55th RQS gets rigorous PT from UA football coaches

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jamie Coggan
  • 355th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Led by four of the University of Arizona's football coaches, members of the 55th Rescue Squadron here participated in a physical training session July 27 at Arizona Stadium.

Lt. Col. Strachn Massey, commander of the 55th RQS, and Tim Kish, assistant head coach for linebackers, live in the same neighborhood. One day, Colonel Massey mentioned to Mr. Kish the idea of organizing a PT session at the university for his Airmen, who had recently returned from deployment. Mr. Kish agreed that he and his staff could provide some unique fitness training, and the two neighbors arranged to make it happen.

"I thought it would be a great way to provide morale for the unit off-site," said Colonel Massey. "It not only promoted fitness, but also created a strong team-building atmosphere."

Along with Mr. Kish, who has 32 years of coaching experience, were: Corey Edmond, a strength coach, who also works with the university's basketball, cross country and track and field programs; Brian Odom, another strength coach, who has been coaching at Arizona for three years; and Brandon Shelby, a defensive graduate assistant and former All-Big 12 defensive back.

The session started with regular warm-ups and moved on to push-ups and sit-ups with a medicine ball. Then, it turned more strenuous.

The UA coaches then informed the Airmen that it was time for the "Stadium Stairs" workout. In small groups, the Airmen started at the bottom of the 56,000-seat stadium and climbed to the top and back down. The coaches told the Airmen that most freshmen football players can't complete the workout on the first try.

The Airmen were up to the task, and when they finished, Colonel Massey said most of them acknowledged it was much tougher than they thought. But they decided to do it again anyway.

That's when the UA coaches brought out a 20-lb. weight vest. The designated leader of each group - basically, the strongest and fastest - wore the vest for the second run up the stairs. Maj. Kyle Cowherd, an HH-60 helicopter pilot with the 55th RQS, wasn't one of the group leaders, but waited his turn and gave the vest a try.

"I made it," he said, recollecting, "but I was hurting afterward."

After about an hour of exhausting PT, the squadron members split into two groups and enjoyed a relatively less intense game of touch football.

Major Cowherd said the experience was definitely more rewarding than the usual group PT sessions at the base gym. "I thought it was awesome," he said. "We were obviously working with the latest training techniques. Even some of the stretches I'd never seen before.

"It inspires everybody to do something different (with their fitness routine)," he said.

As a commander in today's military, Colone Massey said he takes physical fitness very seriously.

"With many of us frequent deployers, you are going to end up on a base that probably gets indirect fire. That means, at the very least, you'll have to don and wear your protective gear and do manual labor while it's over 100 degrees Fahrenheit," he said. "When you are out of shape or overweight, you are a liability rather than an asset. So, I place a lot of emphasis on my PT program."

A big part of that, he said, is avoiding a stagnant routine. "Any time you can do something different, you add a little bit of interest."

Apparently, his Airmen enjoyed the experience.

"Of course," Colonel Massey said, "at the end they dumped Gatorade all over me."