Going for the gold! Team Washington wins 2024 TSA National Olympics

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

The cream rose to the top!

Out of the nation's more than 50,000 TSA officers on the passenger screening frontlines, 54 landed a spot at the 2024 TSA National Olympics, which took place on September 9-11 at the agency's headquarters in Springfield, Virginia.

Team Washington earns gold. Officers Christian Innela, Michael Cheney, Krystal Garland with TSA leadership. (Roderica Clohessy photo)

The TSA Olympics is a competition among airports and their representative teams of transportation security officers (TSOs) in a series of skills challenges to further enhance their threat detection skills and celebrate the talents of TSA's frontline employees.

Teams from 18 airports earned a trip to the finals, with Team Washington state claiming the gold medal. Team Nevada took home the silver and Oklahoma secured the bronze.

Preparing for the nationals, Christian Innela, who recently celebrated his two-year anniversary as a TSO at Washington's Bellingham International Airport, wasn't sure how the Olympics would play out.

"We've never participated in a competition like this," Innela said. "We just trained up to get our knowledge as strong as it could be. It was nice to have some familiarity with the style of testing. I was glad to be overprepared rather than underprepared."

It was the first time in the event's brief four-year history that headquarters hosted the Olympics, which showcased the tremendous teamwork across TSA and celebrated the expertise and dedication of our frontline officers.

"Teamwork makes the dream work," said Deputy Administrator Holly Canevari at the Olympics closing ceremony. "The TSA Olympics are not just about friendly competition. They're about celebrating the vital skills that lie at the heart of our mission - threat detection, security and service excellence. The Olympic events are directly tied to the essential skills our frontline employees like you use every day."

The TSO Olympians battled in individual competitions including standard operating procedure (SOP) assessments for checkpoint and checked baggage, bag searches, X-ray image interpretation and pat-downs. TSA airport screening experts judged and scored each participant.

Team Oklahoma (Roderica Clohessy photo)Team Nevada (Roderica Clohessy photo)

"Your participation is a testament to your hard work, your skill and your commitment to excellence," Administrator Pekoske told participants in an opening ceremony video. "The TSA Olympics demonstrates our commitment to people through good old-fashioned competition, fostering a deeper understanding of our SOPs and sharpening our proficiency in threat detection."

Michal Rottman, assistant administrator for Domestic Aviation Operations (DAO), told the TSA Olympians what they do takes courage.

"To be able to operate in a loud environment and take the time to stop and say, 'something's just not right here, and I need to do something about that,' takes courage," said Rottman. "Participating in this event and coming all the way here to compete against your peers takes courage. I'm inspired by you and appreciate you."

Michael Cheney joined TSA in 2007, serving the last seven years as a lead TSO at Washington's Spokane International Airport. He said being at headquarters was great.

"Being here kind of makes you feel like you're part of a superhero agency," Cheney proclaimed.

Cheney said it was a great opportunity to network with fellow screeners across the country, but when it was time to compete, his team's calm demeanor played a big role in their success.

"It definitely helps," he said. "I have always seen that as a positive when it comes to testing environments."

Washington TSA Federal Security Director (FSD) Greg Hawko called it "one of the best weeks I've had in TSA, and I've had the honor of doing a lot of amazing things over the last 20-plus years."

Hawko said Team Washington conducted an intensive boot camp to prepare for the National Olympics.

Here is a scene from the bag search competition. (Roderica Clohessy photo)

"We brought them all to Seattle with our Training Department, our transportation security specialists-explosives (TSS-Es), and deputy assistant federal security director of threat assessment," he explained. "We put them through different scenarios in training, and it was great, because in the finals, we knew specific questions we covered, and I knew they would get the answers correct, so they did amazing."

Security Operations Executive Assistant Administrator Melanie Harvey thanked the participating officers and their FSDs who supported this significant event as well as TSA's Training and Development and DAO for hosting and sponsoring the Olympics.

"Even though summer travel volumes broke every record at nearly every airport, you invest in your workforce and allow them to shine in an event like the TSA Olympics," said Harvey. "Thanks to those of you sitting here (at the opening ceremony) who have worked hard, studied the SOP, studied every procedure, practiced together and the training staffs and TSS-Es who prepared you as well as the screening managers."

Jeremiah Hudson, a lead transportation security officer at Las Vegas and Reno, was a member of silver medalist Team Nevada and called the TSA Olympics a "very humbling experience, very informative."

"I walked away with a lot of knowledge about our TSA history and more knowledge of our screening policies and competitors," Hudson said. "We shot for gold. We studied our hardest until the last minute, but it still feels good. Congratulations to Team Washington for their first-place win."

It was Catherine McCollam's second year at the Olympics, and the TSO from Tulsa International Airport was "super proud" of Team Oklahoma's bronze medal finish.

"It was a lot of fun, challenging, great camaraderie among the teams, a learning opportunity to improve our skills," said McCollam. "It was fantastic. Medals don't matter at the end of the day. What matters is that we all come together, we screen efficiently and have each other's backs. The support from all the staff, headquarters, Training and Development, everyone came together. It's indicative of what the Department of Homeland Security is. It's not on my watch; it's on OUR watch."

A TSA Olympian prepares to pat-down a passenger in a wheelchair. (Roderica Clohessy photo)

Mandy Holland, one of the lead organizers from Training and Development, said bringing this event to headquarters deepens the connection between headquarters and TSA's officers who are the backbone of the agency's mission.

"Hosting it at HQ symbolizes our commitment to recognizing and celebrating the contributions of those on the front lines," Holland noted. "It offers a unique opportunity for our officers to engage with HQ leadership and experience how deeply we value their work."

Regardless of the overall scores, Holland said every TSO who competed in the finals is a champion of threat detection.

"Their participation demonstrates excellence in one of the most critical aspects of TSA's mission, and this experience will serve as a lasting reminder of their essential role in protecting our nation," she added. "Competing at this level fosters personal pride and deepened sense of camaraderie and respect among colleagues. They leave with strengthened connections and the recognition that they represent the best in our workforce."

Canevari called the TSA Olympics "a recognition of the immense talent we have across our agency."

"This event is a model for how we should work together as an agency, pushing each other to be our very best," said Canevari. "You've inspired all of us with your passion and talents. Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who took part, and here's to another year of outstanding achievement and camaraderie."

By Don Wagner, TSA Strategic Communications & Public Affairs