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Fort Drum FMWR offers new fitness, athletic events for community members in 2020

 

Mike Strasser

Fort Drum Garrison Public Affairs

 

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Jan. 15, 2020) – New events are popping up on the Fort Drum Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation’s calendar that encourage community members to have fun while getting active in 2020.

An indoor sprint triathlon, 7-vs.-7 soccer tournament and a 10-week fitness challenge are among the offerings through FMWR’s Sports / Fitness / Aquatics (SFA) program.

Aly Thibodeaux, FMWR sports and fitness assistant, said that most people associate the SFA program solely with intramural sports, but it actually encompasses a full spectrum of activities for Soldiers and their families at the three fitness facilities on post.

“Like any FMWR program, we’re here to serve Soldiers and their families,” she said. “We just happen to do that through sports, swimming and athletics. But I think our main goal is to have fun while getting people active.”

Whether that means playing in the basketball or volleyball league, taking a yoga class or signing up for a 5K fun run, Thibodeaux said that the FMWR staff wants community members to always have something to do that they can enjoy.

“Personally, I have always loved sports and athletics,” said Thibodeaux, an Army spouse. “I’ve loved that as I moved with my husband to different posts, there’s always something for me to get involved in.”

She said that the SFA program ties into Soldier readiness because it lets them explore different approaches to physical fitness.

“This year, we’re trying an indoor sprint triathlon during PT (physical training) hours that Soldiers can sign up for,” Thibodeaux said.

Magrath Sports Complex staff will open one lane in the pool, and participants will use the treadmills and stationary bikes for the other two events in the triathlon. Finishing times will be recorded and posted so Soldiers can compete against each other throughout the year.

“We thought this would be a cool little competition for Soldiers to try,” Thibodeaux said. “It’s something different than their normal PT.”

Thibodeaux also emphasized there are just as many opportunities available for spouses and civilian employees at the fitness facilities. She said that the winter sports leagues are open to all Department of Defense cardholders, a new water yoga class is in the works and more than 160 participants have registered to take on the Slim the Mountain Challenge.

“When we were organizing the Slim the Mountain Challenge, I thought, maybe, we would get at least 50 people signed up,” she said. “So from the response we got, this shows that this is something that our Soldiers and family members want, and this is what we need to be doing.”

Throughout the 10-week fitness competition, FMWR staff will help participants reach their goals with motivational emails, suggested workouts and fitness tips. Participants also can receive support from Army Community Service and the Fort Drum Army Wellness Center.

Thibodeaux said that as they continue to introduce new activities throughout the year, FMWR patrons are welcome to present recommendations for consideration.

“We would like to hear what people are interested in, because that’s what we want to offer if we can,” she said. “You can call us, comment on our social media or just come into the gym and let us know.”

Community members can find all FWMR events listed online at www.drum.armymwr.com/calendar or visit https://www.facebook.com/FtDrumSFA/. For additional information, call (315) 772-6663.