Not just talk, Air Force counts the mock

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

03.12.2020

Story by 2nd Lt. Benjamin Aronson 

15th Wing

I arrived at my first duty station at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Feb. 1. I quickly began in-processing and settling into my new way of life. Due to a TDY, I was also informed I would have to take my first official Air Force Physical Fitness Assessment sooner than expected.

Being a brand new and wide-eyed second lieutenant, I was nervous about how I would do, as this would mark my first-ever Air Force PFA on active duty.

Shortly after I arrived, the 15th Wing instituted a new policy allowing for mock PFAs that could be counted as an official PFA. According to the policy, mock tests may be scheduled by your Unit Fitness Program Managers during the first 10 duty days of the month at 5:15 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. This policy aligns with the new Air Force policy being considered by Chief Master Sergeant Wright.

I knew I wanted to take advantage of these new guidelines.

I figured that the mock would at least let me know if my workouts were effective and give me an idea of where I was in terms of fitness. Thankfully, with the new policy, I was able to take my mock and have it count. Going in knowing that if I did not perform as well as I would like, it would be alright since I would have a second chance during my official PFA. This helped reduce the stress surrounding taking a PFA.

I did, however, go in with the mindset that it was the actual PFA to motivate myself to work as hard as possible and get the best score. This strategy worked for me and I received a score I was happy with.

What started out as a mock PFA, ended up counting as my official PFA. The mock also made me aware of the areas of fitness I can improve on to do better on my next PFA.

Maintaining physical fitness is every Airman’s responsibility and being able to choose to count the mock PFA as an official PFA or not can help Airmen who might have a bad day while testing, or encounter test anxiety.

• Date Taken: 03.12.2020
• Date Posted: 03.12.2020 21:19
• Story ID: 365090
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US
• Hometown: PITTSBURGH, PA, US