Japanese-American Friendship Festival forms 'strong' bond during competition

  • Published
  • By Airman John D. Partlow
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  On the cloudy, cool day of Aug. 21, six contestants competed in the 2011 Friendship Festival's Strongman competition.

The competition is an annual event that brings together Japanese and American competitors to prove their strength before a cheering crowd.

"The strongman competition is a good way to reinforce our friendship with our host nation by allowing friendly competition," said Tech. Sgt. Duan McMillan, a volunteer at the event.

The event emphasized strength, agility and speed. Participants had to perform a number of exercises, such as tire flips and dead lifts, to show their abilities in all three areas.

U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Eric Corbett, U.S. Forces, Japan, won the competition after a last-minute entry, taking the lead in the majority of the events.

"I just came out to give it a shot, and I was quite surprised I won," said Captain Corbett. "It was quite a humbling experience to come and compete with all these large men who had been training for this competition."

Once the competition was over, the contestants received awards and posed for photos with members of the audience.

"This year's competition went really well," said Benny Miguel, event director for the competition. "It's always fun to watch the competition, and I can't wait for next year."