Stratford Urban Gym aims to strengthen physical, mental health

The kids aren’t “alright.”

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And Bruce Whitaker wants to change that.

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Whitaker, a community leader and school board trustee who led the efforts to build a downtown skate park in Stratford in 2016, is now pushing to add an outdoor gym to the green space at the intersection of Downie and Shakespeare streets.

“Our kids are not good,” he said. “What we see now are adolescents on social media more each day. That time they’re on social media used to be spent on sleep, exercise, homework, interpersonal relationships and other activities, so our kids are feeling the effects of it.”

There’s a crisis of loneliness and isolation among youth, more more online bullying and school violence than in years past, Whitaker said. The pandemic made things worse, he added, with gathering restrictions pushing people apart.

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“We have an incredible problem,” he said. “Youth see the future and they see climate change, international conflict, racism, violence. They see they can’t buy a house. They don’t see any effective solutions.”

There’s a community responsibility to give youth a choice, Whitaker added.

“Give them another reason to be outside and do activities. We need to be there for them to respond to their needs.”

The Stratford Urban Gym is that solution. It would be the sixth stage of the All-Wheels Skate Park at Shakespeare Park and feature a versatile calisthenics rack equipped with parallel bars, pull-up bars, monkey bars and more. There will also be three separate stations — a long bench, incline bench and dips.

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Calisthenics are a form of strength training that uses an individual’s body weight as resistance to perform multi-joint, compound movements with little or no equipment. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats and burpees are a few examples of these exercises.

“There’s a growing trajectory of people getting involved with calisthenics because they see the benefits of controlling their body weight with precision,” Whitaker said.

Key to the build will be an environmentally friendly rubberized surface, which will make the space much more accessible for everyone, including wheelchair users. The softer and more durable surface will also offer enhanced protection should users slip and fall from the rack.

“I think this is our opportunity as a community to come together for better health in nature,” Whitaker said. “That’s my end goal.”

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The skate park has proven to be a “smashing success with huge participation rates,” Whitaker said, but there were many times in which parents would watch their kids use the park while having nothing to do themselves.

“The rack is intended to engage youth but also be inclusive of adults,” he said. “Can you imagine a family? Now they have something to do together.

“The whole idea is that it really addresses mental and physical health.”

The gym, which could be built by September, comes with a price tag of $125,000. Tuesday was the fundraising launch, though $53,000 has already been raised through corporate donors like the Stratford Kinsmen Club, which handed over a $20,000 check on Tuesday.

“We believe the community’s greatest needs are our greatest concerns,” Stratford Kinsmen Club president Tom Parent said. “We really think this is a greatest need kind of thing for the community. It promotes togetherness and good spirit and good mental health, and we just liked the idea.”

For more information about the gym or to donate, visit stratfordgym.com. All donations of $20 and over will receive charitable tax receipts courtesy of the Kiwanis Club of Stratford Charitable Foundation.

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