14 FSS and the CAFB Fitness Center welcome new blood! Solomon Jones III, the new Fitness Director, and Jason Gilmore, the new Intramural Sports Director, are here to enhance CAFB’s Fitness programs to the next level! Your dutiful 14 FSS fact-finders asked the boys a few questions to get to know them a bit better before the dumbbells start flying and kettlebells start swinging.
In the Blue Corner, hailing from Maysville, NC: Nutrition whiz and man-with-the-plan, Solomon Jones III!
Solomon is retired Air Force with 20 years and 3 deployments under his belt, as well as an American Military University graduate with a Bachelors of Sports and Health Sciences, and a Masters of Health and Wellness Management. If anyone can help you plan your fitness journey, it’s Solomon!
Q: Mr. Jones, what plans do you have for the Fitness Center in the near future?
A: It’s really all about what the community and the patrons want. We’re bringing forth all the resources and support that Columbus and its airmen need. It begins with building a solid foundation, and getting our fitness initiatives where they need to be to ensure we’re meeting Air Force standards.
Q: Are you going to be surveying or asking around the base community to see what programs people are interested in?
A: Absolutely. We’re constantly seeking feedback from our Fitness Center regulars, are conducting surveys via email, questionnaires, and ICE comments. The findings are pushed upwards to leadership. If you have ideas for fitness initiatives, stop by and let us know!
Q: Do you have any fitness advice for the Spring?
A: It comes down to just being active. I don’t just mean physical training either, though that’s important, I mean any physical activity. Take the stairs, if you’re able. Park further away so you have to walk to your building. Stand at your desk instead of sitting. What I’ve learned in my assessment of physical health and wellness is that those moments are when fitness happens.
Q: Give us a fun fact – what’s the heaviest lift you’ve ever done?
A: Hah! Well, I’m only about 140lbs at the moment, but back when I was 160, I was able to bench 300. These days my fitness is focused on healthy eating and nutrition, not so much weights.
In the Red Corner, hailing from Littleton, CO: Tough-guy extraordinaire, Jason Gilmore!
Jason is a retired Deputy Sheriff (21 yrs) that worked K9, SWAT, SCAT, Undercover VICE, Narcotics, and Bicycle. He has also been a Defensive Tactics instructor of Krav Maga, PPCT, FBI, Tricom, and spontaneous knife defense, and a SIU and Field Training Officer. He currently is a Crossfit Level 1 & 2 instructor, and fights in MMA (6-1 record), Muay Thai (14-0 record), and Boxing (2-0 record).
Q: Do you have any plans to bring more combat sports to the CAFB Fitness Center?
A: We already offer Jiu Jitsu on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We’ve started spinning up a Boxing Club with a boxing instructor, so you’ll see that coming soon. I would like to start hosting Jiu Jitsu tournaments here on base with the Columbus community and beyond. Eventually, I’d like to see a mat room in the Fitness Center so we can see some MMA, Krav Maga, and other combatives to build from.
Q: Any fitness advice for the Spring?
A: Consistency is king. Regardless of what you’re doing or what your goals are, once you start, just don’t stop. Even if you fall off a little, make sure to pick yourself back up. Doing a little bit every day is better than doing a whole lot one or two days.
Q: Give us a fun fact as well – What’s the toughest fight you’ve ever been in?
A: The next fight is always the toughest. By that, I mean it’s not that the fight is tough, it’s the mental anguish you put yourself through prior to the fight. Fighting itself is easy – you train hard and fight easy. Getting punched in the face never bothered me, and punching someone else in the face never bothered me. The mental strain and the anxiety are such a challenge on your mind for about six weeks leading up to the fight. You’re wrapping up your hands and putting on your gloves, and telling yourself “I’m not going out there.” You could get knocked out in front of a thousand people – how embarrassing is that? I say all that to say, the toughest fight is the fight with your own mind.