DUKE FIELD, Fla. -- Throughout the day Citizen Air Commandos file in and out of the Duke Dome, a facility previously used as a warehouse that has since been converted into a state of the art Human Performance Training Center. The sports medicine staff, strength and conditioning coaches are ready with routines, expertise, and a mission of helping Airmen succeed in their fitness goals.
Ashley Ramsay, a certified athletic trainer who works under the Preservation of the Force and Family program, provides a unique set of skills and experience to the fitness toolset.
Ramsay has a bachelor's degree in athletic training and a master's degree in sports pedagogy. In a past career, she provided medical care to student athletes on Louisiana State University’s women’s tennis, volleyball, and soccer teams. She later went on to assist veterans at the Andrews Institute, where she gained an appreciation for the military that would eventually take her to her current position at Duke Field.
As an athletic trainer for Air Force Special Operations Command, Ramsay has a diverse area of responsibility. Some of her duties focus on physical rehabilitation, as well as the prevention, evaluation, and treatment of injuries.
“Athletic trainers want to be accessible and involved from the beginning which is why we’re usually embedded into a team,” said Ramsay. “We’re like the Swiss Army Knives of sports medicine.”
She also teaches a customized yoga class at the Duke Dome during morning workouts and advises Citizen Air Commandos on their physical and strength development.
“Yoga is something I never thought I would do, but now I actually really enjoy it,” said Senior Master Sgt. William Steele, 711th Special Operations Squadron combat aviation advisor. “Ashley and the other POTFF coaches are doing a great job building workouts that allow us to keep fit and maintain our focus on the mission.”
Ramsay works with other physical pillar experts in the POTFF program to create a holistic strength and fitness approach to wellness for Airmen. She and her fitness counterparts make up part of the Integrated Resiliency Optimization Network, who in conjunction with other organizations, provide resources for multiple areas in the life of Airmen.
“We want to be here to provide general health and wellness so that you can do your job the best you can and live the healthiest life that you can,” said Ramsay. “By the time you leave the military, we want you to feel good, be stable and be able to move to the best of your ability.”
Her classes at the Duke Dome open opportunities for all AFSOC Airmen to enhance their physical capability through hands-on training with the POTFFs. She augments the strength-training component of activities there and often assists in instruction.
“The POTFF coaches do a great job of creating workouts that motivate me to improve my fitness,” said Steele. “The equipment and resources we have at the dome rivals most gyms I’ve ever been to.”
If you have questions about how to improve your athletic performance, a sport-or-exercise related injury, or want to get involved at the Duke Dome, you can reach Ramsay at 919SOW.IRON@us.af.mil.