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505th Command and Control Wing News

Golden Web: 318th Cyberspace Operations Group builds morale through competition

  • Published
  • By 318th Cyberspace Operations Group
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas --  The 318th Cyberspace Operations Group, known as the "Black Widows," came together March 18 for "Golden Web," a day of competition and camaraderie.

The event marked the return of a group-wide morale day, the first held by the unit since 2017.

“The energy today was incredible,” said 1st Lt. Robert Smithers, 318th COG executive officer and event organizer. “Seeing the squadrons come together, compete with such intensity, and cheer each other on is what this is all about. It’s a powerful way to strengthen the bonds within our teams.”

The day included more than 15 unique challenges. Strenuous activities included pulling an RV weighing six tons, a modified Murph circuit, and sandbag carries, in addition to a “Keyboard Warrior” relay race. As the baton, Airmen passed a modified computer keyboard marked with “STAY GOLDEN” across the keycaps. The competition also featured an array of sports such as pickleball, flag football and ultimate frisbee. Other events tested mental skills, including trivia and a cipher-based egg hunt.

Twenty teams of four from across the group battled for the top spot, representing the 318th Range Squadron “Rangers”, the 346th Cyberspace Test and Evaluation Squadron “Cobras”, the 90th Cyberspace Operations Squadron “Shadow Warriors” and the 39th Information Operations Squadron Detachment 1 “Scarlet Knights”. Airmen from the 90th COS demonstrated their technical expertise early by developing a website to track scores live. The site’s interactive leaderboard documented the tight race, showing five separate overtakes for first place between the 90th COS and the 346th CTES.

The event was made possible with support from the 67th Cyberspace Wing chaplain and unit booster clubs.

"We treated it the same way we approach everything else: together and ready to compete," said Airman 1st Class Mark Sierra, 90th COS. "Winning mattered ... but the real highlight was seeing the squadron push through a tight competition and come out stronger as a team.”

At the end of the competition, the top three teams were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. The 90th COS was crowned the overall champion, earning the annual Golden Web Trophy as the inaugural winner. The day concluded with a group-wide picnic, which kicked off with a spirited hot dog eating contest to decide who would be first in line for the cookout.

The 318th COG plans to continue the tradition, reinforcing the wing’s priority to “Compete” by fostering a resilient and connected force ready to meet any challenge.