A state-of-the-art 6,808-square-foot fitness center has opened at the Delaware National Guard Bethany Beach Training Range just off Highway 1.
On May 15, Senator Chris Coons, elected officials, representatives of veterans’ organizations, staff of Patriot Guard Riders and contractor Delmarva Veteran Builders joined the security and police officers. , held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening.
Built at a cost of $3.25 million, the fitness center provides all-weather space to complete the Occupational Physical Assessment Test and the new Army Combat Fitness Test, as well as cardio for soldiers, airmen, and their families on the ground. Provides exercise and weight training.
Gen. Michael Berry, who spent a third of his career as a Delaware National Guard coordinator on the field in Bethany Beach and retired as commanding officer, said the last physical fitness test consisted of pull-ups, sit-ups and a two-mile run. “The new test is a great program and it’s not something you can do in an hour,” he said.
Berry said the new center will help recruit young people into the National Guard. “It’s a great story that we can tell the younger generation,” he said.
A new test event is completed with the following steps: The following order: maximum deadlift, standing power throw, hand release pushup, sprint-drag-carry, leg tuck, 2-mile run.
The test, mandatory for all National Guard since April 1, measures strength and power, cardiovascular endurance, muscular stamina, core strength and stamina, speed and agility.
“The world is moving fast and we can’t do it alone,” Berry said. “The support of our entire congressional delegation has been phenomenal.”
Koons, who chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds the State Department and foreign operations, said the investment will ensure that soldiers are among the best in the world no matter what happens in the future.
“This is a first-class investment in our men and women in a first-class facility,” he said. “That’s the least we can do for those who risked their lives for us.”
The Bethany Beach grounds are home to the 193rd Regimental Area Training Center, which serves as a campground with permanent trailers available for active and retired state troopers.
