MISSION — One less excuse to not get in shape opened up here Wednesday morning.
Located at Hollis Rutledge Sr. Park, Mission city officials welcomed a National Fitness Campaign Fitness Court Wednesday morning which was constructed in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.
The Fitness Court is meant to provide “high-quality” workouts and help make exercise more accessible to residents.
“As we all know, in the past several years, COVID-19 has reminded us how important our health is,” said City Manager Randy Perez. “This fitness court will provide a free inclusive and accessible opportunity for residents to prioritize their health.”
The $150,000-Fitness Court was funded by grant and local funds, according to Perez, of which the city paid about half. They also received a grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield.
Mission’s Fitness Court is the first of 20 throughout the state that the health insurance company will help fund.
“We have sophisticated, state of the art, stainless-steel, artistic looking chinning bars that make you work a lot harder, twisted parallel bars, and a condensed version of an incline sit-up station,” said Brad Bentsen, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation.
He said the facility was designed for individuals 14 years old or older, of all fitness levels and abilities, and has three degrees of exercise — beginner, intermediate, and advanced.
“This is a reassurance that you guys are on our side to create a better healthier community,” Bentsen said, “and to allow us to use this park to remove this city, the city of Mission, off the South Texas border town metroplex of McAllen, Mission, and Edinburg as one of the most obese cities in the U.S.”
