King of the ROK Flag Football Tourney set for this weekend

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Antonio Oquendo
  • 7th Air Force
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  It all started with a few Saturday pickup games. Tech. Sgt. Ivan Thomas and I told everyone we knew to come out and play some flag football. After about a month or so of playing, we realized how steady and decent the turnout of players had been. We started to wonder why there was no base football team, since they had other base sports teams. We later found out that it was because of funding. It was at that point that we decided to take things into our own hands.

We figured with alcohol related incidents on the rise, it would be a great alternative for a weekend of fun, competition and to build camaraderie. Instead of so much drinking, let's get active! Let's meet new people in a sober environment, bridge the gap between braches and have a great time while doing so. So one Saturday, we sat down and discussed the possibilities and decided that we wanted to create the King of the ROK flag football jamboree event.

That following Monday, we got the ball rolling. First we ran the idea through the proper chain of command, and then we contacted organizations such as Navy Federal and USO for support. Studio 51 played a huge role with the publicity and we have created hundreds of flyers and a number of posters to disseminate throughout the peninsula. We also took advantage of social medial and created our own Facebook page, and we even tapped into AFN television and radio to help us spread the word.

Three months and countless volunteer hours later, we finally begin see the fruits harvested from the seeds we have planted. On Aug. 2, the Inaugural King of the ROK flag football tournament will commence at 7:30 a.m. with the presentation of the colors, the national anthems, remarks by 51 Fighter Wing Commander Col Brook J. Leonard, and the coin toss by 51 Fighter Wing Command Chief Chief Master Sgt. Terrence A. Greene. The success of this event can be measured in many different ways, but one way we already feel a great sense of accomplishment is by bringing athletes together all over the peninsula to practice as a team and prepare to come to the Osan American High School football field the weekend of Aug. 2-3 have a great time. We hope to see you all in attendance.