Wrestlers prepare for Armed Forces Championship

  • Published
  • By Airman Shane M. Phipps
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  The All-Air Force wrestling team is currently utilizing the fitness center at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, through Nov. 2, in preparation for the upcoming Armed Forces Wrestling Championships.

The team is no stranger to the base, having trained here frequently since 2001.

"We came up here the first time in 2001 and it has worked out extremely well ever since," said Richard Estrella, head coach for the All-Air Force wrestling team. "The base is somewhat isolated which eliminates distractions and helps my wrestlers focus on what they need to be focusing on."

The wrestlers agree that the base provides a welcome environment which meets their training needs.

"The base does a great job supporting us and giving us what we need to be successful when it comes to our training," said Senior Airman Jeff Zastrow, four-year veteran of the All-Air Force team.

The All-Air Force wrestling program is not only a recruiting tool but a morale endorsing, physical fitness promoting, national symbol of the entire Air Force.

"Wrestling is combative and goes hand-in-hand with the military, so it's important we maintain a good representation of the Air Force by being competitive on a national level," explained Estrella.

All-Air Force athletes are held to a high standard not only within their sport but within their everyday lives.

"When we go back to our duty sections, I expect my wrestlers to encourage their fellow Airmen to go above and beyond by doing their best in their units and giving back to their communities," Estrella said.

Coach Estrella encourages any Air Force athlete to try out for an All-Air Force team.

"Trying out for a team gives Airmen a sense of what the Air Force has to offer outside of their career field, it also gives them a healthy goal to work toward," Estrella said.

For more than a decade the base community has not only provided a supportive atmosphere conducive to athletes training needs but has also inspired a team thirsty for motivation with its motto -- "Fortune Favors the Bold."

"When you are getting ready for any endeavor it is not a matter of just preparation, it is somebody who has the guts to step out and do it, and that is what we prepare all our athletes for because they are Air Force athletes, so fortune does favor the bold," Estrella said.