SSgt brings home the gold

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tim Bazar
  • 314th Airlift Wing Strategic Information Flight
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  A 314th Services Squadron staff sergeant earned a gold medal when he and 11 other Airmen teamed up against other military branches in the 2006 Armed Services Basketball Tournament recently.

Staff Sgt. Marcus Oats, the fitness center personal training and education coordinator, spent a month working with 11 other teammates to prepare for the nationally-recognized championship tournament that pits the best-of-the-best military basketball players against each other.

The first victory for the Air Force since 2000, Sergeant Oats' team's only loss came when the Marine Corps team beat them by four points. But the victory wasn't easy, he said.

"The best military players are out here for one reason ... to win," said Sergeant Oats. "You're playing against some serious talent out there and you can't afford to slack off any. You have to play hard all the time."

Sergeant Oats was the only member from the base and Air Education and Training command to represent the Air Force.

What made the win more memorable was that most of the team players were rookies.

"Eleven of 12 guys out there were first-timers on the Air Force team," said Sergeant Oats. "With that many rookies, winning a gold medal is a really big deal."

Team members practiced two to three times a day, scrimmaging against colleges in the evenings. Taking the title was worth all the hours though, he said.

"The hard work definitely paid off," Sergeant Oats said. "We had a great team and they all played hard and took it seriously ... while having fun of course."