Fitness Center terminates towel service Jan.1

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lauren Wright
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AFB, S.D. --  Starting Jan. 1, fitness center users here will need to bring their own towel for workouts and post-workout showers.

Wing leadership weighed several factors, including the cost and benefits to the servicemember, before deciding to terminate the towel service.

"We had smart people look at what the towel service meant to gym operations," said Col. Jeffry Smith, 28 Bomb Wing commander. "It was clear that Ellsworth will benefit more from the services our fitness center staff will now be able to provide in place of time spent on towel service."

Fitness professionals here will increase the time spent on the floor with customers. From personal training to general orientation, staff at the fitness center will be more hands-on. Although intramural participants will still need to help officiate, the team at the fitness center plans to help and be more involved.

That involvement increase rings true for aerobics classes as well, which the staff plans to instruct based on customer participation. This includes developing programs aimed directly at the Air Force Physical Training program and other projects such as Get Fit, Fitness Survivor and the Raider Challenge, which will capture the entire base's participation.

"(Without the towel service) the staff will be more available to the customers, they'll be able to teach group exercises, and they can help with officiating of sports," said Carey Karger, 28th Services Squadron fitness center director. "Instead of having people tied to the front desk, we'll have them on the floor, working hands on to do programming and helping people."

"We have to emphasize what is important," she said.

And that's the physical fitness and readiness of our Airmen.

Staff at the fitness center here spend roughly 2,500 hours per year maintaining the towel service. Now, this manpower can focus on sports and fitness programs, which will benefit the Airmen, families, civilians and retirees who use the facility. In addition, services spends nearly $5,000 per year on the towel service.

At least seven other Air Combat Command bases weighed the costs of the service with the benefits of termination and decided to 'throw in the towel' to drive efficiencies in manpower and funding.

At Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., servicemembers began bringing their own towel to the gym Oct. 1.

Robert Ewers, the fitness center manager at Cannon AFB, said the transition process went smoothly and operations improved.

"(Not having the towel service) really frees up people to help customers," Mr. Ewers said. "It's helped a lot."

Mr. Ewers also said the base population understood that funding adjustments affect units across the board, and that everyone, including the fitness center, is asked to prioritize their spending.

Air Force leadership has also identified the towel service as a manpower and budget intensive amenity that should be terminated as the fitness center works to sustain adequate support for higher priority requirements.

"We have to evaluate all facilities and how we spend our money," said Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel. "It's important Airmen know that their readiness will always be at the forefront."

Like many other career fields and Air Force programs, the services organization faces cuts in personnel and funding due to the Program Budget Decision 720 directed by Congress. It is a situation that has forced leaders to re-evaluate the definition of quality of life, said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney McKinley.

Both he and Lt. Gen. Roger Brady, Air Force deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel said that while a top-notch fitness center is probably seen as a quality of life benefit to Airmen, a towel is more of a perk. In a time when the Air Force must make every dollar count, these perks can be costly, so the Air Force may no longer provide funding for them.

"Nobody likes to be inconvenienced," said General Brady, "and we may sacrifice some convenience, but I don't think those are the kinds of things we are about. We are more concerned with what will affect families and individuals who serve, and those are the things we have to pay attention to."

Members who might be inconvenienced by lugging around wet, smelly towels should consider some of the following options. Servicemembers can hang towels from a coat hanger in the car and crack the windows. Another option would be hanging the towel in a workplace locker or office area. Chamois camping towels are also absorbent and small, and might be a worthwhile investment.

For more information, please call the fitness center at 385-2266.

(Information from this story provided by AFPN)