New fitness center opens at Ansbach, followed by fair promoting readiness, resilience

By Mr. Bryan Gatchell (IMCOM)April 6, 2015

Formica
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- Michael D. Formica, regional director of Installation Management Command - Europe, speaks to an audience at the new fitness center. U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach held the grand opening of the new Katterbach Physical F... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Benson, Bogdanow
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- Col. Christopher M. Benson, left, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach commander, talks with Walter Bogdanow, a civil engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District, after receiving the key from Bogdanow for ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Conners, spin
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- Sarah Conners, an indoor cycling instructor, leads the first spin class at the new fitness center. U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach held the grand opening of the new Katterbach Physical Fitness Center and a Ready and Res... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Butera, Fairman, ready, resilient
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- Chaplain (Capt.) Chris Butera, right, chaplain at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach, talks to Staff Sgt. Stephen Fairman, chaplain assistant for 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach held the grand open... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Benson, fitness center
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- Col. Christopher M. Benson, U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach commander, speaks to an audience at the new fitness center. U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach held the grand opening of the new Katterbach Physical Fitness Center and... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANSBACH, Germany (April 6, 2015) -- U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach hosted a grand opening of the new Katterbach Physical Fitness Center and a Ready and Resilient mini-exposition Wednesday.

Michael D. Formica, regional director of Installation Management Command -- Europe; Walter Bogdanow, a civil engineer with the Europe District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and Col. Christopher M. Benson, USAG Ansbach commander, spoke at the event about USAG Ansbach's newest facility.

"This facility is a tangible reminder of the Army's commitment to the ongoing health and well-being of our Soldiers and Families," said Formica. "A physically fit Soldier is better equipped to carry out his or her fundamental mission. This facility will help build resilience, lower stress and increase overall well-being across the entire community."

"Military leaders have always recognized that the effectiveness of Soldiers depends largely on their physical condition, since full-spectrum operations place a premium on a Soldier's strength, stamina, agility, resilience and coordination," said Benson. "Victory -- and even the Soldier's life -- so often depends upon these factors."

The new fitness center, at approximately 42,000 square feet, is nearly twice the size as the old facility, which was housed in a World War II era hangar.

"Now Soldiers, civilians and Family members have a modern facility to exercise in and maintain good health," said Bogdanow.

Bogdanow touted the environmental aspects of the facility, including the use of natural light, the use of sun shades to reduce the infiltration of outdoor heat during the summer and thermal insulation to reduce heating costs during the winter.

After speaking, Bogdanow handed Benson a ceremonial key to the new fitness center.

The center features a juice bar, a customer service desk, equipment checkout, locker rooms, basketball court, weight room, stationary cycling room, cardio room, multi-purpose fitness room, personal trainer area, massage room and a racquetball court. Parents, if they wish to work out and watch their children at the same time, have the Kids Corral downstairs, which is equipped with a play area for younger children and cardio machines for the parents.

Amy Blanchard and Stephanie Anderson, two Family members attending the event and using the fitness center for the first time, thought well of the new facility.

"It's very inviting," said Anderson. "It's beautiful. It's very impressive."

"It's very bright -- lots of windows, very enticing to someone who wants to work out" said Blanchard.

Following the grand opening ceremony, community members ate healthy food and took part in the garrison's Ready and Resilient Fair. Representatives from several different on-post organizations staffed informational tables for patrons to explore and collect information and promotional items.

Part of the Ready and Resilient fair was recognizing the different observations USAG Ansbach makes in April.

"April is the no-fooling, jam-packed month of activities," said Gary Sowders, chief of the garrison's Ready and Resilient Task Force and master of ceremonies for the day's events. "Right here in Ansbach, it's the Month of the Military Child, Child Abuse Prevention Month, Alcohol Awareness Month, National Autism Awareness Month, and the continuation of the Army Emergency Relief campaign."

Because April is also Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Richard Fry, the sexual assault response coordinator for USAG Ansbach, brought a number of events concerning Sexual Harassment and Assault Response and Prevention, to the attention of the crowd, including the inaugural Teal Meal April 16 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Storck Dining Facility and April 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Katterbach Dining Facility. The garrison will also observe National Denim Day April 29. During Denim Day, people wear jeans to raise awareness of erroneous sexual assault myths.

Iesha Richards, prevention coordinator and Employee Assistance Program coordinator for the garrison, attended the fair to represent the Army Substance Abuse Program and raise awareness of the dangers of substance abuse, in particular alcohol abuse for April as Alcohol Awareness Month. Richards said the event provides a lot of good cross-coordination opportunities between her organization and other organizations focused on the well-being of USAG Ansbach community members.

"We team up often because we see how our disciplines intertwine," said Richards.

Katterbach Fitness Center is regularly open Mondays through Fridays from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays and U.S. federal holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and training holidays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

To learn more about the USAG Ansbach fitness centers, visit http://ansbach.armymwr.com/europe/ansbach/programs/ansbach-fitness-centers or select "USAG Ansbach fitness centers" in the "Related Links" section on this page.

Katterbach Fitness Center Grand Opening

Related Links:

USAG Ansbach fitness centers

USAG Ansbach official blog site

USAG Ansbach official Twitter feed

USAG Ansbach official home page

Ansbach Ready and Resilient Resource Guide

Franconian News: USAG Ansbach official news page

USAG Ansbach official Facebook page

USAG Ansbach official Flickr page

Photo album: Katterbach Fitness Center Grand Opening April 1, 2015

USAG Ansbach official YouTube channel

Spotlight Ansbach: Katterbach Fitness Center Grand Opening