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Oct 6, 2022 – Ribbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. Chelmsford High hockey co-captain, senior AJ Bongiorno, does a back extension exercise. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
Oct 6, 2022 – Front, from left, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Vice President for Corporate Citizenship Jeff Bellows, Select Board member Pat Wojtas, Chelmsford Director of Business Development Lisa Marrone, and Town Manager Paul Cohen, with members of the Chelmsford High hockey team, do the riibbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
Oct 4, 2022 – Stock photos – Chelmsford Fitness Court, at Chelmsford St and Wilson Street, near Town Hall. JULIA MALAKIE/LOWELL SUN
Oct 6, 2022 – Ribbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. Chelmsford High senior and hockey player Joey Stagnone does pullups. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
Oct 6, 2022 – Ribbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. Chelmsford High freshmen Logan Kowalik, front, and Josh King, rear, do exercises. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
Oct 4, 2022 – Stock photos – Chelmsford Fitness Court, at Chelmsford St and Wilson Street, near Town Hall. JULIA MALAKIE/LOWELL SUN
Oct 4, 2022 – Stock photos – Chelmsford Fitness Court, at Chelmsford St and Wilson Street, near Town Hall. JULIA MALAKIE/LOWELL SUN
Oct 6, 2022 – Ribbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. Chelmsford High freshman Evan Karacek does pushups. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
The newChelmsford Fitness Court, at Chelmsford Street and Wilson Street, near Town Hall, as seen on Oct 4, 2022. (JULIA MALAKIE/LOWELL SUN)
Oct 6, 2022 – Ribbon cutting for new Chelmsford Fitness Court, a partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the National Fitness Campaign. Chelmsford High junior Matthew Kaplan does an agility exercise. (Julia Malakie/Lowell Sun)
CHELMSFORD — Town officials unveiled an outdoor fitness court funded by a $50,000 grant from state sponsor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Thursday afternoon.
The facility, located at the corner of Wilson and Chelmsford streets, behind town hall, offers a series of blocks, hoops and bars for people 14 years and older, of all fitness abilities, to use. It was completed about two months ago.
Lisa Marrone, director of business development in Chelmsford, led the ribbon-cutting ceremony with several representatives from Blue Cross, as well as Town Manager Paul Cohen.
Positioned near the center of town, beside the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and softball fields and with plenty of parking, the new, all blue court is highly visible and is a “nice amenity” for everyone, Marrone said. Plus, each exercise station is “adaptable” and can be adjusted according to difficulty level, she added.
“We’re talking about open-air fitness available year-round, 24/7,” Marrone said. “People have already been using it.”
This and other fitness courts are part of the National Fitness Campaign, a program partnering with the state’s Blue Cross Blue Shield to create free outdoor exercise facilities in 1,000 cities before 2024.
Jeff Bellows, vice president of corporate citizenship and public affairs at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, said the company is thrilled to create more opportunities for residents to exercise and be “active and engaged.”
“Bringing these public fitness courts is really important to us… having free, equitable access to outdoor exercise programs in communities across Massachusetts,” Bellows said. “We’re committed to helping people live healthier lives and eliminate the physical and social barriers that lead to health disparities.”
Select Board member Pat Wojtas cut the ribbon and the Chelmsford High School boys’ hockey team used some of the equipment to demonstrate the different features of the court. Even the Chelmsford Lion got in on the action, doing jumping jacks and planks alongside the student athletes.
Chelmsford is the first community in the state to receive the $50,000 grant after applying earlier this spring, so “it’s a really big deal,” Marrone said. The Blue Cross website notes there is $750,000 in available grant funding and is looking to fund 15 sites to be built next year. Four fitness centers will be complete by the end of the year, Bellows said.
There is also a sponsored fitness court in Livingston Park in Tewksbury, which opened in 2018.
Kevin Leonard, the boys’ hockey coach at Chelmsford High School, said the team often does “station training,” so to have another publicly available space in town to work out is exciting. It’ll be a “huge tool” for the group, he said.
In the summer, when the rinks shut down, Leonard said he anticipates them getting good use out of a new outdoor facility.
“It’s a great little setup they have,” he said. “They can get together as a group and do some practices. Good team bonding and gets guys to know each other a little bit more.”
There are seven different movements the court encourages users to try in seven different parts of the site: agility, bend, core, lunge, pull, push and squat. Each individual space is designed to accommodate people of any skill level.
The National Fitness Campaign also has a free Fitness Court app that allows residents to workout alongside trainers and discover new exercises. Users can also scan a QR code at the site to create challenges with friends and family.
The town already has playgrounds and development around schools, but an adult fitness park is completely new, Cohen said. He expects the court to greatly benefit the health and “vitality of the community.”
Cohen thanked Marrone, whom he said was “instrumental” in finding a location and funding source for the park, adding that he is looking ahead at future projects that could have the same benefit.
“If anybody else has another idea or concept, let us know, because we’re already thinking about what we can do next,” he said.
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