Master sergeant continues running after dreams, ready to compete

  • Published
  • By Jennifer Brugman
  • 60th AMW Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Vic Cardwell has been to so many of these things it’s hard for him to get excited or nervous, but once he’s out on that track, he’s ready to win. 

Cardwell, a master sergeant with the 60th Aerial Port Squadron, is competing at the Southern California USA Track and Field Masters Indoor Championship, a track and field competition, in Los Angeles Sunday. 

The Southern California USATF Masters Indoor Championship is for competitors 30 years or older. Cardwell will run the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. 

“I love track and field,” he said. “People always veer to what they do best.”
Cardwell began sprinting in the fifth grade. 

“I started on my first track team and I’ve been doing this ever since,” he said. 

‘This’ includes running for the Air Force Track and Field Team for eight years and trying to compete at the Olympic level. It took three times for his paperwork to go through and for him to be accepted onto the Air Force team. 

“If you don’t run under 10 [seconds in the 100-meter dash] you won’t even get to the Olympic trials,” he said. 

Cardwell’s best time for the 100-meter was 10:28 seconds. In the 60-meter dash, his fastest was 6.9 seconds. 

“Every level you run at you want to get to the next level,” he said. “Winning is just the bottom line. I know if I don’t train. I won’t win.” 

Training for Cardwell consists of two hours a day of track time and a high fiber diet to help keep the pounds off. 

“Dieting is the hardest part of training,” Cardwell said. 

He is currently at 163 pounds but hopes to lose another eight before the meet in Los Angeles. He thinks his toughest competition at the Master’s Age Group Indoor Championship will come from Willie Gault, a former Oakland Raider. 

Along with competing and training, Cardwell takes time to coach other sprinters. He is currently working with Christian and Christopher Nichols, 14, the sons of Master Sgt. Karla Nichols, finance section chief of customer service. 

“He’s awesome,” Nichols said of Cardwell. “I want him to coach me. Since he’s been coaching them, they’ve soared. You can’t ask for a better coach. He’s an awesome mentor. Not only does he walk the walk in coaching, but his life is a reflection of what he is.”