Who will be the Wonder Women of 2025?  

March is International Women’s Month, and the women of the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Defense Force, and Belize Police Department have started their celebrations with a bang. This morning, they kicked off day one of the Wonder Woman Competition 2025. This exciting three-day event is designed to test their endurance and strength through various challenges and boost team morale. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Who will emerge victorious in the Wonder Woman Competition 2025? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the women of the Belize Coast Guard, Belize Defense Force, and Belize Police Department compete. For nearly a decade, these women have come together to foster camaraderie and test their strengths. Lieutenant Commander Jasmine Bellini of the Belize Coast Guard is coordinating the event, and she shares her hopes for the competition’s outcome.

 

Lt. Cdr. Jasmine Bellini, Coordinator

“The objective of this is just, especially during Women’s Month, to just have an outlet when it comes to expressing your being as a woman working together, the competitive nature, competing, representing your organization, and something outside of just the normal day-to-day routine. And it’s mostly to build morale and represent your unit and represent your organization and represent yourself as a woman in Belize.”

 

Day one kicked off with a series of five grueling challenges under the sweltering heat. First up was the Annual Personal Fitness Test (APFT), where participants tackled sets of sit-ups, pushups, pullups, and ran laps around the compound. Later, the women returned for a two-mile run and a mile swim. We caught up with Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo of the Belize Coast Guard Alphas after she completed the first round of the event.

 

 

Lt. Cdr. Alma Pinelo, Competitor, Belize Coast Guard

“Right now we’re feeling good. You never know what the teams will do in terms of the pushups and situps. I know for Iran we did really good. We pushed ourselves really hard, so it’s a team effort. So it doesn’t matter that if I did it in fifteen minutes and my team does it in twenty, the overall time will be twenty minutes. But we’re feeling good. I think that we’re pretty much close neck and neck would be there for this point.”

 

The three-day event began as an internal competition for the women of the Belize Coast Guard but was later extended to other participants. The Belize Defense Force team, Phoenix, are the reigning champions and are back to defend their title. Lance Corporal Suliany Paquil says her team is ready for the challenges ahead.

 

Lance Corporal Suliany Paquil, Competitor, Belize Defense Force

“The energy is very active. At first I was nervous and I believe everybody is nervous, but I think we went there and did a great job. We are very energetic. We have a lot of strength. And then this first APFT is, of course I know it in my head and in my teammates head that we did better.”

 

Back for the third time is the Belize Police Department’s team, Police Bravehearts. Assistant Superintendent Jane Usher explains that while the team remains the underdogs, they are excited for the opportunity to build connections with other women and push beyond their limitations.

 

 

Jane Usher, Competitor, Belize Police Department

“ We lose every year, but the third year is a charm, so this year we’re going for it. But like I said, we’re new to it. We’re learning, we’re fielding our girls even while they’re working. We are just giving it our best for the department and for the  love of the competition and the effort the Coast Guard is putting in. And to give that rivalry between our departments, build a comradery and go for it as best as we can to show the girls, to show the department that we have what it takes to compete and to do well.”

 

Training for the event commenced in December last year, with participants working hard to build their endurance and speed. While the event certainly challenges their physical capabilities, Bellini emphasizes its success in boosting team morale and fostering teamwork.

 

Lieutenant Commander Jasmine Bellini

“It also brought out a sense of competitiveness and pride, so apart from that use. See a different energy when it comes to the women that are competing. Even for the supporters that are here supporting the women, they all want to see their teams do good. And a part from that, you see them interacting with each other. It’s cause most of it is the females coming to support other females. So even though we have our own respective teams that we’re cheering on. We’re also making connections and talking to the women from the other service, which is also part of the competition to get to know other women in your force, your organization, and uplift each other whether we’re winning or not.”

 

The challenge concludes on Friday with a shooting competition at the Hattieville Gallery Range, after which scores will be tallied and a winner declared. Britney Gordon for News Five.