in the grand finals,” said Stephenson. “So much so that it looked like they had given up in the last minutes of the match.”
By defeating the U.S. Army team in the grand finals Stephenson and her team were named the first Armed Forces Sports Halo Champions.
“We never at any point felt as if we were going to win the tournament until the end of the last match,” said Stephenson. “The Army team was really good competition, and we didn't want to underestimate them.”
Stephenson and her team had demonstrated effective teamwork and communication to go undefeated in the tournament.
“I felt an intense sense of accomplishment once we had won the tournament,” said Stephenson. “We really brought the heat in grand finals and didn't make many mistakes. We were an effective unit.”
| Date Taken: | 06.24.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 06.27.2022 07:57 |
| Story ID: | 423752 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 87 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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