Photo By Senior Airman Benjamin Riddle | Julius A. Kolb Airman Leadership School Commandant’s Crucible participants and supporters prepare for the opening event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, April 7, 2026. The crucible challenged ALS students and Team McChord leadership to prove which team, and, in the end, which student was the most physically fit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Benjamin Riddle) see less
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JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
The Julius A. Kolb Airman Leadership School recently held their inaugural Commandant’s Crucible at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, April 7, 2026.
This new physical challenge was designed by the ALS commandant, Master Sgt. Jennylyn Cabanilla, to reiterate the school’s mission of preparing students to perform at their best even when faced with the diverse, and often physically demanding, requirements of leading today’s Airmen.
“The core objective of the Commandant’s Crucible was to create a fun way to not only test the students’ physical fitness but also key leadership skills like resilience, teamwork, and accountability,” said Cabanilla. “Building these physical challenges helped create an experience for them to push through adversity and continue to show up for their teams even in challenging environments. This mirrors real-world situations where future noncommissioned officers must be able to lead their Airmen under pressure.”
The series of trials included a variety of timed, endurance-based, speed-based, strength-based and rapid decision-making fitness challenges. This design placed a strong emphasis on clear communication and the intentional assessment of each individual’s commitment to teamwork, flexibility, and perseverance.
“I built the event to test more than just strength by incorporating challenges that evaluated different skills,” said Cabanilla. “I wanted to make sure the winner could be anyone, not just the strongest person.”
The competition consisted of five teams, each comprised of five ALS Airmen and one Team McChord senior leader, with all participants leaning heavily upon each other’s strengths. Several ALS students also acted as official referees throughout the event thereby ensuring adherence to proper exercise form and competition rules.
Although the crucible was designed as a physical competition for all participants, the camaraderie and sportsmanship from each induvial spoke volumes to the school’s dedication toward building future leaders.
Cabanilla highlighted the ALS students’ grit during the competition by recounting one part of a specific challenge.
“My proudest moment of the competition was during ‘The Hold’ where each team had to hold a static exercise to failure,” said Cabanilla. “I could see everyone giving everything they had, especially when each team member had to rotate into the 25lb plate straight-arm front hold. With every repetition I could see in their faces that their muscles were burning, but they continued to push themselves to the limit, trying not to let their teams down and fighting to avoid being the first team out.”
The crucible ended in the late afternoon with Senior Airman Thaddeus Lindsey, 627th Force Support Squadron food service shift leader, winning the overall competition. Lindsey’s team had beaten the second-place team during a harnessed one-on-one tug-of-war challenge, and later Lindsey himself beat out his fellow team members, winning him the commandant’s trophy.
“26-C was a great class to launch the Commandant’s Crucible because they really embodied their class motto “Ready, Relentless,’” said Cabanilla. “They showed incredible grit leaving everything on the field and proving they can thrive in high-pressure environments.”
ALS’s Commandant’s Crucible is but one of many initiatives incorporated by the school to get after high end readiness for Team McChord’s next NCOs.
