2012 | The year in sports

The JBLM sports calendar was full this year

By Somer Breeze-Hanson/Northwest Guardian

This year was a big year in sports for the military community of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. With 11 organized races and 12 intramural sports championships, along with sports celebrity visits and signings, a lot happened in 12 months inside and just outside the gate.

Here’s a look back at the Northwest Guardian’s top sports stories of the year:

January

Annual aerobathon

More than 250 people started the new year at the Sixth Annual Aerobathon at Wilson Sports and Fitness Center, sampling a variety of fitness classes offered at JBLM fitness centers.

Warrior Zone opens

The Warrior Zone, a multi-million dollar gaming facility opened its doors on Lewis North. The facility includes 53 TVs, video and computer games, a 15-foot movie screen and much more.

February

Super Bowl memories

JBLM stadium manager Otis Sistrunk recalled his memories of winning Super Bowl XI in 1977 when the Oakland Raiders defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-14.

Snow disrupts golf

The snow and ice storm in January shut down Eagles Pride Golf Course and Whispering Firs Golf Course for weeks as crews worked to clean up the debris and get the courses back in shape.

Swimming champs

McChord Field’s 4th Airlift Squadron dominated the annual JBLM Swimming Championships at Soldiers Field House pool, repeating as installation champs.

March

Skeet range opens

The JBLM recreational trap and skeet range re-opened after a five-month renovation, improving about 90 percent of the facility.

St. Patty’s Day run

Nearly 600 runners dressed in their best green to run in the St. Patty’s Day race to kick off the 2012 JBLM race calendar.

Intramural basketball

Alpha Company, 46th Aviation Support Battalion defeated 627th Logistics Readiness Squadron 44-36 to win the best of JBLM basketball championship.

April

Perfect game

Many JBLM service members were in attendance at Safeco Field to witness Philip Humber throw a perfect game against the Seattle Mariners in the 10th Annual Salute to Armed Forces game.

Combatives

The top 16 Soldiers and Airmen squared off in the third annual JBLM Combatives Tournament at Soldiers Field House.

Strongest Soldier

The 593rd Sustainment Brigade enjoyed some friendly competition with the unit’s own Strongest Soldier Competition.

May

Cross-country series

Corey Sigmund was the first place finisher at the JBLM Cross-Country Series finale. The 56th Multifunctional Medical Battalion won the overall team title.

Bench press records

Don Anneser and Trista Miller broke installation bench press records at the JBLM bench press championships.

Semi-pro football

Armed Forces Day featured a women’s semi-pro football matchup between the Tacoma Trauma and the Everett Reign at Cowan Stadium. The game ended in a 3-3 tie.

June

Wear Blue run

Powderworks Park in DuPont was a sea of blue as members of the JBLM community ran in the Second Annual Wear Blue Runs for the Fallen. People in all 50 states and 12 countries pledged to run more than 13,000 miles in memory of lives lost.

Dodgeball champs

Seabass, a team comprised of Rangers from the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, won the JBLM dodgeball tournament as part of the Strong B.A.N.D.S. fitness campaign.

State amateur

Eagles Pride Golf Course was selected to host the 86th Washington State Men’s Amateur for the third time in three decades. Chris Williams of the University of Washington won the tourney title.

Rugby invitational

The U.S. Military Selects won the Best of the West Rugby 7s Invitational Cup at JBLM. The team featured top rugby talent representing four military branches: Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

July

Rainiers tribute

The Tacoma Rainiers hosted the Las Vegas 51s, the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3A minor league team, at Cheney Stadium for the Tribute to America’s Military and Veterans night.

Bill Miller retires

After working for 30 years in JBLM sports, Aquatics Director Bill Miller retired to Hawaii. His career started as a lifeguard and he worked a variety of positions before settling as director in 1991.

Seahawks camp

JBLM youth turned out to train with Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor as part of the Gatorade Junior Training Camp. This year was the first year the camp took place on JBLM.

August

Ultra marathon

Claire Heid finished the 135-mile Badwater Ultra Marathon in 41 hours, 15 minutes, 57 seconds. The Soldier is the youngest female to finish the race at 23.

Mud run series finale

More than 400 runners dressed in cartoon themes participated in the seventh annual Down and Dirty Mud Run series. Thousands of gallons of water were added to the dirt obstacles.

Triathlon series finale

Dane Ballou won the Triple Threat Triathlon series finale with his time of 1 hour, 9 minutes at Shoreline Park.

September

Softball championship

Air Force’s 627th Civil Engineer Squadron came from behind to defeat Army’s 56th Multifunctional Medical Battalion 16-15 in the JBLM installation softball championship at McChord Field.

Jensen reopens

After nearly two years, Jensen Family Health and Fitness Center on Lewis Main re-opened its doors after a $2.5 million renovation.

October

Seahawks visit

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, along with teammates Brandon Mebane, Bobby Wagner and Greg Scruggs paid a visit to 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division before the Raiders deployed.

Army Ten-Miler

The JBLM women’s Army Ten-Miler team finished in course-record time to claim the active duty women’s Commanders cup in Washington D.C. Led by Ashley Urick, the JBLM women finished in 4 hours, 15.1 minutes. The JBLM active duty men finished second and the men’s masters team finished sixth.

November

Marine Corps Marathon

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, but it didn’t deter wear blue: run to remember runners who ran the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington D.C.

Salute to Service

Many JBLM service members were recognized as part of the Seattle Seahawks annual Salute to Service game at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks defeated the New York Jets 28-7.

JBLM Turkey Trot

Aaron Catlin returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan and weeks later won the annual JBLM Turkey Trot 10K race. More than 330 runners participated in the festive run.

December

Kimbro Pool reopens

After being closed for more than a year Kimbro Pool, located in McVeigh Sports and Fitness Center, re-opened its doors after a complete renovation.

Puget Sound Classic

JBLM Army quarterback David Sadlemyer threw a 26-yard pass to Thomas Blaine to lift JBLM to a 18-13 victory over the Navy Region Northwest in the 13th Annual Puget Sound Classic flag football game. Army coach Lonnie Meredith announced it was his last game.

Reindeer Dash

The 2012 JBLM race calendar concluded with Santa’s Reindeer Dash at Eagles Pride Golf Course. More than 250 runners braved the cold and hills to kick off the holiday season.