The free-to-use outdoor fitness court offers students new ways to work out and exercise
9/2/21 by Julia Match
Photo provided by Harry Karpen, Photography Editor
As Binghamton University opens for the fall 2021 semester, students will have access to many new services including the new outdoor Fitness Court (FitCourt) located outside of the East Gym.
The FitCourt was developed as a partnership between BU’s Campus Recreation and the National Fitness Campaign as a way to encourage physical activity among students. It has seven training zones: core, squat, push, lunge, pull, agility and bend, as well as “30 pieces of body-weight equipment,” as advertised on the Campus Recreation webpage. Access to the FitCourt will come at no additional cost to students as it is free to use with or without a fitness membership. Students also have access to classes held at the FitCourt, as well as personal training. However, both of these services come with a fee.
Laura Cichostepski, assistant director of marketing for Campus Recreation, believes the FitCourt will help make a variety of workouts available to all members of the campus community.
“One of our core values here in Campus Recreation is quality service, which means we value feedback and continuously challenge ourselves to implement changes that improve our services,” Cichostepski said. “This project makes physical activity more accessible for our University community and allows us to serve more students.”
According to Cichostepski, the area will be lit for evening use and contains a sanitizing station. Students will also have access to an app from the creators of FitCourt to access workout videos and training tips on how to use the equipment.
“Although this project has been in development for nearly two years, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has prioritized the need for outdoor physical activity opportunities,” Cichostepksi said. “The National Fitness Campaign approached us with information about their fitness court. Our assistant director for fitness and wellness, Jenna Moore, worked with our director, Clyde Robinson and senior associate director, Cindy Cowden, to move forward with the implementation of the FitCourt.”
The FitCourt is already open for student use, with the official grand opening on Aug. 28 during University Fest, according to BingU News. Samb Mishra, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, has already used the new FitCourt and said it was a positive experience.
“It’s a great outdoor workout space that allows me to do calisthenics without needing my own equipment,” Mishra said. “Because of its proximity to the track, I can mix in runs as well.”
The FitCourt is meant to be accessible to all students regardless of their skill level, according to BingU News. The variety of equipment, along with its outdoor location and lack of fees, is meant to increase the accessibility of physical activity for the campus community, especially under COVID-19 restrictions.
Claire Goldstein, an undeclared sophomore, said she appreciated having access to workout equipment without out-of-pocket expenses.
“I liked FitCourt a lot,” Goldstein said. “I thought that it was a good place to get a strength workout in without paying for a membership. I will definitely be going back.”
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