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Q: So your group of friends founded the Alberta Urban Athletics Association to move the idea forward?

A: Absolutely. We got ourselves organized and sold memberships to raise a little bit of money. We have about 100 members, all from different groups around the city. The more we’ve (pushed the idea forward), we’ve realized there are more needs and wants there. There are people that want bike racks, people that want a water fountain. The site was never intended to be a workout site, but it has become that way. And as a result, it’s put a lot of strain on the site.

Q: In Calgary, there’s already outdoor fitness equipment (also called adult playgrounds) in 13 city parks. How is this different than what already exists?

A: In North America, people have tried to take gym equipment and put it outside. There are moving parts. What we’re proposing (consists of) all non-moving parts. Some people call it a bar park. It’s different calisthenics — pull-ups, and pushups, and sit-up planks and that sort of thing, where it’s all body weight, basically. It gives you a lot more flexibility in the sense you can have one piece of equipment you do multiple exercises on, versus putting an outdoor StairMaster in a park.

Calgary Herald

Q: The current space is quite popular at all hours of the day. Tell me about what goes on there.

A: People do situps on the concrete and hang under the stairs doing pull ups and use the concrete barriers against the sidewalk to do dips. You see people that will attach battle ropes to sign posts down there. We’re trying to put the type of equipment that people want and need in there, so it takes people away from being out in people’s way as they’re trying to use that area for transportation.