Rohr Park’s outdated fitness area is reimagined with a newly unveiled Fitness Court that allows users to leverage their body weight to complete a workout.
Chula Vista city officials unveiled the Fitness Court last week with a supporting mobile app that replaces the outdated equipment that was present at Rohr Park for decades. The fitness court was designed for adults of all ages in mind and is adaptable to all fitness levels.
According to Chula Vista Mayor Mary Casillas Salas, this is a part of the city's broader effort to put the health of the community first.
“During the pandemic, we learned how important parks are to our community. They were a way to maintain social contact with everybody and get out to exercise to get rid of some of that mental gloom and mental pressure. Our community needs to have a lot of opportunities for physical activity. Parks are essential to the overall health of our community,” Salas said.
The city of Chula Vista was selected this year from hundreds of applicants nationwide for a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign, a nationwide consulting organization that partners with cities and schools to plan, build and fund healthy infrastructure. The remaining $150,000 for the Fitness Court was supported by Measure P tax funds.
Chula Vista is home to how 67 parks, with more coming on the way. The city estimates more than 300,000 people visit Rohr park every year.
This Fitness Court features a mural from local artists Paul Jimenez and Signe Ditona, of Ground Floor Murals. The pair is known for making San Diego larger than life with their hyper-realistic murals that pay homage to the local community.
“When we were asked to do this, it was a little bit different for us since we usually use spray paint. I used to do graphic design a few years ago. It was cool to take on this challenge. When they gave us artistic freedom, I thought about this area and how the wildlife here is pretty plentiful. We'd like to keep it that way. We're all about conserving animals and conserving native animals. I thought why not represent them in a certain type of way,” Jimenez said.
“We find that animals don't get the representation they deserve. They were long before us, and they are still amongst us,” Ditona said.
There are currently 100 active Fitness Court locations across the country, and the National Fitness Campaign hopes to reach a total of 500 cities and schools by the end of 2022. 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.
For more information about the Fitness Court located at Rohr Park, contact Chula Vista Parks and Recreation at (619) 409-5979.
