SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The Sanford Fieldhouse in Sioux Falls isn’t just for training athletes, it’s also used to prepare service men and women for their duties.
The sun rises over Sioux Falls outside the Sanford Fieldhouse early Sunday morning, but inside, 24 Army National Guard soldiers are pushing themselves as part of the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT.
“The soldiers from the classes will be assessed in six different events from the deadlift to a hand release push-up, a sprint-drag-carry, a standing power throw, a two-mile run and a plank,” SD Army National Guard master sergeant Burton Glover said.
Glover says this is the first time they’ve hosted this specific training here, but it’s not the only thing they use the Sanford Fieldhouse for.
“We have a schedule, a course schedule for every year. And what happens is those students from their units will sign up for the course. They’ll fly in or drive in, and then we’ll start the teaching process and get them through the coursework,” Glover said.
And these soldiers come from all over.
“We’ve got soldiers currently from Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, South Dakota, several different states,” Glover said.
Jim Lloyd, senior strength and conditioning coach with Sanford Sports Performance, helps schedule and facilitate trainings like this one.
“It’s more tactical based for physical readiness for whatever job they could be assigned to. So they have a lifting component, they have a running component, endurance component, things like that,” he said.
Glover says the National Guard has been using fieldhouse for about four years, but they are not the only group using the facility for tactical-based training.
“We trained several groups. I just got finished up with the last police cadet group. They went in for 16 weeks. They came in twice a week. Taught them how to lift in different ways to get themselves in shape. I’ve been working with my fifth firefighter cadet class now and those guys, they come in and I teach them how to stretch, how to warm up, how to lift and get them in good shape to make sure they pass their tests,” Lloyd said.
And whether it’s sheriff deputies, ATF special agents, firefighters or in Sunday’s case, National Guard soldiers, Lloyd has seen it all.
“It’s fun to see what the other servicemen members are doing to be prepared to, you know, service their state or our country, whatever they’re called up to do,” Lloyd said.
They started the training at around 6:00 a.m. Sunday and it lasted about an hour and a half.