To encourage citizens to stay in shape, Pottsville Pride has come up with a new initiative.
It’s called the “2016 Pottsville Fitness Challenge.” It’s a schedule of activities — like walking, running and dodge ball — to be held in the city on 23 days between June 25 to July 23. More than 40 events have been scheduled, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Monday.
“This communitywide initiative will be open to area residents of all ages and fitness levels. Our goal will be to encourage participants to be fit now and fit for life,” Mayor James T. Muldowney said in an April 5 letter seeking sponsors for the program.
“Jim really wanted to do something like this, and he mentioned it in his State of the City address,” Palamar said.
“This communitywide fitness and wellness initiative will encourage healthier lifestyles for all ages and fitness levels. Our goal is to coordinate local recreational and support resources in our area and motivate people to be fit for life. It is anticipated that this initiative will be held in the summer,” the mayor said in his address Feb. 4.
Palamar said the initiative is also the mayor’s response to a report released in March, which stated that Schuylkill County is among the 10 unhealthiest counties in Pennsylvania. Schuylkill ranked 61st healthiest of the state’s 67 counties in the seventh annual County Health Rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute.
“So we thought the time couldn’t be better for us to put something together,” Palamar said.
The organizers include: Muldowney; Palamar; Robert J. Oravitz, CEO of the Schuylkill YMCA; city Councilman Joseph J. Devine Jr.; Eric Muldowney, nephew of the mayor, and his wife, Jenn; Kelly Lombel; and Josh Muldowney, the mayor’s son.
There are more than 20 sponsors who provided financial support, according to Rebecca Trefsger, Palamar’s secretary.
And the events will be held at locations including Schuylkill YMCA, the City of Pottsville JFK Recreation Complex and the track at Pottsville Area School District’s Veterans Stadium.
Registration will be $10 until the day the events start, June 25. Then registration goes up to $15, Palamar said.
“And the first 100 people who register get a T-shirt. So people should register early because we can run out of shirts,” Oravitz said.
“And we’re only going to guarantee shirts for the first 100,” Palamar said.
Palamar said the shirts will feature logos designed by two area school students.
The schedule
There are a variety of activities on the schedule.
It begins 11 a.m. June 25 with “Independent Walking/Running.” The location is still being determined, Palamar said.
It continues June 27 with two events scheduled for 6 p.m. that night, an Introduction to Yoga hosted by Beth Shields at The Warehouse at 300 E. Railroad St., and “Aqua Aerobics at JFK.”
Other events include “The Jungle Speed & Agility Camp” scheduled for 6 p.m. June 28 at Schuylkill YMCA, hosted by Craig Stevens, an instructor at The Jungle Fitness Center, Schuylkill Haven.
From 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 30, participants can test their endurance in an “Army Bootcamp” at the Schuylkill YMCA, Oravitz said.
“As of right now, that’s going to be run by Sgt. 1st Class Dustin Wazelle, a recruiter from Army Recruiting Center, Pottsville. And there may be others, based on his schedule. But right now, he’s the lead on that project,” Oravitz said.
For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page, “2016 Pottsville Fitness Challenge.”
Local artists
To promote the program, Pottsville Pride needed a logo for T-shirts, and held a contest in April to encourage local artists from area schools to develop one.
By the deadline for entries, which was May 1, the city received 21. And after reviewing them, the organizers picked two winners.
The design that will go on the front of the T-shirts was developed by Daijah Walker, 12, of Pottsville Area. She will be a seventh-grader in the 2016-17 school year.
The design that will go on the back of the shirts was developed by Cierra Zelanko, 18, who is graduating from Nativity BVM High School today.
The designers received $50, two of the T-shirts and two challenge registrations, Palamar said.