Lakenheath Chapel hosts competition for tri-base students

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class John A. Crawford
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

The 48th Fighter Wing chapel and Campus Life are hosting a series of team competitions called ‘The RACE’ every Monday evening in August for incoming tri-base students to adjust to their new home at RAF Lakenheath.

 

Campus Life is a youth ministry program for military dependents who are entering middle school through high school.

 

Participants take part in weekly team competitions like dodgeball, dance-offs, tug-of-war, basketball and cheer contests; this year is the first year for ‘The RACE’ at RAF Lakenheath to have more new students than returning ‘veteran’ students.

 

“It incorporates the four pillars into an experience for students that they don't get to have in other ways,” said Elizabeth Landrum, community director for Campus Life. “Physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually there’s all those dynamics in the program.”

 

‘The RACE’ has been held annually for the past 9 years at RAF Lakenheath after its creator Dale Mace brought the idea with him from his previous job in Florida. Mace is a Campus Life associate staff member at the Lakenheath Chapel.

 

“When you move over the summer sometimes it’s hard to know where to plug in so the first day of school can be dreaded,” said Landrum. “If you’ve done ‘The RACE’ for all four weeks you’re starting school not as a ‘new person’ even if they’ve only recently moved in over the summer. They’re already established and connected.”

 

‘The RACE’ was created to help newly arrived students who may not know how to reach out into a new community and make friends.

 

“When students are filling out their initial forms, they are writing names of students that just moved here as well,” said Landrum. “A student will decide after their first week that they had a great time and invite someone new too.”

 

Students are encouraged to invite classmates to increase their team sizes for events.

 

“We had a parent tell us that ‘The RACE’ doesn’t only take away the stress of starting a school year for a student, but for the parent’s as well,” said Mace. “Instead of having to worry about if their children will make new friends or how the first day of school is going, their parents can focus on their mission because that’s taken care of.”