FORT EUSTIS, Va. –
The roar of the adrenaline-fueled fans packed inside Anderson Field House Feb. 23 evoked all the emotion of a sold-out pay-per-view fight, as 100 Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 222nd Aviation Regiment lost the boots and hit the mats in a thrilling, elimination-style Modern Army Combatives Program tournament.
When the point totals were tallied up and announced, D Company reigned victorious, earning 33 points and first place of the five companies in the battalion.
The biannual tournament pits Soldiers from the five companies against each other, working through an elimination style bracket in six weight classes, welterweight through heavyweight. Points are assessed by judges during each match and awarded to each company. The company that earns the most points wins the tournament.
Although D Co. only saw one finals victory - Pvt. Dean Frey winning the cruiserweight final - the company earned more cumulative points than its sister companies. Trainers and referees from the post's Combatives dojo officiated the competition, which lasted nearly three hours.
Lt. Col. Michael Williams, the battalion commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Estevan SotoRosado, the senior enlisted leader, presented the D Co. team with a championship belt and a guidon streamer for their victory. Each weight class champion received a medal.
Though the tournament is designed to demonstrate the Soldiers' abilities in modern Army combatives, it also triggers the fires of competition and ignites the companies' pride. The command team performed a routine in which they peeled away their uniform tops to reveal company T-shirts, pumping up the crowd.
"You may be brothers in arms, but today, that is your battlefield," the commander said, pointing to the array of black mats on the gym floor. "Your opponents are the enemy."
Combatives is the practice of hand-to-hand, close-quarters combat, allowing Soldiers to "finish the fight" if disarmed. The MACP started in 1995 with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and has spread at the grassroots level around the Army. Since 2007, combatives has been required training in each Army unit, and the foundations of combatives are instructed in Basic Combat Training.
The action was not limited to male competitors. Two female Soldiers - Pfc. Sarah Joyner and Pvt. Emily Matzke - competed in the tournament as well. While neither progressed to the finals, SotoRosado said it was "outstanding" to see female Soldiers competing in an important discipline of the Army's training.
The energy from the competitors and fans demonstrated how popular the twice-a-year tourney has become. Pfc. Nick Reddell, an A Co. Soldier who won the heavyweight title in the tournament's electrifying final match, said he, "couldn't wait for the chance to showcase my training."
The competitors trained two hours a day, five days a week for a month leading up to the tournament. Reddell said he also trained on weekends and trained in Muy-Thai kickboxing. He attributed much of his success to his 14 years of wrestling experience.
"It feels amazing to have come out here and won, and to see my company celebrating," he said. "It's a little disappointing [A Co.] didn't take the point, and it's definitely tiring, but totally worth the effort."
Most importantly, competitions like the MCAP tournament give AIT Soldiers the opportunity to break away from the rigid, structured routine of training.
"The Soldiers get to go out there, enjoy themselves and have a good time. It's a break from the monotony and the everyday hum-drum of school," said A Co.'s 1st Sgt. Rafael Lopez. "They get to support their fellow Soldiers, and that's really the most important thing to building motivation and morale."