Photo By Sherry Kuiper | Master Sgt. Megan Lomonof started competing with the U.S. Army eSports Team in 2019...... read more read more
JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - She may seem unassuming as the principal piccoloist for The U.S. Army Band’s concert band at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, but make no mistake, Master Sgt. Megan Lomonof is as competitive as they come.
The Chicago-area native aspired to be in Pershing’s Own after watching them perform at convention while she was in high school.
“As I was finishing up in college in 2007, sure enough, the audition came up, and I was able to win the audition and have my dream job,” Lomonof said.
Competing in Music
While playing instruments since childhood and going to top music schools like Illinois State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music helped Lomonof get her dream job, earning a spot on The U.S. Army Band’s roster was no walk in the park.
“The auditions for the Army Band are very competitive, and this is known in the music field, but not often to other people outside of the field,” Lomonof said. “For my audition I practiced five to eight hours a day leading up to it, and there were over 50 candidates who applied for the job.”
Music isn’t Lomonof’s only area of competitiveness; she is also on the U.S. Army eSports Team.
Overwatch & World of Warcraft
That’s right, video games!
The team has opportunities from the casual to the professional level, and Soldiers are able to go into the program and see where it takes them, much like Lomonof’s experience.
“I didn't go in aspiring to be very competitive, but it ended up opening door after door,” she said.
Lomonof competed with the games Overwatch and World of Warcraft under the fitting gamer name “Flutey.”
ESports operates just like any other sport according to Lomonof, with tryouts, a practice schedule, strategy and, of course, competition.
And there are a lot of great benefits to eSports that many people may not think of, she said.
“You're breaking things down and you're practicing your skill sets, just like in music,” Lomonof said. “It actually felt very synergistic, and I'd even say that eSports in particular has valuable skills for Soldiers. It improves dexterity, teamwork, leadership, communication - all things that make you better at your job too.”
Lomonof believes Soldiers are drawn to gaming and eSports because of the practical skills and development that come from it.
After competing with eSports, Lomonof ended up moving into the more administrative side of the team, which led into coaching collegiate eSports for the game Overwatch.
Her biggest success came through coaching for her alma mater, Illinois State University, where she was a three-time Contenders Champion as coach, 2022 Fall National Collegiate Champion and the 2022-2023 EsportU Collegiate eSports Coach of the Year.
Her career in eSports came on the heels of another sports career, following injuries that took her out of competition.
Jiu-Jitsu Champion
Lomonof is also a Judoka who was attracted to Jiu-Jitsu after learning the practice during basic training.
“After I got out of basic training, I found a found a gym and started training and competing,” Lomonof said. “I think a lot of musicians have this drive to practice and go really hard in everything they do, and you'll see that across the Army Band for sure.”
That drive led Lomonof to an impressive competitive career, winning four Pan Am Championships, two world medals and 12 International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation Gold medals.
With music, eSports and Jiu-Jitsu, Lomonof said she never walked in looking for greatness, and much of her success is because of the people she surrounded herself with.
“It was one step at a time, and I surrounded myself with the right people and people with expertise, and who I trusted could teach me."
| Date Taken: | 12.15.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2023 10:59 |
| Story ID: | 460652 |
| Location: | FORT MYER, US |
| Web Views: | 323 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldier embraces competition with music, eSports and Jiu-Jitsu, by Sherry Kuiper, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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