Hanford fitness court opens, offers flexible hours, 7-minute full-body workout

Makenzie Rankin, The Hanford Sentinel, Calif.
·2 min read

May 23—Hanford Mayor Kalish Morrow, dressed in workout clothes, took a turn on the rings Saturday morning during the grand opening of the recently completed fitness court at Hidden Valley Park.

"This fitness court is free to use and made for all fitness levels. I am looking forward to seeing a healthier Hanford," Morrow told the gathering of about 50 people.

Built with a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign and matching city funds, the fitness court was developed by the City of Hanford Parks and Community Services Department and offers a full body circuit training center comprised of seven movement zones. Each zone offers hundreds of exercises and trains different parts of the body.

A full-body workout can be completed in seven minutes, and in tandem with using the equipment, which includes stations for core work, squats, pushups and agility, a free app can be downloaded to act as a "coach in your pocket," providing an immersive and guided fitness experience. You can download the Fitness Court app, which was developed by the National Fitness Campaign, in your app store for both Android and Apple users.

The state-of-the-art equipment can be used by beginners to fitness experts, and the court is open during normal park hours, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., making it suitable for most lifestyles and schedules, officials said.

"This project has been a long time coming and I am so glad to see it finally here. I can't wait to see how the community uses it and how it will improve the quality of life for the people of Hanford," said Brad Albert, Hanford parks and community services director.

Under sunny skies Saturday, Police Chief Parker Sever and Fire Chief Steve Pendergrass came out to show their support for, and commitment to a healthy Hanford as representatives of the city's emergency services.

Clayton Smith, Kings County field representative for Congressman David Valadao's office, presented the assembled members of the City Council with a proclamation to recognize Hanford's continuous search for ways to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

The council members in attendance were Francisco Ramirez, Amanda Saltray, Vice Mayor Diane Sharp and Morrow.

Saltray was helping to promote Hooked on Nutrition, a local Hanford business.

"I want to help promote local businesses and Hooked on Nutrition is a great one to talk about. They came out here on their own time to support the fitness pad and healthy living," said Saltray.

Hooked on Nutrition provides a multitude of healthy drinks and snacks at their location in the Fargo Crossing Shopping Center.

After the ribbon was cut, the public was invited to try the court with background music provided by a disc jockey. Pendergrass helped his daughter work through various beginner exercises while Sever and his son completed box jumps, lunges and pull-ups.