The Power Team displays feats of strength

From left, The Power Team’s Matt Reed, Crissy Dopson, and Todd Keene pose with Saipan Community Church pastor Steve Dame after the first night of The Power Team performance on Wednesday night at the American Memorial Park amphitheater. (LEIGH GASES)

Three athletes from The Power Team—president Todd Keene, Matt Reed, and Crissy Dopson—gave a powerful performance of strength and speed, as well as shared the gospel during their first night of performances at the American Memorial Park amphitheater on Thursday night.

The free performances will continue to be held from 7pm to 8pm until Saturday, Feb. 25, and on Sunday, Feb. 26, it will be held from 3pm to 4pm.

The crowd of over 100 gathered at the amphitheater’s outdoor seating on a clear evening for a family night—along with their dogs, to witness a spectacle that held them enthralled for an hour.

With the stage set ablaze at one point, Keene, Reed and Dopson showcased their strength by breaking layers of bricks with their bare arms, bent and twisted steel rods, broke baseball bats, broke out of police-grade handcuffs, tore thick books in half, and much more. Throughout the show, they spoke about the Christian gospel and also shared inspirational stories about their lives.

Toward the end of the performance, the crowd were called to gather at the front of the stage and were led in a prayer by Saipan Community Church pastor Steve Dame—as light evening showers blessed the gathering.

Dame said the turnout on the first night was great. During the day, Dame said that the team also went out and performed in schools and will be going to about 20 schools.

“We had an awesome day in the schools. I thought the students received The Power Team and their positive message well. Of course, they don’t preach in the schools—they just share a very positive message about not bullying, not doing drugs or alcohol, and making good wise choices with their life,” Dame added.

He added that the team did a tremendous job and he knows that every night, the performances will just get better and better.

“I would love for the community to come out and just experience it. Just to see these men of strength. …There’s so much turmoil within the government and everything that’s going on… the lack of tourism—we kind of lack hope. And that’s what this week is about: It’s about bringing hope again to the islands.”

Keene, a 6’6” former National Football League player who towered over this reporter, said the first night of their performance was great.

“I thought it was a really good turnout for the first night. Usually, it takes a while to get the word out. But, we’re [performing] in the schools during the daytime. The schools are not a Christian message; it’s about good values, working hard, staying in school, anti-drugs, motivation, graduating, and anti-bullying. But then at night, if they want to come out, we get to share a little bit more of our faith, and what motivates us to want to do those things.”

Keene said that Saipan was the furthest place they’ve performed so far. The team was also joined by Keene’s wife, Courtney Keene, who greeted the crowd at the beginning of the show.

According to a press release from the group, The Power Team has performed, inspired, and motivated audiences in every state and in over 40 countries for over 30 years.

For more information, contact Dame via email at pastorsteve@saipancommunityschool.com or call (670) 484-7742.