Supply, fuels teams compete during 'Roadeo'

  • Published
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Thirty-six teams from around the Air Force gathered here to compete in this year's supply and fuels readiness competition, also known as "Roadeo." When it was all over, the team from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, earned bragging rights by accumulating the most points in the three-day competition.

The supply winner was the team from Eglin AFB, and the team from Shepherd AFB, Texas, took it all on the fuels side of the house. Competition lasted Oct. 16 to 18.

The competition was about more than just winning, said Master Sgt. Kenn Lett, event coordinator.

"This was a chance to showcase our vocational skills and check our wartime skills in a challenging environment," Lett said. "We take this competition very seriously; it's a training tool that is a great motivator that builds esprit de corps."

"Roadeo" started in the late 1980s because there was no competition for the logistics career field. It has grown each year, according to Lett. More than 295 people competed this year.

"This is a great chance to meet people from different bases," said Staff Sgt. Timothy Leanhart, assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of the Air Force Reserve parts store at Duke Field, Fla. "It also gives us a chance to practice our skills as supply/fuels specialists."

Tech. Sgt. Brad Weaver, a five-time competitor from the Ohio Air National Guard's 179th Airlift Wing, said his unit's participation was a matter of pride.

"We're here to show the active-duty airmen that the Guard can do this stuff, Weaver said. "We don't expect to finish first, but we don't expect to finish last either.

Events included backing up a 6,000-gallon refueling truck, changing tires on a refueler, and driving a forklift through a slalom course.

While the title was up in the air until the last event, Lett said recognizing the contributions made by logistics people is what the competition is all about.

"We're not flashy, we're behind the lines doing the grunt work," he said. "But the Air Force can't fly and fight without logistics."