IWTC Corry Station Improves Student Fitness

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Taylor Jackson | 170425-N-FI568-032 PENSACOLA, Fla. (April 26, 2017) Sailors at Information Warfare Training Command Corry Station cheer on their fellow students as they complete a physical readiness test. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Taylor L. Jackson/Released)  

PENSACOLA, FL, UNITED STATES

04.26.2017

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Jackson 

Center for Information Warfare Training

Students and staff at Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Corry Station cheered on their fellow Sailors as they participated in makeup physical readiness tests (PRT), April 25-26.

The makeup or “bad day” PRT provides Sailors who did not earn a satisfactory score on their biannual PRT with a second chance to complete the assessment. IWTC Corry Station leadership encouraged Sailors to motivate the participants as they completed the run portion of the test.

“I’ve never seen as much command support for a physical fitness program as I do here,” said Cryptologic Technician (Technical) 1st Class Benjamin Rera, one of IWTC Corry Station’s command fitness leaders. “The amount of effort that goes into promoting fitness speaks volumes about the support level that we provide our students.”

The bad day PRTs are part of an effort to improve the school house’s fitness standards and overall physical readiness, including allocating time for physical training during the work day and running monthly mock PRTs. The command considers each request for a makeup attempt by examining the results of the student’s mock PRTs to determine if the failure resulted from a bad day or from improper conditioning prior to the test.

“During my previous tour with the naval special warfare community, I was able to see the benefits of a strong emphasis on physical fitness in terms of Sailor readiness and the development of a healthy mechanism to deal with stress,” said Cmdr. Christopher Eng, IWTC Corry Station’s commanding officer. “Physical fitness has been a top priority of mine, and thanks to the efforts of our staff our results have been admirable so far.”

Eng is working to find the right balance between the demands of often intensive training requirements and a Sailor’s overall health and wellbeing.

IWTC Corry Station PRT scores have shown significant improvement as pass rates increased from 85.5 percent in 2015 to 95.5 percent in 2016. Eng said he hopes to see a 97 percent pass rate in the first cycle of 2017.

“Allowing our students the opportunity to come out and motivate their fellow Sailors helps to reinforce Navy and command themes of teamwork and support for one another,” said Eng. “We need resiliency, toughness and no bystanders.”

As part of the emphasis on physical fitness, IWTC Corry Station partnered with Naval Air Station Pensacola’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation and the Corry Station galley. The gym is running a trial with extended gym hours, particularly for students who attend classes on a swing shift. The galley staff is working with the command to offer healthy food options that students want, such as quick options for breakfast that encourage healthy eating habits and also support student learning.

“One student stated that he was heavily utilizing the gym's expanded hours and he achieved the highest amount of curl ups during this PRT,” said Eng, expressing his appreciation for the superb help of the gym’s trainers and nutritionist for working and deconflicting with student training schedules. “Within the accession pipeline and in partnership with their first commands, we need to commit to getting these young Sailors where they need to be.”

IWTC Corry Station, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of training to Navy and joint service personnel that prepares them to conduct information warfare (IW) across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training organization, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/cid/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, http://www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or http://www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

• Date Taken: 04.26.2017
• Date Posted: 04.27.2017 13:09
• Story ID: 231782
• Location: PENSACOLA, FL, US