349th 'Port Pups' round up the mini rodeo win

  • Published
  • By Senior Master Sgt. Robert Wade
  • 349th Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  It's sunny and warm near the Travis flight line with just the right amount of breeze to create the makings of a perfect day. A perfect day, that is, for a Rodeo! In the foreground, a 60k loader comes trudging down a row of traffic cones. We're not talking a rodeo with horses and bulls, we're talking a rodeo to display equipment handling skills.

Senior leadership with the 55th and 82nd Aerial Port Squadrons developed the rodeo competition as a training tool to hone the skills of their squadron members.

The 55th marshaled two teams, the 'Original Gangsters' and the 'Port Pups,' while the 'Low Jacks' represented the 82nd according to Senior Master Sgt. Christina Hickey, the 82nd APS air transportation manager. "Today's event has a dual purpose. It increases training and it's also a friendly competition that promotes esprit de corps" Hickey added.

"The event was awesome," said Staff Sgt. Steven Bias, an air transportation specialist with the 82nd. "It was challenging and built teamwork." Blair added that he is not able to train as often as he would like and this provided a rare opportunity to do so.

The rodeo was loosely based off of Air Force Reserve Command's Port Dog Challenge. The Port Dog Challenge tests aerial port squadron team skills throughout the command. The rodeo includes a physical test challenge, a pallet buildup, and a 60k "Tunner" loader.
"This competition is the first of many to come and is based on time," said Hickey. "Normally, points are taken for discrepancies," she added.

Oh, and who won? The 55th APS Port Pups went home with the honors by beating their contemporaries by more than a minute in the timed event.