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Fitness Trail Opens at Lake Pennesseewassee Park

December 04, 2007 - NORWAY - Lake Pennesseewassee Park, which has a playground for children and another one for young children, now has a playground for adults. It's a fitness trail, a third of a mile long, that circles through the woods and has eight pieces of exercise equipment spaced along it.

The initial layout and clearing for the trail was done years ago as an Eagle Scout project by Magna Melheus of Norway. Funds had not been available to install fitness stations until this fall when the New Balance Foundation provided a grant to the town.

Last year, the New Balance Foundation gave money for the two children's playgrounds in the park. The newly-added elements were manufactured by ME O'Brien & Sons, of Massachusetts, the same company that made the equipment for the playgrounds. The ground surfacing and fitness structures were assembled and installed by employees from the New Balance Factory in Norway; Mike Thompson, of Double T Fence in Oxford; Joel St Pierre, a consultant with Landscape Structures in Minnesota and Deb Partridge, Norway Parks and Recreation Director.

Lake Pennesseewassee Park is located beside Norway Lake [also known as Lake Pennesseewassee] just off of Route 117. The park is open to all regardless of residence, and includes, in addition to the two playgrounds and the fitness trail, two beaches, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a boat landing, and picnic tables and benches.

The entrance to the fitness trail can be found at the far end of the parking lot. Near the entrance is a bench, in case you need to sit and tie your shoes or wait for someone who's using the trail. Not far from the bench are three signs that explain warm-up procedures and proper use of the equipment. The trail has a ground bark surface and may be leisurely walked, powerwalked, or even run.

A third of a mile may not sound like much, but considering that the track at the Don Gouin Athletic Complex is only a quarter of a mile, it's easy to see that this new facility can provide a challenge for people of any fitness level. At some of the exercise stations, the equipment is simple to figure out. A chin up bar is obviously a chin up bar, and a situp bench is a situp bench.

A few pieces of equipment, however, may leave first-time users wondering, "What do I do here?" For example, there is a pole surrounded by three mushroom-like stools. The purpose of these is to stretch by putting a foot on one of the stools while holding onto the pole to steady yourself. For the more ambitious, the stools may be used for step-up/step-down exercises, again, holding onto the pole for balance.

Another mystery station is an upright metal pole with a half-oval piece of pipe affixed to it. The idea is to stand with your back to the pole, reach over your head and grasp the piece of pipe as a handhold, then raise your lower body, either with the knees bent or straight, depending on your fitness level.

All the apparatus is sturdily build and has been firmly planted into concrete footers below the ground, so even football defensive linemen should be able to use it without fear of it giving way. Those less athletically inclined can use the stations gently, even skipping certain ones or modifying their use. It's always wise to consult a physician before beginning a new exercise program.

Last week, after the concrete footers had set and earth was being backfilled to cover them, the equipment was already in use. Two young men, who looked to be in their early twenties, were using the chin-up bar. "This is awesome," one of them said as he pulled himself up for the third time. "Awesome," the other agreed.

SOURCE: ADVERTISER-DEMOCRAT

DATE: 11-22-2007


Lakes: Pennesseewassee Lake
Regions: Sebago


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