Coast Guard Dominates Wonder Woman Competition

The Wonder Woman Competition came to a grueling end this afternoon. The coast guard team ALPHA emerged victorious, defeating four other teams including from the Belize Defense Force and the Police Department. The last leg of the competition involved a cross fit competition that tested the physical fitness of the women. News Five’s Hipolito Novelo has the story.

Hipolito Novelo, Reporting

After a grueling three day challenge, Alpha- a coast guard team emerged victorious for the fourth annual Wonder Woman Competition. Day three began with an eight-mile march, with combat equipment, along the Burrell Boom Road. The competitors later participated in a live Firing Falling Plate competition at the Hattieville Range.  In its final day, the competition got even more challenging with the final event. A cross fit competition, the Crucible had the wonder women compete in a log race and tire flip event. The women then finished the course with a twenty feet rope climb. Leading the winning team was Diana Velasquez of the Belize Coast Guard.

Diana Velasquez

Diana Velasquez, Team Alpha, Coast Guard 

“I got some new members in this that have not done this competition. This is my fourth year but the new members it’s their first year. They were really demoralized, thinking that we were not going to make it. As being champions I feel very proud of my team and happy with myself being able to lead six to a victory. We just work together as a team. We did not try to complain about the weakness of the other members and say that you can be weak in this and I can be strong in the other or you can be strong in this and I can be weak. So we just try to work with each one and that makes a difference when you got a good team work you get strong because the weak becomes strong. So a good team work is everything.”

This is the first year that the Belize Police Department was represented. The team was led by Corporal Jane Usher. The police team placed fourth but that won’t stop them from returning the following year.

Jane Usher

Cpl. Jane Usher, Belize Police Department

“It was a tough. The events are pretty challenging and with limited training it takes a toll on the body. We couldn’t run through the events like the other girls but we worked together to get through.”

Hipolito Novelo

“You’ll come back next year?”

Cpl Jane Usher

“Yes I think so. We have a commitment from the Commissioner that we have done well with our limited training and that he will support us next year. The girls are excited because they know what they push their bodies through for finishing and I am very proud of all of them for pushing their bodies to the limit for the past three days. So we are ready to come back.”

And if there are any males out there doubting the abilities of these women, Velasquez had this to say.

Diana Velasquez

“As females, come on, I can say most and a lot of us being females and doing this event are stronger than some of the males. Because there is the best warrior that is the male version of this and many males do not want to take even the initiative of training, worse doing the event itself. Doing this as a female can prove to many of the men who do not believe in us as females that we are stronger than majority of them.”

Hipolito Novelo, News Five.