169th Fighter Wing group fitness fosters resilience, readiness and community
MCENTIRE JOINT NATIONAL GUARD BASE, S.C. — Music fills the room as participants move through a series of high-intensity exercises, transitioning from one movement to the next as Senior Airman Samantha Merck and Senior Airman Crystal Woodberry coach them through the workout.
The two fitness program managers move throughout the room, demonstrating movements, offering modifications and encouraging participants to keep pushing. Between circuits, participants catch their breath, laugh and prepare for the next challenge.
The scene is part of a group fitness program at McEntire Joint National Guard Base designed to give members another way to build physical readiness while working toward individual goals.
Merck and Woodberry, assigned to the 169th Force Support Squadron, began offering organized group fitness classes in March 2026. The program currently includes Boot Camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Physical Fitness Readiness Assessment prep on Wednesdays, and a fitness dance class once a month, with one-on-one guided fitness available by appointment.
While McEntire has long provided access to a fitness center, the group classes represent a newer effort to create consistent opportunities for members to train together outside individual or unit physical training. That preparation has taken on added importance with recent changes to Air Force fitness standards, leading the program to place greater emphasis on PFRA preparation.
But the classes are not built solely around preparing for a fitness assessment. Woodberry said she wants participants to feel comfortable regardless of their starting point and to believe their goals are attainable. She described the environment as a "judge-free zone" where people can challenge themselves without being discouraged.
That does not mean the workouts are designed to be easy. Woodberry encourages participants to improve while meeting them physically and mentally, building rapport and using humor to motivate them.
"If you can only give 40 percent a day," Woodberry said, “I just motivate them for the next class to try to give 50.”
Merck approaches the same goal through encouragement and individual attention. She said some people feel intimidated by entering a gym, and she wants the program to provide an environment where people can exercise freely.
"Everybody is welcome, everybody is capable and everybody is included," Merck said.
The instructors bring different personalities to the room, but neither limits her role to leading from the sidelines. Woodberry brings an energetic presence, while Merck adapts exercises to help individuals participate. Both participate in the workouts, so participants know "they're in it with us."
The program has drawn participation from leaders across McEntire. Lt. Col. Rachel Phillips, commander of the 169th Force Support Squadron, and Chief Master Sgt. Kenneth Monroe, the squadron's senior enlisted leader, have participated in Boot Camp. Master Sgt. Mark Hunter, superintendent of sustainment services, and Master Sgt. Reggie German, base services manager and 169th FSS unit deployment manager, have participated in both Boot Camp and PFRA prep.
Woodberry said leadership participation demonstrates that the work is valued.
For Merck, the program is rooted in a deeper belief in empowering people to become stronger. Her coaching focuses on helping Airmen recognize what they are capable of, building physical confidence and resilience so they never feel intimidated—inside or outside the gym.
Woodberry measures success when someone trusts them to help reach a goal or when their work makes a difference in someone's career. Military careers require service members to remain prepared, and fitness contributes to both physical and mental readiness, offering an outlet for frustration and pressure.
For members hesitant to join, Merck's advice is straightforward: "Just show up."
From there, Merck and Woodberry help participants determine what comes next—whether preparing for a PFRA, building strength, or making fitness a routine. The workouts may change, but the purpose remains the same: helping McEntire members become stronger and ready to meet the demands of military service.
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