Fort Belvoir sports director set for voluntary deployment

Photo by Marny Malin-Fort Belvoir Sports Director Shelia Edwards is preparing for voluntary deployment to the Middle East later this summer.

For Sheila Edwards, a volunteer deployment to the Middle East made perfect sense.

"Once word came down from Army Installation Management Command that volunteers were needed, I jumped at the opportunity," Edwards said. "It wasn't a tough decision at all. I knew this is what I wanted to do."

As Belvoir's MWR sports director, she realizes the importance of providing quality recreation to Soldiers both here and abroad.

She first deployed to Afghanistan in 2003 and currently works at Graves Fitness Center, where she helps organize many of the events and intramural sports programs around post.

"It's personally rewarding for me to work with Soldiers and to provide an outlet that helps them relieve stress. That's been my goal from day one."

She's hoping her expertise goes a long way in easing the minds of Soldiers overseas. After all, according to Edwards, her job has always been about helping others.

As chief of sports, theater and recreation, Edwards will implement many of the same activities seen around Belvoir, such as billiards and table tennis tournaments. Due to their enormous popularity among Soldiers, basketball and softball opportunities will also be available. Edwards also plans on coordinating shows and various concerts with the USO.

For the moment, she hasn't been told specifically where she's going, but that it will be Iraq, Kuwait or Afghanistan. She is scheduled to leave for six months sometime in August. With support from her husband, Tom, she knows this is the right thing to do.

"At this point in my life, I really don't have an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself," Edwards said. "When I deployed the first time, I was thrown into a new role and had to learn everything on the fly. This time I'll be more prepared and have a better understanding of what to expect. I'm really looking forward to the experience."

With solid structures and state-of-the-art equipment all around her, Edwards smiled and said, "most definitely," when asked if she'll take advantage of her camp's recreational amenities.

"There's not much to do over there other than work," Edwards said while laughing. "It's not uncommon to have a 15 hour work day. That's why recreation is so important over there. Everyone needs that little bit of escape from time to time."