MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Wet T-shirts, dancing girls, dune buggy racing and loud music were all part of the wild time at the station's Infinities club Sept. 4 at Marine Corps Community Services' "Beach Bash."
Though the wet T-shirt contest was kept PG-13 and the dune buggy race was remote controlled, these and other events kept Marines from station and visiting squadrons busy from 9 p.m. until late.
The festivities, directed by Jude Wood, Semper Fit director, and Gabby Black, special events coordinator, also included a dance contest where silly was almost better than smooth.
Lance Cpl. Brandon Morton, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron-167, shook all over the floor in good fun, and almost won the contest, but after a series of dance-off's lost out to Lance Cpl. Ed Mundson, Marine Attack Squadron-231.
Mundson, who said he's loved to dance since he was 4, said he just came out to have a good time and was looking forward to spending Friday night dancing at Infinities.
Another group of experienced dancers also took the floor that night. The Arizona Western College Dance Team put on a show for the Marines. Their choreographed dances all ended with a response of cheers and whistles from the crowd.
A standout among the talented dance team was Danielle Lee, AWC dance team teacher. Lee owned the flashing dance floor solo for a few minutes, dancing to the hot beat and loud Marine encouragement.
"Dancing is my passion," she said. "I love to dance, and if I could, I'd dance for a living."
The party hosts decided the Marines needed to cool down after all that dancing, so the next event was an ice-melting contest. Teams from opposing squadrons competed to melt a block of ice and fill their own team's cup with water, using any means possible.
Some Marines pulled out their handy Zippo. Others tried to bite chunks off the block, while some rubbed the ice on their Yuma-warmed bellies. It was a close call, but the team from VMA-231, Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, N.C., raised the first cold cup of dirty water.
For their troubles, contest winners received a variety of gift certificates from local restaurants such as Outback Steakhouse, Applebee's and the Sonoran Pueblo. Wood said the prizes at her events are just bonuses; the real fun is always the ridiculous games.
"People come for the activity, not for the prize," she said, noting that her experience as a cruise director prior to working for MCCS has given her plenty of crazy game ideas.
Wood said the main reason MCCS threw the "Beach Bash" was to provide a recreational event for the Marines.
"It gives them something to do rather than go out in town and get in trouble. The (station) club is a safe place for them to drink and get rowdy, since it's within walking distance," she said, adding that the event was also a good chance to get the club noticed by station Marines.
"We have this multimillion-dollar facility and we're trying to introduce that to the new Marines," Wood said. "The more we can get the club utilized, the less drunk-driving incidents we'll have and the happier their commands will be."
The next event scheduled at Infinities will be the Austin Powers-style "Shag Party," Sept. 23.