Tyndall ‘slims down’ and proves ‘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 Air Force Base; the purpose of each was to motivate Airmen through further incentives to strive for excellent scores on physical training testing and to see which contestants could lose the biggest amount of weight. The "Beat the Boss" competition was a challenge set by the 325th Fighter Wing commander to all the Airmen at Tyndall. If they were able to score higher than his physical training test score, then they would receive a three-day pass. The test included the one-and-half mile run, 1-minute push ups, 1-minute crunches and the waist measure. Of the 105 Airmen who participated in the 'Beat the Boss' 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 were 93.5. Of those 75 who 'Beat the Boss,' 31 scored perfect hundreds. "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 and individual who scored a 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 a competition open to all military and civilian personnel to find out who could shed the largest amount of weight by April 17. The winners of this event would receive a backseat ride in an F-15. Participants had weigh-ins and body fat measurements Feb. 20 and March 20, then again April 17. What started out 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 losing 31 pounds, while Kimberly Britton from the 325th Operations Support Squadron won for the females 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 whole "Biggest Loser" competition, Tyndall 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 utilize similar programs to motivate their Airmen to strive for fitness excellence.