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Playground Gains: Worcester opens new fitness court at University Park

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Playground Gains: Worcester opens new fitness court at University Park

WORCESTER — Residents of Main South looking to get in a workout but are on a budget can look no further than to University Park, where the city unveiled a new fitness court at the park.

A fitness court is an outdoor facility that contains several pieces of equipment, such as pull-up bars, gymnast rings and aerobic steps, that can be used for body-weight related exercises. The purpose of the courts is to provide free equipment that the public can use that is durable and useful for increasing physical fitness.

“When I was first elected to the council, one of the things I wanted to address was how do we help the youth understand what their health is. As we get older we understand that we wish we did things when we were younger,” District 4 City Councilor Luis Ojeda said. “I was a phys ed teacher for 14 years and I really stress the importance of physical activity and how it will help them in so many ways as their bodies are changing and to help their mindset, to understand how to use physical activity as a tool to get things in order in their minds as the world is moving so fast.”

The park was built by the National Fitness Campaign, in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts which is located on the Crystal Street side of the park. Other sponsors of the project include Consigli Construction, UMass Chan Medical School, United Way of Central Massachusetts, Reliant Medical Group, Spectrum Health Systems and the Fuller Foundation.

“This project started with one idea and one purpose. It started with out friends at Blue Cross Blue Shield, who are building these all over the country to make health and fitness accessible to every person in the community,” Tim Garvin, president of United Way of Central Massachusetts, said.

The National Fitness Campaign is a public-private partnership organization that works with cities and corporate sponsors to increase fitness in different neighborhoods across the country. The campaign has a stated goal of building 5,000 fitness courts across the country by 2030. The University Park location is the 13th constructed in Massachusetts and the first in Worcester.

During a ceremony at the park Monday, members of Revive, a Leominster-based fitness group that focuses on helping recovering addicts achieve stability through fitness, demonstrated how to use the equipment, with some help from public officials.

“I’m excited to see what I can do — maybe a few pull-ups, a few dips. I don’t know how well I will do, but hopefully you will join me. This is something that is important for our residents and the overall health of our city,” City Manager Eric D. Batista said.

Users of the court can also download the free Fitness Court app, which the National Fitness Campaign developed that can provide workouts designed specifically for the equipment that is available at the courts.

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