By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
After being away in service to his country, Ray Wingfield has returned home to open a new high-intensity interval training facility in the middle of Yukon.
Wingfield, a 2000 Yukon High School graduate, moved back to Yukon after eight years in the U.S. Air Force.
Now he’s started his own business, Four Star Fitcamp, in the Yukon Hills Shopping Center at 1093 S Cornwell – Suite D.
“This is for anyone – from beginners to experts in fitness,” Wingfield explained. “We’re going to help anyone reach their goal.
“We have one workout written (each day), and we don’t tell people what weight to use. They use the weight that challenges them.”
This local military veteran is proud to be back in Yukon owning his own business and supporting his hometown.
Wingfield is following in the footsteps of his parents, Craig and Eva McAlister of Conrad Marr Drug.
“I wanted to come back to where I grew up and offer a place that helps people live a longer, healthier life,” Wingfield said.
Kevin McBride, owner of Four Star Fitness, approached Wingfield with an idea to start a fitness training camp in Yukon.
“We found this location here on Cornwell, which I thought was fantastic,” Wingfield said. “It’s right in between my daughter’s dance academy and a Tae Kwon Do dojo that one of my good friend’s owns.”
Four Star Fitcamp opened six weeks ago in a 3,000 square foot space after a 2-1/2-month build-out. The training facility features all new fitness equipment and weights.
“This was a Lady Americana mattress store 15 years ago,” Wingfield said. “It had sat vacant. We had to do a lot of renovations, build some walls, re-do the plumbing, and install an extra restroom and water fountains.
“We added our paint, turf and rubber.”
Four Star Fitcamp offers classes six days a week:
- Mondays through Fridays at 5 a.m., 6 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.
- Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m.
Wingfield and his team of certified trainers now lead classes ranging from eight to 30 people, with room to grow.
The YHS grad wants other athletes to know what Four Star Fitcamp provides.
“We can really help any athlete enhance their endurance and strengths,” Wingfield said.
A Yukon Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony will be 10 a.m. Friday, May 13 at Four Star Fitcamp.
PUT YOUR PHONES DOWN
Each Four Star Fitcamp class is 40 minutes of non-stop work.
“It is group-based,” Wingfield noted. “Because we have a trainer in the class who goes over movement and watches form, this is pretty much personal training within itself.
“We tell people who are not members, ‘Essentially, you’re paying $3 a day for personal training. You can pay $1 a minute for personal training at gyms.’ It’s the best price point and it really helps people facilitate their fitness.”
Most “boot camp” training facilities range in price from $100-$175 per month.
Four Star Fitcamp’s monthly fee is just $99, and that includes 24-hour access to all five Four Star Fitness gyms in the Oklahoma City metro area – including Yukon.
“Everyone’s first class is always free,” Wingfield said. “We want people to come in and try it out.”
As a bonus, free childcare, tanning and saunas are offered.
Wingfield recently learned he will be the new strength and conditioning coach for the YHS cheerleading squad. The cheerleaders will come to Four Star Fitcamp twice a week to train.
Wingfield was the first YHS Miller graduate who played college hockey on a scholarship – at the University of Oklahoma and then the University of Central Oklahoma.
After earning bachelor’s degrees from OU (criminology) and UCO (criminal justice), Wingfield in 2009 enlisted in the U.S. Air Force.
He had always loved sports – but found his passion for fitness soon after joining the military.
“I trained in a job called ‘combat control’,” Wingfield said. “I did really well throughout my schools to the point that I became the ‘team lead’ over 167 combat controllers.
“I chose that job because I wanted a challenge. Three-and-a-half years into it, I sustained a lot of injuries and had to undergo surgeries. I switched to a different job after that, in air traffic control.”
After serving eight years in the U.S. Air Force, he accepted a full medical retirement in March 2017.
Wingfield was stationed for five years at military bases outside Oklahoma – in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, and Washington. He also served at Tinker AFB in Midwest City.
Ray and wife Lauren Wingfield built a home in Surrey Hills, and their daughters Zoey and Harper attend Yukon Public Schools.
As an aside, Wingfield is getting ready to complete his third master’s degree at Southern Nazarene University – this one in exercise science. He already has master’s degrees in business administration and sports management.
Wingfield encourages people to stop by and check out Four Star Fitcamp, 1093 S Cornwell. For more information, call (405) 476-7825.
