Homestead Sports and Fitness Center garners 5-star rating

  • Published
  • By Jeff Carney
  • 482nd Services Squadron
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  The Homestead Sports and Fitness Center received the most prestigious distinction for a fitness center in the Air Force, a five-star rating for their services by the Air Force Services Agency.

Homestead's facility is one of 29 fitness centers in the Air Force to reach the enviable 5-star rating for 2007, and the first ever from the Air Force Reserve to receive this merit.

In 1998, Air Force Services Agency realized the need for a formal fitness recognition program, and the "Five Star Fitness Center Recognition Program" was established in 2002. The 5-star programs provide annual recognition, acknowledging those bases that have reached the highest standard of achievement in all five aspects of program management including programs, facilities, training, operations, and customer service, according to the Air Force Services Agency.

"With all the equipment available, you never have to wait, and the staff is really friendly," said Rachel Day, 482nd Services Squadron commercial sponsorship director. "I've also noticed that there's always a new project or new equipment being added."

Without base housing, off-base Fitness Centers compete for Homestead Air Reserve Base's civilians and servicemembers. However, the base fitness center has on average, over 14,700 customers per month, according to Air Force Customer Feedback.

"Living next to the metropolis of Miami, there are plenty of gyms and workout centers to choose from, but for me, there's no choice. Our fitness center is as good as any I've been to," Day said.

The training and expertise of the fitness staff is a major reason for the 5-star rating.

"They've done a lot to improve the quality of life and fitness at the gym with new classes and programs. There are more people at the gym now thanks to the fitness staff for having the circuit and spin classes in the evening so everyone can attend," said Tech. Sgt. Rickie Cancel, 482nd Security Forces Squadron.

Reserve bases typically have smaller facilities and correspondingly smaller staffs. This creates a smaller pool to draw upon when attempting to accomplish tasks outside of daily operations.

"With budget cuts it is extremely hard for a Reserve base to accomplish a 5-star rating, so we accomplish a lot of work around the Fitness Center as 'self help,'" said Herb Tiedemann, Fitness Center Director.

"We accomplished a lot of the training we needed by staying after hours and doing home study. We accomplished approximately 10 months of training in a three-month period," Tiedemann said. "To keep up with our customer's needs and the facilities aspect of this program, we have to continually replace and upgrade equipment. And typically, we're able to upgrade equipment at the end of each year."