Chiefs, shirts school ALS class 16-1 in volleyball game

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Cassandra Whitman
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  In a bid for bragging rights between Eielson's newest leaders and those who've been around the Air Force a few years, Airman Leadership School class 16-1 learned some lessons from the 354th Fighter Wing's chief master sergeants and first sergeants.

The volleyball matchup, cherished by those leading the overall series between these two teams, consists of five matches, with the best three out of five declared the winner.

"It feels really good to win," said Master Sgt. Jeannette Berry, the Wing Staff Agencies first sergeant. "We put our best effort in."

Offering some insight into how the senior noncommissioned officers managed to knock off ALS 16-1, Berry explained, "we eat right the day before and we hydrate plenty the day of the competition."

Although the win was a boost for the SNCOs' morale, the ultimate goals of the game are team building, increasing morale and building strong future leaders.

Senior Airman Chris Treadway, a member of the ALS 16-1 who is a 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons load crew member, participated in the friendly competition.

"We used our physical training time on Thursdays to practice for this game," said Treadway. "We would practice drills and play against each other. We tried to make it as fun as possible."

Master Sgt. Kenneth Cullen, the 354th Civil Engineer Squadron first sergeant, said the last ALS class he played against, ALS started off down by two rounds.

"They came back and won three straight rounds," explained Cullen. "I guess this class couldn't do it this time."

While Eielson's seasoned senior leaders managed to ride away victorious from this matchup, the ALS instructor cadre will no doubt work to inspire its next class of future leaders to send the SNCOs off to recover from a loss with heating bottles, joint cream and some medical assistance from the 354th Medical Group pharmacy.