Marines with Recruiting Station Denver hosted a female pool function aboard Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, CO, Feb. 11, 2017. The female pool function served to prepare females in the Marine Corps Delayed Entry Program for the rigors of Marine Corps recruit training.
Female poolees performed an Initial Strength Test, and competed in a motivational workout after. The pool function also serves to teach the participants about Marine Corps rank structure, military general orders, and other information they will find essential at recruit training and in the Marine Corps. The IST consists of a one and a half mile run, two-minute timed crunches, and the option to perform either pull-ups or push-ups. This mirrors the Physical Fitness Test, which is a 3-mile run, and includes the other two events.
With the recent removal of the flex-arm hang option for females, emphasis has focused on incorporating more upper-body exercises and ensuring females Marines can adequately complete the pull-up portion of the PFT. While poolees and Marines have the option to perform push-ups instead of pull-ups, a perfect score on the PFT is not possible unless pull-ups are chosen.
Recruiting Station Denver hosts female pool functions approximately every four months, along with monthly pool functions for each local recruiting area, and an annual pool function which includes all Marines and poolees with RS Denver. The annual pool function for RS Denver is slated to occur in May.