Fort McCoy Army Ten-Miler coach: ‘We’re ready’

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Story by Scott Sturkol
Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Members of Fort McCoy’s Army Ten-Miler team have been training for months to prepare for the race in October.

The team’s coach, Lt. Col. Mark Woommavovah with the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade (MFTB), said the team is looking good and is ready to compete.

“Our team is looking good as we get closer to the 2018 Army Ten-Miler,” Woommavovah said. “Our vision, purpose, and goal are all coming together.”

Fort McCoy will field two teams of eight runners for the 2018 Army Ten-Miler, which will be held at 8 a.m. Oct. 7 at the Pentagon. “All teams contain a combination of both male and female runners (six male and two female),” Woomavovah said.

The coach said everyone has learned to be adaptable to one another.

“We know each other every well, and we have learned that it is important to support one another,” Woommavovah said. “No two runners are alike. As a result, we are a united team, and we constantly focus on our vision and goal. Our team has high energy — we are enthusiastic runners. We give energy to one another with excitement and drive to achieve our goal.”

Team members have competed regularly in local running competitions as part of the training regimen, and many have done well, Woommavovah said.

“We are attracting other runners and Soldiers at Fort McCoy and in the local surrounding communities because of our high energy level,” he said. “People want to be part of us.”

For the competition, the goal is to compete and do well. Woommavovah said that to be successful, they all will have to continue to do what they’ve been doing all along and provide strong support for each other.

“There is no ‘I’ in team,” Woommavovah said. “Each team member has given up their personal time so that our goal can be achieved, and we understand the importance of being committed to our vision and goal.
“We also communicate well with one another, and we understand the importance of constant communication,” he said. “Constant communication means that bonds are kept strong. It means that misunderstandings are minimized. It means that everyone understands each other at a deeper level.

“To sum it up, we are focused on our goals and results and we know everyone must contribute their fair share,” Woommavovah said. “We always support each other; our team members are diverse; we have good leadership; we are very well organized; and most importantly, we have fun. We’re ready for this.”

Team members, in addition to Woommavovah, include:

• Maj. Tony Steinhoff, assistant coach with the 88th Readiness Division (RD)

• Chaplain (Maj.) Erik Spicer, 181st MFTB

• Capt. William “Bill” Thomson, 1st Battalion, 310th Brigade Engineer Battalion

• Capt. Daniel “Dan” Frantz, 1st Battalion, 291st Brigade Support Battalion

• 1st Lt. Jerel Villanueva, 1st Battalion, 338th (1st, 338th) Training Support Battalion

• Master Sgt. Nicholas Vance, Fort McCoy Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Academy

• Sgt. 1st Class Jolaina Falkenstein, 88th RD

• Sgt. 1st Class Sarah Johnson, 94th Training Division

• Staff Sgt. Beatriz Sanchez, 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command

• Capt. Adan Rivas, 1st Battaltion, 351st Brigade Support Battalion

• Staff Sgt. Yahaira Lescana, 1st, 338th

• Staff Sgt. James Teague, NCO Academy

• Staff Sgt. Donald Flintroy, 181st MFTB

• Sgt. Melissa Gore, 102nd Division

• Pfc. Yousif Abdelmagid, Regional Training Site-Medical

Alternate is Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas Gimson, 108th Training Command.
The Army Ten-Miler is the second largest 10-mile race in the United States, according to the Army.

Each year, tens of thousands of runners and spectators participate in the race. Proceeds from the race support Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation.

(The Fort McCoy Army Ten-Miler Team contributed to this article.)

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