Blended teams blaze new trail at Rodeo 2007

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MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) --  Just like the famous cowboys Jim Shoulders and Bill Picket changed the face of the rodeo, there's a new group of boots in town that are stirring things up.

But, these aren't your normal cowboys.  What they're doing has little to do with horses but a whole lot to do with the spirit of teamwork, cooperation and total force during Air Mobility Rodeo 2007 at McChord Air Force Base, Wash. July 22-27.

Rodeo, hosted by Air Mobility Command, is a readiness competition of U.S. and international mobility air forces. It focuses on improving warfighting capabilities and support of the Global War on Terrorism.

For the first time, Rodeo has two teams composed of both active and Reserve component Airmen. The blended teams are the 315th and 437th Airlift Wings from Charleston AFB, S.C., and the 305th and 514th Air Mobility Wings from McGuire AFB, N.J.
 
Combining the two components has been rewarding for both sides, said Air Force Reserve Master Sgt. Paul Sigloch, a 514th AMW aircraft overhaul supervisor from McGuire AFB.

"The active duty side was really stressed due to deployments, so that's when the idea came about for blended teams" said Sergeant Sigloch.

Not only did blended teams alleviate some of the stress associated with preparing a team for the Rodeo, it also gave the teams a total force advantage.

"When you build a team from two different sources, you have the advantage because it is like a fantasy football draft, where you get to choose your best players," said Master Sgt. Russell Gardner, an active-duty maintenance team chief from the 437th AW at Charleston AFB.  "We were able to take the best and make our two fabulous teams better and stronger."

Not only did the Airmen from both teams feel like they were able to come better prepared to compete, they all stated that they were excited to compete in a way that mirrored real-world operations.

"I was on the last C-141 (Starlifter) Rodeo team in 2000, but we weren't a blended team," said Sergeant Sigloch. "Active duty and Reserve still helped each other out, but now with the combined team, it reflects what we do in the real world; now we are together."

The blended teams here are a snapshot of how the job gets done everyday, said Sergeant Gardner.

And it's how that total force is carried out in the real world that lets Airmen come together and perform extraordinary feats at Rodeo 2007, said Capt. Dan Lang, an active-duty C-17 pilot from the 437th AW at Charleston AFB. He flies along side reservists both at Rodeo 2007 and in daily operations.

"Because of the total force culture, people are good at working with other people and learning about them quickly," said Captain Lang. "What makes them a good team are those personal skills."

It's the mixing of personalities, experiences and skills on both sides that not only builds a better competition team but also a better Air Force, he said.

"It's been a great experience working with reservists, because they bring something new to the table and they know a lot," said Senior Airman Arjuna Ramcharan, a 305th AMW C-17 crew chief from McGuire AFB. "I never realized how much reservists impact active duty and the Air Force mission."

And building upon each other is exactly what Rodeo 2007 and the Air Force are all about, said Sergeant Sigloch.

Now with Rodeo 2007 coming to a close, the face of the competition may not look like Wild Bill Hickok, but rather two Airmen working side by side; one active duty, one reservist; one team, one fight.

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