Fitness Center hosts All-AF volleyball camp

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Samuel Taylor
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The newest visitors at Dover Air Force Base, Del., are easy to spot: most of them tower over the average Airman, with huge verticals and forearms like leather from years of punishment; they are 16 prospective members of the All-Air Force Volleyball Team, and they have come from bases throughout the Air Force in the hopes of surviving a 17-day training camp.

The camp is hosted at the newly-constructed Fitness Center here, and designed to whittle the team down to a 12-man squad by this weekend in preparation for the 2012 Armed Forces Indoor Volleyball Championship later this year. Coach John Napier said the team has set its sights on the top prize.

"We are due for several awards, and with this group of guys, I think we can do it," he said. "We are all appreciative of the [Dover AFB] Fitness Center for giving us the chance to prepare the best we can - it has been a great experience."

The team's days are filled with hitting, passing and setting drills, in addition to scrimmages, some against members of Team Dover's own volleyball squads. The tenacity is evident in every diving save and blistering kill-shot. For players like Christopher Hucks of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, no effort will be spared.

"We are all here to give 110 percent because, for some of us, this may be the last time we get to play volleyball at the competitive level," said Hucks.

When asked if it made tactical sense for dozens of service members to take a multi-week pause from their vital duties to compete in a sports tournament, Hucks replied:
"Absolutely, especially in the sense of the 'whole-person concept.' This is more than a group of people playing volleyball: it is a chance for Airmen to have a break from deployments and the stresses of the job, and to build camaraderie; it is a chance to represent our service on a national level; and we're learning here - these are all smart people, and I will take lessons from this experience and apply it in my work area back home."

The team will continue to train at the Fitness Center until approximately June 20. Team Dover is encouraged to come out and support their athletic ambassadors.