They are two friends on a mission and they would really like to share their ideas and action plan, plus a few workout exercises with others.聽
Peggy Rohatyn and Debby Knight forged a friendship a number of years ago thanks, in large part, to their mutual love of training for and participating in long-distance runs.聽
The two women have already done a lot of the homework associated with the establishment of what they are calling Fresh Air Fitness on the north side of Woodlawn Regional Park in a land space between the Dana Quewezance football/soccer field and Cossette Park, the home of a fastball diamond.聽
The pie-shaped land is nearly perfect, they said, since much of the equipment that will be anchored there can be placed close enough to the nearby tree line to provide some protection from the elements and shade.聽
An original meeting with members of the Woodlawn Regional Park board representatives left the two with some pretty positive vibes regarding the viability of their project.聽
鈥淭he structures we鈥檇 like to install are made of steel, treated wood, that sort of material,鈥� said Knight. That would include an elipitical trainer or two, leg presses and large commercial-sized abandoned tires that are used for flipping or dragging by a person in training.聽
The women suggest a modest beginning for the fitness centre, which has received the blessing of local fitness and training centres since their principles see the value in attracting new faces to the fitness world and are quite willing to accept an outdoor fitness locale as part of a business partnership and community culture.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not taking business away, we are trying to get more people, more active,鈥� said Knight.聽
鈥淭he Fresh Air Fitness centre would be free for everyone 鈥� anyone who cares to use it and its location means users won鈥檛 even need a park access permit to use it. There is a walking bridge between this site and the Woodlawn camp sites, so it would be accessible to those people at any time,鈥� said Knight.
Users, of course, would be at their own risk, but none of the equipment poses any danger to participants when used respectfully and properly. Security is in place at Woodlawn, but the women are realists, so vandalism may happen, but they don鈥檛 expect it to be rampant.聽
The two feel that a good start would be the construction of a yoga platform plus a few pieces of basic workout equipment built specially for outdoor use. They would then add additional equipment as funding allows.聽
So, just how are they going to pay for the equipment?聽
Well, the two are the co-ordinators of the annual Coal Country Run that is held in May of each year. Last spring was its 10th anniversary. In the past, the runs have raised money for the Bienfait Arena (about $25,000) and the Summer Games (about $16,000). The runs have been held in Roche Percee and Bienfait as well as Woodlawn. They also are also significant organizers of the annual Run the Course event at TS&M Woodlawn Golf Course every October. It鈥檚 now in its third term with runners taking to the cart paths at the golf course to run either nine or 18 holes (or even more for the more serious runners).聽
The registration fees are modest, which attracts more runners, Rohatyn said, noting the Coal Country Run, last year, had 140 participants.聽
Between the two runs, they said, a yearly net profit of about $5,000 to $7,000 could be realized which would provide for two or three equipment purchases and maintenance while Woodlawn staff would provide maintenance of the outdoor space that could, realistically be used eight to 10 months of the year, depending on fall and winter conditions.聽
鈥淜eep the cost minimal and keep them active is what we want. We will appeal to businesses to get employees involved or families and friends to come on down and do what you wish, or join us for Run the Course. It could be a school challenge too,鈥� added Knight.聽
In the future, the equipment inventory can soar, since there are several pieces that can be anchored down that lend themselves to body resistance exercises. They are all non-electrical such as A-frames for rope climbing, adult monkey bars, climbing walls, cargo netting for climbing, floating balance systems, ski walkers, balance beams with springs, ab spinners, fun riders, outdoor bikes, leg presses and with running trails right next door, the whole scenario should become quite attractive, Knight added.聽
鈥淭wo cities have this kind of workout park already, Saskatoon and Swift Current, and they are working well,鈥� said Knight.聽
The two women will also be approaching local service clubs to see if their idea can catch some attention for some seed funding.聽
鈥淲e want to catch the spirit in Estevan while it鈥檚 high following the Western Canada Cup and the Saskatchewan Summer Games,鈥� Knight added.
While the whole list of equipment can sound intimidating, Knight said the beauty of Fresh Air Fitness would be the fact that visitors can try it out, experiment with it, either alone or in groups, without any cost, for as long or as little time as they like.聽
鈥淛ust sit down and try it,鈥� said Knight with a shrug of the shoulders.聽
Rohatyn said original communication with Woodlawn Park staff indicated they would be agreeable to establishing a solid base for the equipment, even hauling in a bit of sand, if required. Then, 鈥渄epending on community support, we鈥檒l move accordingly. It will be a pay as we go project.鈥澛�
The two feel they are on the right track and their own track record indicates they aren鈥檛 quitters. Knight captured the senior women鈥檚 title in last year鈥檚 Queen City Marathon, cheered on by Rohatyn who had chosen to run a shorter course earlier that day.聽
鈥淲e are competitors, but not in the sense of feeling the need to win,鈥� said Knight, who stated she was truly shocked to learn she had won the title for the 60-and-over runners in Regina. The two women say their objective generally is to always run the course together and finish in tandem whether they are first and second or 33rd and 34th.
鈥淧eggy would have run the marathon that day, too, but we have discovered that if you are going to run a full marathon in September, you have to start training in March, at least,鈥� said Knight. Thus the two usually decide together what they are going to run and when they will run the more challenging courses, and hold those discussions during their frequent workouts they also share.聽
So don鈥檛 underestimate the power of team work, at least not when it comes to these two.聽
