Historic milestone for USAG Rheinland-Pfalz’s Baumholder Youth Sports and Fitness: “This is Baumholder!” Over 300 sports registrations.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz (USAG-RP) Baumholder Youth Sports & Fitness Child and Youth Services, located on Wetzel Kaserne Baumholder, has reached a historic milestone this past winter season, surpassing 300 sports registrations.

This achievement highlights the team’s dedication to delivering outstanding sports and fitness programs for the military community stationed in and around Baumholder.

According to Marcel Fisher, Youth Sports & Fitness director, achieving this feat after over a decade speaks volumes about the collective effort invested in promoting a healthy and active youth community.

“The credit is due to a collaborative effort involving the Baumholder Youth Sports team, Army and Air Force patrons, volunteer coaches, and fellow Family Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (FMWR) staff.”

This season saw the Baumholder team expanding its sports offerings, reaching out to Air Force neighbors in Ramstein. Notably, they introduced an expansive swimming program for ages 5-15, becoming the sole provider of such a program in the entire USAG-RP area. The inclusion of homeschool children further diversified their participant base.

Traditional programs like basketball and cheerleading for ages 5-15 continued to thrive, with significant turnout attributed to dedicated volunteer coaches. The introduction of the Start Smart program, offering basketball and yoga for ages 3-4, led by Fitness Specialist Andhia Campos, added to the program’s appeal.

Fisher emphasized their commitment to maximizing resources while ensuring a fun experience for all participants. The addition of a bowling clinic instructed by Assistant Director Jahad Ghafari and an exciting wall climbing program on Ramstein received overwhelmingly positive feedback, prompting a follow-up clinic, and catering to a broader demographic.

Fisher credited the rise in youth enrollment over the past 15 years to the team’s ability to adapt to and address the evolving needs and preferences of the community. The revamping of the swimming program, in collaboration with the Aquatics Center team, resulted in the highest number of swimming registrations for USAG-RP’s Youth Sports & Fitness team in 15 years.

The success of the Baumholder Youth Sports & Fitness team serves as an inspiration, showcasing the positive impact that dedicated sports and fitness programs can have on fostering camaraderie, resilience, and well-being among service members and their families.

This achievement holds particular significance given the size of the current community compared to the last time such success was achieved in 2009 when Baumholder was its own Garrison.

The achievement of the Baumholder Youth Sports & Fitness team goes beyond numbers; it showcases the impact of teamwork and commitment in fostering a healthier, more resilient community.

As the team looks ahead, they remain committed to building on this momentum and continuing to provide exceptional sports and fitness opportunities for the USAG-RP community.

For more information about USAG-Rheinland-Pfalz’s Baumholder Youth Sports & Fitness programs and upcoming events, interested individuals can visit https://baumholder.armymwr.com/programs/youth-sports-fitness or contact +49 (0)611-143-531-2939.

USAG Rheinland-Pfalz serves, supports, and secures the total force community enabling power projection for the European Theater.