Tyndall Airmen slim down, prove fit to fight Published April 22, 2009 By Senior Airman Anthony J. Hyatt 325 th Fighter Wing Public Affairs TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The culmination of the Beat the Boss and the Biggest Loser competitions came April 17 at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The purpose of each event was to motivate Airmen through further incentives to strive for excellent scores on physical training testing, and to see which contestants could lose the most weight. Beat the Boss was a challenge set by the 325th Fighter Wing commander. Tyndall Airmen who could score higher than the commander's physical training test score, win a three-day pass. The test included the one and one-half mile run, 1-minute push ups, 1-minute crunches and the waist measure. Of the 105 Airmen who participated in the competition, 75 scored higher than the base commander. The boss' score was based on a 24-year old male, and his final PT test result was 93.5. Of the 75 Airmen who won, 31 scored a perfect 100. "I planned on pacing with the general before the run, but as soon as the run started he shot off the line like a sprinter," said Airman 1st Class Justin Prince, 325th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician, who scored 100. "I knew I would have to step my game up a notch to beat him." The Biggest Loser competition, which began Feb. 20, was open to all military and civilian personnel to find out who could shed the most weight by April 17. The prize: a ride in an F-15. Participants weighed-in and had their body fat measured Feb. 20, March 20 and April 17. What started with nearly 300 participants, 238 military and 51 civilians, resulted in two military winners, a male and female, and two civilian winners, male and female. The military male winner was Senior Airman John Krieger from the 325th Communications Squadron, who lost 38 pounds, and the military female winner was Capt. Monica Gomez-Arenas from the 325th Medical Support Squadron, who lost 11 pounds. From the civilian side, Jamie Lopez, 325th Civil Engineer Squadron, won for the males by losing 31 pounds, while Kimberly Britton from the 325th Operations Support Squadron won for the females by dropping 19 pounds. "I worked very hard in the gym and cut out some unhealthy eating habits of mine," said Captain Gomez-Arenas. "The best prize from all this is the fact I am in the best shape I have ever been." Altogether during the Biggest Loser competition, Tyndall Airmen lost a total of 850 pounds. "These competitions show that if you want something bad enough you can achieve your goals," said Lou South, 325th Force Support Squadron fitness center director. Mr. South hopes to see other bases conduct similar events to motivate their Airmen to strive for fitness excellence.