WIESBADEN, Germany - “They are changing people’s lives in a very active way.”
That’s how Maria Diaz, former Wiesbaden Installation Fitness Coordinator and now the Marketing Manager for Wiesbaden Family and MWR, describes the work of the team of therapists and instructors at the Sports and Fitness Center.
Now, with the addition of Certified Athletic Trainer Julia Spellman, the local fitness complex has one more professional asset to help patrons overcome any physical challenges while seeking the best approach to overall fitness and health.
“They have full capability,” said Diaz, explaining that the athletic trainer expands the Fitness Center’s ability to serve community members and help them “stay physically fit and resilient.”
“That’s her niche. She’s good at designing programs to help with running and providing different techniques to ensure injury prevention,” Diaz said. “She can design the entire workout – from beginning to end.”
Spellman, who joins the staff after having accompanied her military spouse to Wiesbaden last autumn, explained that she has provided her services in the field since 2015. “I’ve worked in clinical settings, one-on-one, doing rehabilitation, I worked at a high school, with corporate health and in Texas at Fort Hood.”
The Wisconsin native earned her Athletic Training Bachelor credentials at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is currently enrolled in concurrent Master’s and Doctoral degree programs.
“I specialize in injury prevention and biomechanics,” said Spellman, explaining that her focus will be on “helping the everyday athlete get back to doing what he or she wants to do.
“Being in a military setting, I feel I can fill a gap – addressing acute and chronic issues. … I just love helping people overcome pain and injury,” she said. “I want to help them get through it and get to the other side.
“We have such a unique setting here,” she added, “offering inter-collaborative care.”
Spellman said her goal is to reach all members of the local population she serves – military units, high school students – anyone looking for help overcoming a fitness issue or looking for ways to enhance their fitness routines. “I plan to be accessible if people need immediate care – to help them return to sports faster. If people have an injury and don’t know what to do, I want to be that person to help them.”
Having such a wide range of health and fitness services in the Wiesbaden fitness complex is unique to Europe, said Diaz.
“We’re one of a kind, and we want this to spread in Army Europe,” she said. “While they have massive fitness services in the United States, nobody is offering this here yet – comprehensive exercise and fitness programs for our Soldiers and civilians.
“I’m excited about this,” Diaz added. “It really is a holistic approach to wellness.”
For more information about physical therapy, upcoming fitness classes, individual athletic training services and more, stop by the Wiesbaden Sports and Fitness Center in Building 1631 on Clay Kaserne or call civ (0631) 143-548-9830.
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