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380AEW Article

380th AEW Airmen compete for strongest in AOR

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stephen Linch
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  After proving themselves worthy the week before in the preliminaries, five 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen competed in the "Strongest in the AOR" Dec. 18, 2009.

The weight-lifting competitors performed squats and bench presses with their heaviest lift being put into the Schwartz/Malone Formula.

The formula allowed the Airmen to compete head-to-head by essentially taking their heaviest lift in each category and subtracting their body weight to give them a score -- without dividing them into weight classes.

More than 25 spectators watched and cheered as the five finalists pushed themselves to and past their limits.

"Most controlled the weight on the way down to the chest line, but some had a hard time completing the lift," said Master Sgt. Betty Rice, 380th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron fitness director.

"The guys were running on pure adrenaline," she added.

Senior Airman Kenneth Yetter, 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, led the competition, lifting 350 pounds on the bench and squatting 425 pounds, for a total weight of 780 pounds.

After being named the strongest man at the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Airman Yetter said the competition was a lot of fun and admitted he had been lifting for some time.

"I have been working out since 9th grade," said the 23-years-old Spokane, Wash., native.

Although Airman Yetter was named the strongest man at the 380th AEW, he was not the only one to win at the event.

Senior Airman Bobby Sebring, 380th Expeditionary Communications Squadron, won best bench press with a lift of 315 pounds, and Airman 1st Class Robert Moorland, 380th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron, won best squat with a lift of 425 pounds.

The three winners' scores from the 380th AEW's "Strongest in the AOR" were sent to a location in Southwest Asia, where they will compete with other winners' scores from around the area of responsibility to determine the "Strongest in the AOR."