Meet the Malmstrom Global Strike Challenge 2011 Maintenance Group team Published Aug. 25, 2011 By Airman 1st Class Katrina Heikkinen 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. -- The first phase of the Global Strike Challenge is slated to take off and top Airmen from the 341st Missile Wing are gearing up to compete in the upcoming competition. The 341st Maintenance Group, the 341st Operations Group along with new additions of the 40th Helicopter Squadron and 341st Security Forces Group are set to compete against other Global Strike Command missile wings in hopes of bringing back the highly coveted Blanchard Trophy. In November, the score posting ceremony will be held at Barksdale Air Force base, La. This week features the members of the 341st Maintenance Group. Power, Refrigeration and Electrical Section Selected to compete for the power, refrigeration and electrical section are Tech. Sgt. Carl Snedeker and Staff Sgt. Paul Mantel. Their trainer is Staff Sgt. Dwayne Starling. Because he competed in the challenge in 2006 and 2008, Starling's experience with the scenarios and the pressure is sure to be of help to this team. "I'm the primary trainer because we did very well the two years I competed," Starling said. "I'm always excited to be involved in the challenge. This is a big deal for our career field because it's a chance to prove we're better than anybody else. We're pretty much training for everything that can possibly go wrong." Snedeker echoes Starling's attitude in regards to studying seriously for the GSC. "Individually, I'm studying and reviewing our tasks at home," he said. "As a team we are thoroughly studying the tasks and procedures. Any possible problem and fault we will cover during our training." Ready to take on the pressure, these two have been working together for over two years. It's no surprise that Mantel looks forward to "troubleshooting the equipment we are getting evaluated on." Electronics Laboratory Selected to be the trainer for E-LAB is Tech Sgt. Ricky Cascell. A team member of Malmstrom for over 14 years, his approach to helping Staff Sgt. Nikki Cash and Senior Airman Cody Rider prepare for the competition is thinking outside the box to help solve the 55 tasks they have been given to solve in one month. Extremely excited and ready for the challenge, he is honored to be the trainer for the E-LAB team. They are also doing standard checkout, troubleshooting and repair. Cascell is "making sure they know what needs to be done and executing it. As a team we are learning our roles and fine-tuning our skills." "As a team we are working together to go through team continuity and flow, and practice again," Cash said. Competition aside, for Rider, the greatest thing he looks forward to is getting a chance to see Barksdale Air Force base. Mechanical and Pneudraulics Section Led by Staff Sgt. Robert Richards, the MAPS team works on providing support for large equipment such as posting out to a missile alert facility and taking care of the air systems. Representing the MAPS team are Staff Sgt. Robert Jovin, Senior Airman Tyrell Bridgeforth and Senior Airman Joshua Woods as an alternate. Staff Sgt. Robert Richards volunteered to be their trainer and is excited to finally be a part of the challenge, as this is his first opportunity to be directly involved. "They've been training four hours a day making sure everything will go smoothly so they can handle the pressure of an evaluator," he said. Team members Jovin and Bridgeforth have been working hard at mastering different aspects of their career field. They look forward to traveling to Barksdale Air Force base in November for the score posting. "I wouldn't miss it," Jovin said. Missile Maintenance The largest of the maintenance groups, the missile maintenance group has five members competing with two trainers and one alternate. Heading up the MMT group are trainers Tech Sgt. Sheldon Mason and Staff Sgt. Tom Shugart. Those competing are Staff Sgt. Josh Beatty, Staff Sgt. Josh Leopardi, Staff Sgt. Justin Richie, Senior Airman Reno Cabrera, Senior Airman Nicholas Michler and Staff Sgt. Kyle Pressley as an alternate. This team is far from lacking a healthy sense of competition. "I hope we win every trophy possible," Senior Airman Reno Cabrera said. The team's biggest focus is their strategy - during the duty day and on their own time. "Individually, I am studying the technical orders on my own time," Michler said. "As a team we are strategizing, streamlining, and trying to reinvent ways to not just perform the task but dominate it." Another key to succeeding in the challenge is the fact that the trainers, Mason and Shugart have worked together for 12 years. "The one thing I look forward to the most is team-building and the fact that nobody can compete with us," Mason said.