The SUNY Old Westbury campus community gathered together on August 29, 2024, to unveil the university's newest quality of life addition, a sleek and modern outdoor Fitness Court® with a supporting mobile app.
This capital project is a featured part of a 2022 initiative launched by National Fitness Campaign, a nationwide consulting organization that partners with cities and schools to plan, build and fund healthy infrastructure.
SUNY Old Westbury was selected from hundreds of applicants around the country to be awarded a $30,000 grant from NFC to help support the development of the court.
The new Fitness Court® at SUNY Old Westbury is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout. Created with adults of all ages in mind, the Fitness Court is adaptable for all fitness levels. The Fitness Court features seven different functional training stations that provide a full-body workout to adults of all ability levels. Featuring weather-resistant bodyweight equipment, the Fitness Court is located outside the Campus Center building and is available for year-round use.
“Promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of our students is a core value all on our campus and in our department pursue," said Director of Athletics Lenore Walsh. "We encourage our students and employees to be both life-long learners and life-long participants in physical fitness. This new and exciting facility takes the workout out of the gym and brings it into the heart of our campus, making it accessible to all members of the SUNY Old Westbury community."
New users can also download the free Fitness Court App — a coach-in-your-pocket style platform — that transforms the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness ecosystem. The app, entitled "Fitness Court", is available for iOS and Android.
"We're excited to bring our campaign to make world-class fitness free to SUNY Old Westbury," said Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign. "The National FItness Campaign is happy to be part of a wellness network growing across the nation. With funding to reach 1,000 cities and schools by 2024, our Fitness Courts, free mobile app, classes and clinics are building healthy habits for millions of people."
National Fitness Campaign developed the trademarked seven-station system in 2012 hoping to inspire municipalities to transform public spaces into community fitness hubs. There are currently 100 active Fitness Court locations across the country.
