Courtesy Photo | Players with 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and...... read more read more
Story by Spc. William A. Joeckel
2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C
BAGHDAD — Soldiers with 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center, along with contractors, came together over the past few weeks to forge a championship softball team, nicknamed the “Ball Busters.”
Some soldiers say playing in an intramural athletic league while deployed can help to fulfill for need for camaraderie, recreation and competition.
“It reminds you of being back home having a good time with your friends, takes your mind off of being deployed, and it brings a lot of people together who normally [wouldn’t] talk to each other,” said Chris Tillman, a canine kennel master contractor and a San Antonio native. “It brings out your inner competitor.”
The Vanguard team took some time to find the right combination to maximize its players’ abilities on the diamond.
“It took around two weeks for our team to get to know everyone’s playing style and build up great team cohesion,” said Staff Sgt. Raymond Averesch, a tank mechanic and maintenance team chief with Company D, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., and a Miller, Ohio, native. “We did a lot of rotating around to find everyone’s strong points.”
The games started in the late afternoon, which allowed soldiers and contractors who had that available time after work to play. Even though playing softball would take up a lot of the personal time the players had, many of them reasoned it would be more beneficial to stay active in that downtime.
“[Playing softball] is a lot better than just getting off of work and then going back to your room,” said Averesch.
The tournament, in which 26 teams from around Camp Taji competed, began on June 11th. During the tournament, the Ball Busters played seven games. The team won six out of the seven and was crowned champion.
“There were a few teams that gave us a run for our money,” Averesch said. “They played a good game, but we came out on top.”
While the championship game provided some satisfaction, it also instilled a desire to take on even more opponents.
“We will take on any and all challengers and conquer them,” said Tillman.
Some team members would like to travel to other bases around Iraq, such as Victory Base Complex.
“I would like our team to travel Iraq. We won [at Camp] Taji,” Averesch said. “Now we want to go to other bases and beat their teams.”
Supplies for the tournament, such as bats and gloves, were donated by the staff of the Camp Taji Morale, Welfare and Recreation Center.
“The equipment wasn’t the cheap stuff. The bats and gloves were pretty nice,” said Tillman.
With the extracurricular activities that units and organizations have for deployed soldiers and contractors, some soldiers say maintaining morale on yearlong deployments is feasible.
“Playing softball in Iraq can be a big morale booster,” Averesch said. “I look forward to it more than the normal day-to-day duties.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2011 04:52 |
| Story ID: | 73078 |
| Location: | CAMP TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 124 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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