Touchdown! USO Indo-Pacific Salute to Service Winner Goes For It and Wins Super Bowl LIX Prize

In November, eight service members tested their hand eye coordination during an intense battle inside the USO-NFL Gaming Trailer outside of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The tournament? The Madden NFL 25 Salute to Service Showdown, an annual USO Gaming event in partnership with the NFL and EA Sports™. The ultimate prize? An all-expenses-paid trip to Super Bowl LIX for the top two winners.

The Road to Glory

The journey began on September 21 when Petty Officer Second Class Kristopher Houchins took on other service members from throughout the region before emerging as the USO Indo-Pacific qualifier winner. Following the initial victory, Kristopher joined the seven other qualifier winners in Tampa for the Grand Finals. Here, the finalists spent a full weekend connecting with each other before settling back in for another round of the tournament.

Suited up in USO apparel, the finalists were immersed in an NFL experience – everything from a media day to touring the practice facility. Team executives even added to the VIP experience, even allowing the service members to cheer on one of the military academies.

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers CCO came down and he gave a quick thank you,” said Kristopher. “Later that day, Navy [the Naval Academy] and the University of South Florida (USF) were playing at the stadium, so he asked us if we wanted to go…Navy ended up winning! That was a great gesture. That was so nice.”

After all the pomp and circumstance, the finalists had to once again focus for an intense few hours of EA Sports Madden on Sunday, November 10. For Kristopher, it was a unique experience as he opened the Grand Finals facing someone who had become a close friend, LMoney [name within the game] - a testament to how the USO Gaming program serves as a catalyst for service members to connect with others over a shared interest. In the case of Kristopher and LMoney, four years of the Salute to Service Showdown has blossomed into a friendship between two people who would not have necessarily met.

“He was the first person I played, and I felt so bad because that’s my buddy,” expressed Kristopher. “We have been playing for the last four years and I put him in the loser’s bracket. I gave him his first loss and it hurt. We would always talk, even spoke a couple nights before the tournament, and finally got to meet. We just hit it off. It was like someone I have known since my childhood. We clicked instantly and I just felt bad.”

For Kristopher, it was multiple rounds of tournament play coming from behind in every game except the first one. His path eventually crossed with the other winner, resulting in Kristopher’s lone loss and dropping him into the lower bracket. However, he once again came from behind to win, this time against last year’s Salute to Service Showdown winner.

“All the games were really close. I think I won every game by seven points, or just like a possession, but that play from behind was really tough,” described Kristopher. “Those crucial moments where I would get an interception, and I just made sure that I capitalized on my next offensive possession. Some of those interceptions I couldn’t believe I got it.”

Super Sunday

Kristopher ended the weekend as one of the two winners of the Super Bowl LIX trip. Outside of having the opportunity to attend the NFL’s premiere event, Kristopher also has the opportunity to reunite with his best friend – the person he spent years playing EA Sports Madden against growing up. He and Trevor look forward to exploring New Orleans, Louisiana, the location of this year’s championship.

“It is pretty surreal. I am excited to go to New Orleans. I am excited to try the food and so is Trevor,” said Kristopher.

From cultivating relationships with other service members through USO Gaming to having the opportunity to experience a football fan’s dream with his best friend, the tournament has provided a sense of normalcy and stress relief for Kristopher outside of his work-related responsibilities. In fact, he even had to head out to sea upon his arrival back to work following the trip to Tampa.

“It was awesome. I had a great time. I met really good players, and it was very competitive,” expressed Kristopher. “The experience overall was phenomenal from start to finish, even the traveling.”

Before traveling to Tampa to compete at the Grand Finals, Kristopher exclaimed his victory and that he would be going to the Super Bowl – a promise he kept.

Unexpected USO Support

In a rare turn of events, Kristopher found himself utilizing one of the USO’s centers while traveling. Kristopher is currently stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii. Therefore, the trip to and from the Grand Finals in Tampa required multiple flight layovers. For Kristopher, his travel itinerary even required an airline change in Las Vegas, Nevada. Unfortunately, this led to a missed connection.

Thankfully, Kristopher was able to get rebooked on another flight, but it required an extended layover. Looking for somewhere to pass the time, Kristopher naturally gravitated to one of the two USO centers located at Harry Reid International Airport. Here, he was able to relax following the eventful weekend and get some much-needed rest.

“It was nice and cozy. They had everything you needed, Wi-Fi, really nice recliners and they had snacks. The time I was supposed to be leaving out, nothing was open. Luckily, I went to the USO, and they opened like thirty minutes after I got there,” expressed Kristopher.