Fort Bragg has developed a strong following for the sport of tennis. Not because of the actions of Women’s Tennis Association pros Venus and Serena Williams or even the antics of Association of Tennis Professionals top-ranked player Roger Federer.

While most units on Fort Bragg were waiting to begin their daily physical training June 6, others were stretching and preparing for a different, but far more challenging event -— the 17th Annual Fort Bragg Army Birthday 10 Miler.

The operating room at Womack Army Medical Center has been busy since Soldiers redeployed from Afghanistan last year.

Do the fights in hockey bring anything to the game?

Although physical training is a part of every Soldier’s life, some Soldiers continue to search for physical challenges. Members of the Army Ground Forces Band qualified for the German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, May 13 to 17. 

On various weekdays, many tennis enthusiasts meet at the courts by Ryder Golf Club House on Normandy Drive for pick-up games, instruction and fun.

The sports world is full of successful people. There are athletes, coaches and executives who have paid the price to achieve greatness. Those are amazing people and I could probably make a list a mile long. 

Schyler Clark has been a cheerleader most of her 18 years. As an assistant coach with the All American Cheer team, she wants young girls to enjoy the sport as much as she has.

Soldiers of the 50th Signal Battalion, routinely engage in off-duty activities to gel as a battalion.

Is Lebron James really the greatest of all time? At this time in his career the answer is a resounding, no.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  — Two years ago, the Army ran away with the wheelchair basketball gold medal, defeating the Marine Corps, 44-19, at the 2011 Warrior Games. Last year, Army once again conquered Marines, 54-34 and this year, they did it again during the 2013 games.

What weighs over 2,300 pounds and is good for children? The nine Carolina Panthers players who traveled to Fort Bragg Main Post Parade field May 14, for a football day camp.

I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it, professional boxing may not be pushing up daisies yet, but it’s well on its way.

Soldiers from around the Military Information Support Operations community competed in a punishing 22-mile race during the Lightning Warrior Challenge held May 3.

Fort Bragg has iced its decision to close Cleland Ice Rink.

A Utah teen accused of punching a soccer referee who later died was charged May 7 with homicide by assault, a count issued when an attack unintentionally causes death.

The Rogue Rollergirls dominated the Kill Devil Derby Brigade as they outscored their opponent by 203 points during the Mayday Havoc for Heroes roller derby bout at the Round-A-Bout Skating Center in Fayetteville, May 4. 

Sgt. Rose Brown, an avid bowler and paratrooper assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, is no stranger to competition. Before she joined the Army, she was a member of Team USA’s bowling squad and bowled competitively in international events.

I was saddened when National Basketball Association player, Jason Collins announcement that he is gay became national news. I’m not bothered that he decided to come out, rather because it’s been blown out of proportion for all the wrong reasons.

With the sun shining and a cool breeze in the air, children, adults, and dogs arrived at Hedrick Stadium, Apr. 27 to participate in the Fort Bragg 5k run/walk.

Lawrence Smith, 32, a Fort Bragg Family member, knows a thing or two about dedication.

WASHINGTON — The Army graduated the first class of “Master Fitness Trainers” to have been taught by one of the service’s six new mobile training teams, April 19.

Ah, the classic problem of what to do when football season has ended. For a lot of sports fans this is the time of the year when we die a little inside. The NFL draft is over, March Madness is in the rearview mirror and major league baseball is 80 games away from any threat of real drama. Well I’m here to get you through another offseason of football blues with my top five hometown things to occupy your time until football season starts back up.

The team of Will Blanton and Dylan Mask, an Army staff sergeant, reeled in 21.20 pounds of largemouth bass to hook first place in the 8th Annual Warriors on the Water Military Appreciation Bass Fishing Tournament at Jordan Lake, near Holly Springs, N.C., April 19. 

During any given time, walk into one of the many gyms on post and you will most likely be surprised to see the men and women working out and wearing a wide-array of clothing.

Sports are tough. They’re not always happy. The good guy doesn’t always win and the players we love to hate sometimes step up and take home the prize. 

The most challenging part about acquiring the skills to become an American Red Cross lifeguard is not the physical aspect, but the mental one.

As 80-year-old Hubert Peele stood on his head to entertain the crowd, seniors clapped and cheered him on, and smiles could be seen on the faces of every individual on the sports complex at Pope Field, April 9.

I refuse to believe that professional and amateur athletes alike are this bad when it comes to social media.

Tactical Air Control Party Airmen stationed at Pope Field participated in the second annual TACP Association’s 24-hour, worldwide run challenge at the Hedrick Stadium track, March 28 and 29.

The Warrior Transition Battalion held its Adaptive Sports Day, April 5, on its campus off Normandy Drive.

Dr. (Maj.) Benjamin Ingram comes from a Family of scientists. But, in the summer of 2001, he decided to also make the Army his Family.

Baseball is back and it’s time to open the doors and take a hard (honest) look. As I do every year, and this year will be no different, these are my top five teams in my power ranking.

Playing for the love of the game is why most adult amateur players continue to compete in 11-on-11, full-contact football. For the coaches and players of the Fayetteville Commandos, who compete in the five-team south division of Southeastern Athletic Football Conference, it’s deeper than just football.

In December 1990, David Hamel took up a sport that would take him to 48 states and push his body to the limits — he began running 26.2-mile marathons.

If you listen closely, you just might hear it. That sound you hear is a hockey season that’s come off the tracks and is hurling towards the playoffs that no one knows about.

How can individuals increase their physical fitness performance? The answer is, with nutrition and exercise. One thing some servicemembers tend to forget is the importance of proper nutrition. When the servicemember combines an equal balance of diet and exercise, he or she can enhance physical fitness, maintain an ideal weight for their physique, and maintain the proper energy level needed to achieve maximum potential during a workout.

The final two hockey teams played against each other in the Ryan D. Sobiech Memorial Carolina Hockey League Tournament in mid-March at Cleland Ice Rink.The Junior FireAntz Peewee Team beat the Pineville Falcons in what was a very close championship game.

Every year the NFL looks for ways to improve player safety and this year is no different. March 20, at the winter meeting, owners voted on several new rules. But the one that’s drawing plenty of attention is the new crown of the helmet hits rule.

“Let’s work” is their motto, and apparently the work paid off. Coupled with dedication, determination and a strong support system from their school and their parents, hard work propelled the Overhills High School Jaguars varsity cheer team to victory last weekend.

The All-American Fencing Academy sent four fencers to the 2013 North Carolina State Championships in early March at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  For the first time, all fencers from Fayetteville qualified for the National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, to be held June 28 to July 7.

Break out your college basketball brackets (or depending on how you do, useless scraps of paper) because it’s March Madness. Millions of people try every year to correctly predict the path to the eventual national champion.

Ricki Souser has two daughters — Cheyenne is a flyer and Madison likes to base, said Ricki. The girls, ages 7 and 5 respectively, are members of the All American Cheer team, which practices Wednesdays, from 4 to 4:45 p.m., at Maholic Child Development Center.

Regular season is great, but it is the rivalry games that we live to watch. They’re games that we circle on our calendar, count the days and sing slow sad songs when they’re over.

Two, 10-year-old girls, each dressed in white gis, bow to each other in respect and wait for instruction. Smiling like old friends, they rush towards each other at breakneck speed, grabbing each other by their uniform collars, each trying to gain the upper hand. After three minutes of grappling and throwing one another onto the mat, referee Jim Lewis stops the match and signals Carly Grace Beal as the winner.

NASCAR has a bit of a problem and it’s not fan loyalty, rather, it’s keeping loyal fans safe.

In the beginning of the fencing season, John Murray, the son of a retired Fort Bragg Soldier, and a fencer at the All-American Fencing Academy in Fayetteville, said, “I want to earn a rating this year.”

ACC basketball is broken and I couldn’t be more satisfied with the results. I can’t think of a time when a team from North Carolina or Maryland didn’t win the regular season crown (Virginia and Carolina tied in 2007.)

WEST POINT, N.Y. — There’s really no way to ignore the fact that a snowstorm made a mess of the inaugural West Point Women’s Boxing Invitational, Feb. 9.

“When I had my daughter back in 1998, I became a statistic for big Army,” said Sgt. Maj. Ruby Murray, G-5 plans sergeant major, 1st Theater Sustainment Command. “I had gained between 80 to 90 pounds after having her. I went home every night, looked at my daughter and realized that the Army was where I wanted to be. The Army is what I wanted to set my goals on and realized I needed to do whatever it took for me to get this weight off and I was going to do whatever it took.”