The new free outdoor community Fitness Court on UMF campus at 131 Perkins st. in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

FARMINGTON – On Friday, Sept. 6, the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon for the newly installed outdoor Fitness Court^® across from the Fitness and Recreation Center (FRC). UMF has partnered with Community Health Options (CHO) and National Fitness Campaign (NFC) to bring Maine’s third Fitness Court to UMF campus. Two others exist in Simard-Payne Memorial Park in Lewiston and VFW Park and Field on Canoe Club Road in Hampden.

“As part of our commitment to public health,” UMF president Joseph McDonnell said, “UMF is providing new and exciting wellness opportunities for our students and all residents in the greater Farmington community.”

UMF is the first higher education facility to host an outdoor Fitness Court in Maine. Even though it is located on UMF campus, use of the court is free for anyone in the community aged 14 and older to use.

The new free outdoor community Fitness Court on UMF campus at 131 Perkins st. in Farmington. Leo Goddard/Franklin Journal

The Fitness Court includes many different ways to exercise using just your body weight and the equipment attached to the court. But what makes it unique compared to the equipment inside the FRC? Not only is the new Fitness Court free and accessible, but it also features an app that can guide users through workouts from beginner levels to advanced. Just scan the QR code on the side of the court’s wall to download the app. And for people who are pressed for time, there is even a seven-minute workout available so users can get a quick exercise break and go.

UMF associate director of the FRC Alison Thayer is excited to introduce this opportunity to the community. “Physical activity is important in all pillars of health,” she said. “Being outdoors has proven to be beneficial. Combine the two, and it’s a win-win.”

Thayer said that NFC reached out to her and identified UMF as the next potential location, probably because of the tight-knit community between the town and the school, she thinks. She said that many college campuses are isolated from the rest of the community, but since that is not the case at UMF, it is the perfect place for the Fitness Court. CHO awarded UMF a grant in order to install the court.

NFC’s goal is to “fund 5,000 free outdoor Fitness Courts within a 10-minute bike ride of every American” by 2030. In 1979, they invented their first Fitness Courts in San Francisco and at Stanford University. The original Courts were wooden until their redesign in 2012. In 2023 there were at least 500 Courts in the US.

Thayer hopes that after the opening ceremony on Friday, Sept. 6, community members will know that they are free to use the Fitness Court. She encourages them to check it out and urges them to “try something new.”