AST Digital Magazine August 2017 Digital-Aug | Page 56

Volume 15
August 2017 Edition
It’s a demanding circuit that includes sit-ups, a
300-meter sprint, push-ups, and a one-and-a-
half-mile run.
A St. Louis native, Liz worked her way through
years of higher education and a career practicing
civil law before applying to the FBI.
New Agent Trainee Performs Sit-Ups During Physical Fit-
ness Test
It wasn’t long after arriving at Academy that Liz
and her fellow trainees received their first of
many challenges: the physical fitness test, com-
monly known as the PFT.
It’s a demanding circuit that includes sit-ups, a
300-meter sprint, push-ups, and a one-and-a-
half-mile run.
(Special Agent John Woodill remembers feeling exciting the
moment he drove through the front gate at Quantico. Cour-
tesy of the FBI and YouTube)
New agent trainees start their one-and-a-half-mile
run in the rain as part of their physical fitness test
(PFT) at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.
Now she’s finally at Quantico, suitcase in hand,
ready to tackle the journey ahead.
“It felt surreal to finally be here after all this hard
work,” Liz says.
“The best part about the first day was meeting my
classmates for the first time and feeling so wel-
comed. It helped calm my nerves.”
New agent trainees must take the physical fitness
test, commonly known as the PFT, soon after they
arrive at the FBI Academy.
Passing the test is essential—not only to com-
pleting the rest of the Basic Field Training Course
but to ensure new agents can effectively carry
out their duties.
“Right before the test, everyone was trying to pro-
vide words of encouragement and support each
other, much like going into a big game,” says Liz,
who, like all of her fellow trainees, was required
to maintain a level of fitness before coming to the
Academy.
“Our class rallied and did that for each other. You
go out, give it 100 percent, and put it all out on
the line. I think we were successful at that.”
It’s a theme that will be repeated often in the
coming weeks.
Inside the Classroom
Just beside Hogan’s Alley, the mock town and
training facility at the FBI Academy in Quantico,
Virginia, there’s a cluster of modern two-story
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