JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, Texas – Master Sgt. Latisha Moulds started competing in track and field when she was 12 years old.
And she hasn’t stopped running.
Moulds, recruiting and retention manager for the 601st Air Operations Center at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, won the 100-meter dash in 12.62 seconds and jumped 15-feet-4 to win the long jump at the Headquarters Allied Air Command Track and Field Championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in June.
Moulds also coached the Air Force men’s and women’s teams to victory.
Here, Moulds talks about competing in track and field for the Air Force:
Why compete in track and field?
I compete in track and field because of the love and passion that I have for the sport. I am a competitive person by nature, and track and field is something that I am good at and enjoy doing outside of my family and work.
What's your experience in track and field prior to the Air Force?
I have been competing in track and field since I was about 12 years old. I started out in middle school in seventh grade. In my eighth grade year, my middle school cut the program due to funding so I picked it up again when I started high school. I competed all through high school as well as four years at Delaware State University. I took a two-year break after college and started running and competing for several different track and field club teams before trying out and being selected for Air Force Track and Field team.
Since competing in track and field for the Air Force, what have you gained from an athletic, military and personal perspective?
Competing in track and field for the Air Force on an athletic level has given me the drive to keep doing what I'm doing. Working full time and also trying to train full time is already a challenge in itself. It's not like in college where you have a coach and you just show up to train. If I want to win and compete on an elite level, I have to coach myself and train hard on my own to be among some of the best.
From a military perspective, it’s awesome for camaraderie. As military members, sometimes we get so caught up in everything that's going on around us that we forget that at the end of the day adversaries or not, we are all people. When I am out there competing against athletes from 100-plus different countries around the world, I’m not thinking about which one of them are my enemy. It has shown me the true meaning of developing “Friendships through Sport.” It’s amazing to be able to interact and make friends with athletes of nations that we are/were at war with. It’s also great to see that each of us can come together for a common purpose of having fun and doing what we love while serving in our respective military branches.
Finally, it has increased my sense of pride for being able to wear “USA” across my chest when competing. No matter how great athletes are from other countries, Team USA is always the target out on the track. It doesn't matter how great or bad of an athlete you are when competing, everyone wants to be able to say they beat Team USA. There are thousands of athletes who train hard every day to make it to the Elite level to represent Team USA. I have done it over and over and can honestly say that there is no greater feeling like being able to put that uniform on with those three letters (USA) and proudly represent my country.
What are you bringing back to your duty station by competing in track and field?
By competing in track and field all around the world, I am bringing back a number of things to my duty station which include a different perspective and point of view, compassion and perseverance. A lot of other countries aren’t structured like the United States Armed Forces. U.S. members have the option to take an oath to serve and protect our country where other countries don't have a choice. For some of them, it’s mandatory for them to serve. So being able to see and hear about how other countries militaries operate, gives me compassion for them. The way they are treated, the difference in benefits; if they have any and their quality of life doesn't compare to ours. Therefore, I also bring back perseverance. Being a recruiter, it makes me want to work that much harder to recruit for our military not only to help serve and protect our country but to also give someone an opportunity at a career, benefits and great quality of life.
How is competing in track and field building your readiness and resiliency with your fellow Wingmen, your duty station and the Air Force as a whole?
Competing in track and field is building my readiness and resiliency with my fellow Wingmen, duty station and the Air Force as a whole by allowing me to see the bigger picture across all scopes of the U.S. Armed Forces and share those experiences with my fellow Wingmen. I have competed on three World Military teams thus far representing Team USA. When I’m competing for Team USA, I’m not only competing with U.S. members from the Air Force. The team is composed of members from the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard as well as all three components — active duty, national guard and reserves. Therefore, although we all represent the United States Armed Forces, we all bring something different from our respective branches and components.
For more information on the Air Force Sports program, click here.
Editor’s note: Athlete in Focus is a monthly series spotlighting U.S. Air Force athletes.