MacDill youth center kicks off PFT pilot

The MacDill Youth Program Center hosted a pilot event for the newly revived Presidential Fitness Test on June 12, becoming one of only four Air Force installations selected to evaluate the program ahead of a nationwide rollout.

MacDill was chosen alongside Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. Across all military branches, only 21 youth programs were selected to participate in the White House-led initiative, which was reintroduced through executive order to promote physical fitness among American youth.

“One of the core values of the Air Force is a commitment to excellence, and my team embodies that standard to offer quality programs with pride and passion,” said Chris Hug, director of the MacDill Youth Program Center. “We have a veteran, passionate staff with continuity, and that allows us to execute our summer operations with precision.”

During the event, youth center members ages 9 to 18 were divided into color-coded groups and rotated through traditional test stations proctored by MacDill Youth Programs employees and base volunteers. Stations measured classic benchmarks, including the shuttle run, push-ups and sit-ups.

Anthony Phillips, MacDill’s youth sports and fitness director, said the structured test sparked a new level of motivation among children he coaches year-round in flag football, basketball and soccer. “I get to see their tenacity, their competitiveness and how they overcome adversity,” said Phillips. “Coming in here to do this Presidential Fitness Test, you could see that switch light up when it was time to get after it.”

Phillips said one of the most rewarding aspects was watching participants cheer each other on. For 12-year-old participant McKinley Ray, the test offered a way to gauge progress and set goals. “This challenge is going to be really fun, but the sit-ups for me, personally, are going to be the most challenging,” said Ray. “But there’s always room to improve, so I’m really excited for this.”

Scores from each station were recorded and measured against national and presidential fitness standards, with youth scoring above the 85th percentile receiving the Presidential Physical Fitness Test certificate. “The students were very happy, enthusiastic and felt accomplished,” said Phillips. “Even if benchmarks weren’t met, looking at the boards and scores gave them something to strive for and improve on in the future.”

As a designated pilot site, MacDill will submit a comprehensive after-action report to the Department of War, providing feedback on operational successes and areas for improvement to help shape the nationwide framework for future iterations.