Misawa Crud Tournament

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Capt. Ryan "Stalker" Gaffaney, 14th Fighter Squadron, and Capt. Dennis "Sloppy" Feltenberger, 35th Fighter Wing, play against each other during the Crud tournament at the officer's club Jan. 11, 2008. Crud is a competitive pool-like game popular among officers. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Eric Harris)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- Col. Mark Altobelli, 35th Operations Group, tries to block Capt. Charles Fallon and Lt. Col. John Bobroski during the 35th Fighter Wing Crud Tournament here on Jan. 11, 2008. If the ball stops before the player is able to hit it with the cue ball that player gets a strike. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Eric J. Harris)

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MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- 1st Lt. Shawn Walsh, 14th Fighter Squadron, defends his call while acting as referee during the 35th Fighter Wing Crud Tournament here Jan. 11, 2008. Lt. Col. Steven Williams, Lt. Col. John Bobroski, Capt. Lawrence Sullivan and Capt. Charles Fallon, all from the 13th Fighter Squadron, won the tournament. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Eric J. Harris)

Officers battle for CRUD pride

Published Jan. 17, 2008
By Senior Airman Stefanie Torres
35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

MISAW AIR BASE -- Japan -- Pushing, cheating, blocking and yelling became a common occurrence at Misawa's Officers Club Jan. 11 as officers competed for something no one could take away from them -- their pride.

What could easily be mistaken as a fight from the outside was actually a Crud tournament stand-off.

"Crud is a full contact version of billiards requiring physical strength and the ability to focus in a loud, crowded environment," said Capt. Christopher Byrne, a pilot in the 35th Operations Support Squadron.

There is no easy way to explain the game of Crud because rules are sometimes made up as the game goes along.

"The only way to learn the game is to play," said the captain.

With eight teams participating, the 13th Fighter Squadron came out on top as the winners.

Team members included: Lt. Col. Steven "Torch" Williams, Lt. Col. John "Gabby" Bobroski, Capt. Lawrence "Gordo" Sullivan and Capt. Charles "Vice" Fallon.

The game is a competitive, team sport that involves running around the pool or snooker table making sure the ball remains in motion. The opposing team tries to stop the ball from moving so the other team loses.

Hence, screaming and pushing is encouraged.

Crud tournaments these sizes are difficult to keep going every year with a busy wing mission, according to Captain Byrne.

"We try to hold a game every year but it has been difficult with AEF (Air and Space Expeditionary Force) commitments," he said.

Annual maintenance and turkey shoot awards were also held before the competition.
A turkey shoot is a competition that usually takes place on the bombing range and whoever is closest to the target wins, but this time it took place in the simulator.

"The squadrons at Misawa don't usually have the option to compete at the range because of the weather and AEF deployments so we made a combat scenario that is scored based upon weapons employment and mission accomplishment," said the captain. This is unconventional but we tailored the scenario to match Misawa's primary mission."

The winning four-ship team for the turkey shoot was the 14th Fighter Squadron. The pilots' names are Capt. Brandon "Cracker" McBrayer, Capt. Brent "Tubbs" Ritzke, Capt. Seward "Two dots" Matwick and 1st. Lt. Shawn "Motor" Walsh.