“This is probably one of the smallest areas I’ve ever worked in,” he added. “But gym manager Pamela Coffee and the gym staff have always been understanding and helpful in trying to make it a better place for us.”
Another member of the group, Airman 1st Class Alexander DeCastro, an ammunition systems technician with the 576th Flight Test Squadron, explicitly credits Golembeck for motivating him to try CrossFit and improve his form. DeCastro placed 4,484 of 73,591 participants in the men’s division (18-34) of the CrossFit Open 2021.
“I met Mr. Golembeck in the gym annex after PCSing in 2018,” said DeCastro. “He invited me to qualify for another competition with him after I went through a poorly programmed training routine. After that, I knew that only good things would result from training with him and the others. “
A third member of the group, 1st Lt. Katrina Hartman, flight commander for standardization and evaluation at the 614th Combat Training Squadron under Space Delta 5, took part in a CrossFit training session with the group in May 2020. She placed 1,197 of 65,524 participants in the women’s division (18-34) of the CrossFit Open 2021.
Hartman focused her fitness program mostly on weight lifting and bodybuilding training, and she found it particularly difficult to find alternatives as the pandemic resulted in gyms being closed.
“I knew Mr. Golembeck and Airman 1st Class DeCastro from training in the gym annex on the base,” Hartman said. “After COVID-19 closed all gyms, I didn’t have a place to work out, so I reached out to Mr. Golembeck about setting up a home gym. I started training there while he was doing his CrossFit workout and I asked him one day if he could show me some moves. “
