February 6, 2024
Callahan Park, one of the City of Malden’s 30 parks, was selected as the official home of the city’s first Fitness Court®. Optimally located steps away from the city’s center with MBTA public transportation, Callahan Park provides equitable access to residents and visitors alike.
With Malden High School less than one mile from the new Fitness Court®, the vision was put in motion for the City of Malden and Malden Public Schools to team up with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross) and National Fitness Campaign to bring the campaign to the community.
The excitement to unveil the outdoor gym was certainly building as the official launch date of May 30 approached. Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden High School Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey, Ward 2 Councillor Paul Condon and Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Public Affairs at Blue Cross Jeff Bellows provided inspirational remarks before the ribbon was officially cut on breaking down barriers to provide accessible fitness opportunities for all residents. Athletes from the high school’s soccer and football teams will utilize the space, said Charlie Conefrey, director of athletics at Malden Public Schools.
“It’s state of the art,” Conefrey said. “It’s as good as it gets when it comes to working-out outdoors. To have a facility like this in an urban district, in accessible areas, can increase physical activities for all ages and abilities.”
Once the ribbon was cut, it was time for the much-anticipated launch day challenge featuring first responders from the Malden Police Department and Malden Fire Department. Local fitness ambassadors Julio Salado and Evan Le then demonstrated functional fitness all seven stations of the Fitness Court® for community members and students. Salado and Le walked folks through beginner, intermediate and advanced movements on each of the 7 exercise stations and encouraged everyone to download the free Fitness Court® App.
Attendees were also able to get an exclusive sneak peek of the Pride themed BlueBikes sponsored by Blue Cross as the official Pride month BlueBikes debuted on June 1st throughout the greater Boston area.
Following the success of the launch event, the city has plans for a health and wellness campaign for community members of all backgrounds and ages, encouraging student-athletes to work out on the Fitness Court®, creating open classes for adults and senior citizens to improve their health and build community through wellness.
“Most people can’t access healthy programs either because of costs or time or location. This Fitness Court® addresses all three of those factors, and that’s what we’re most excited about. We believe that every member of our community will have the opportunity and ability to use this for themselves and their families.” - Mayor Gary Christenson
Blue Cross-sponsored Fitness Courts® are currently open in Everett, Chelmsford, Gardner, Wakefield and now Malden, with more Fitness Courts® slated for locations including Lee, Fall River, Randolph, Swansea, Dracut and Bridgewater State University later this year.
