By Myara Gomez
Staff Writer
The College presented a brand new fitness court to the campus on April 6. This fitness court will be located behind the baseball field, near Lot 9.
“The new Fitness Court at TCNJ is an open-air wellness center that allows users to leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout,” said Sean Stallings, the vice president of student affairs, in an email.
Instead of the traditional weights and heavy machinery that is typically found in a gym, workouts are done with simple equipment and the use of a person’s body weight.
“I think it’s a great idea so people don’t hurt themselves, like a person who wants to lift 230 but weighs 120, they could hurt themselves,” said freshman political science major Rodriguez Hernandez. “So I think it’s a great idea to prevent accidents.”
This new fitness court will also have a free app that students could use called “Fitness Court.” The app is meant to be like having a personal trainer, which is accessible to all fitness court users.
“It’s a good and healthy thing,” said Rodriguez Hernandez. “I think it will incentivize more people to come and workout!”
The implementation of the fitness court comes after the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) awarded the College with a grant, as well as supplemental funding from other organizations.
“This year, TCNJ and dozens of other select recipients from around the country were awarded a $30,000 grant from NFC to help support the program. In addition to grant funding, a city match and local sponsorships from TCNJ Division of Student Affairs, Student Finance Board, and the Department of Health and Exercise Science have contributed to make the project possible at TCNJ,” Stallings stated in the email.
The College hopes to have students present at the grand opening of the court to support the program.
“The outdoor gym offers new exercises not possible in campus town. Along with being closer to my building, there’s enough stations to bring a friend too,” said freshman communications major Nicholas DeGruccio.
There has been a positive response to the opening of the gym since the announcement and opening of the gym within the campus community.
“Oh I’m ecstatic about it. As someone who has some anxieties about the campus town gym, an alternative with more access is perfect for me,” DeGruccio said.
