Barksdale Airman helps Air Force to Armed Forces gold

BOSSIER CITY, La. -- "I'm in the gym at least three times a week."

When Barksdale Air Force Base Senior Airman Josie Ferreira's not working on B-52's, she's probably on the basketball court working on her game.

"Just shooting or if it's getting up and down the court with the boys, I'm in the gym pretty often," Ferreira said. "Right now, I'm taking a break. I came back, I'm tired. So, I needed to take a break."

That break is well earned since Ferreira recently helped the All-Air Force women's team win gold in the Armed Forces Basketball Championship for the third year in a row.

"I made not only myself proud, but my base," she explained. "I'm so happy to be able to represent Barksdale and represent the hard work that I've put in here and that people around me here have seen, that coming home and bringing gold back it was like, 'See, all my hard work has paid off.'"

This is just her first year competing on the team, but from training camp, cuts, and the competition, the Sacramento, Calif., native said this achievement isn't a solo venture.

"The Shreveport-Bossier area has been really welcoming to me, not only Barksdale, but also off base. I've gone to a couple of gyms and trained with a couple of people off base that have been really helpful."

With eyes on making the team next year, Ferreira said while each branch fights for the same cause, trash talk comes with the competition.

"To a point where in the championship game, we're winning by 20 and they're still talking their mess on the court. And it's like, go look at the scoreboard. But it's fun. It's fun. At the end of the day, we're all still able to go out and go get food after and hang out," Ferreira said. 

"I know a lot of the Army girls in the league I play in, so it's all good vibes at the end of the day. Just on the court, we're not friends," Ferreira added with a laugh.

The Air Force beat Army 73-52 in the championship May 18. The games were held at Camp Pendleton in California.