Yoga And Zumba Classes Return To Roosevelt Island Sportspark Facility, $5 Per Class, Also, Sportspark Pool Open Swim Hours 7 Days A Week

According to the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC):

  Sportspark Image From Google Maps

Yoga and Zumba are back at Sportspark!

Each class is $5 per session. Register at http://rioc.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/ProgramRegistration/tabid/3741/Default.aspx

Schedule:

Zumba:

Mondays: 6:30 – 7:30 PM with Flora

Thursdays: 7:00 – 8:00 PM with Flora

Saturdays: 10:00 – 11:00 AM with Aprilyn


Yoga:

Mondays: 6:30 – 7:30 PM with Edita

Thursdays: 6:30 – 7:30 PM with Ying

Saturdays: 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM with Ying

  Image Of Sportspark Pool From RIOC

Also:

Sportspark is open!

The operating hours of Sportspark are Monday-Friday 7 AM – 10 PM, Saturday and Sunday 8 AM – 7 PM.

Open Swim pool hours:
Monday-Friday: 7 – 11 AM and 7:30 – 10 PM. Saturday and Sunday 12 – 3 PM, All Ages and 4 – 7 PM, 18 years and older.

Sportspark Calendar here.

Adult Open Gym, Soccer & Basketball Weekday Nights 7:30 - 10 PM Hosted By Roosevelt Island Youth Program - Yoga & Volleyball Too, Zumba Next Week

The Roosevelt Island Youth Program is currently hosting open adult gym evening activities Monday to Friday from 7:30 - 10 PM at PS/IS 217 (645 Main Street) for men and women featuring Wednesday Soccer

Monday, Tuesday & Thursday basketball,

Friday volleyball

and Thursday yoga.

Next week, on Tuesday's and Friday's, Zumba is included as well.

Check it out.

Fight Back With Fitness Event Presented By American Cancer Society's Relay For Life Of Roosevelt Island and RI Youth Program Saturday January 24

The American Cancer Society's (ACS) Relay For Life Of Roosevelt Island in partnership with the Roosevelt Island Youth Program invites you to a Fight Back With Fitness program Saturday, January 24 from 5- 7 PM at the PS/Is 217 Gym.

Image From Relay For Life Of Roosevelt Island

The Relay For Life Of Roosevelt Island adds:

Volunteers Wanted!

Last April, over 100 members of the Roosevelt Island community came together at Relay For Life to raised over $27,000 for the American Cancer Society. We are proud of what we accomplished, but we need your help to accomplish even more!

We are in search of volunteers to join our Event Leadership Team. The Event Leadership Team is responsible for planning and executing a fun, successful, and meaningful Relay For Life event. The only requirement for joining the committee is that you are passionate about the fight against cancer!

If you'd like to get involved, please contact American Cancer Society Staff Partner Alex Schoeneck by email: alex.schoeneck@cancer.org or phone: 212.237.3886.

Together, we can finish the fight!

Here more on the ACS Relay For Life



and some scenes from the 2013 Roosevelt Island Relay For Life.



More information on the ACS Relay For Life Of Roosevelt Island available at their web site and Facebook page.

Report From RIOC President Charlene Indelicato - Roosevelt Island Red Bus Fare Eliminated April 1, Temporary Sportspark Closure, West Pier Repaired Soon, Octagon Tennis Court Resurfacing & More

 Image Of Roosevelt Island West Pier Reconstruction

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President Charlene Indelicato sends the following report to the community.

Spring has arrived on Roosevelt Island after a particularly severe New York Winter. With the warmer weather’s return, several construction projects are moving forward and our staff has begun preparing the parks and fields for spring. The fare on the Red Bus will soon be eliminated, smoothing out Main Street traffic and making traveling on the Bus simpler as we begin the season. Down at Sportspark, the final installation of the facility’s temporary heating system is taking place – more information is below.

Red Bus Fare Elimination

As March comes to an end, RIOC would like to remind the community that the Red Bus will be free to ride beginning April 1. The elimination of the fare will help keep traffic on Main Street moving with faster boarding times, encouraging the use of mass transit on the Island. Making the Red Bus free to ride will also reduce operating costs by eliminating the need to collect fares from the buses. If you have a fare change card, please be advised that March is the last month these cards will be accepted on the bus. Once the fare is eliminated, refunds for any unused value remaining on the cards will be available at the RIOC Bus Garage (680 Main Street) until April 30, 2014.

Temporary Sportspark Closure

For many years, Roosevelt Island’s Steam Plant has supplied steam to Goldwater Hospital, the Sportspark facility, and several additional RIOC properties. Due to the closure of Goldwater Hospital, the City’s Health and Hospitals Corporation intends to close the Steam Plant permanently. In preparation for the potential closure of the Plant, RIOC is currently in the process of installing a temporary heating system at Sportspark.

This Monday and Tuesday, March 24−25, the Sportspark pool and gymnasium will be closed in order to finalize the installation of the temporary system. During this two-day closure, contractors will be installing the boiler and performing the required tie-ins to the existing system. We regret the inconvenience to the community during this time and thank you for your patience as this necessary work is completed. Please note that this will be the only closure of the facility during this installation process. Sportspark will re-open on Wednesday, March 26 at 6 a.m.

Construction Projects

Work is moving forward quickly on the West Pier. The lumber required for the repairs was delivered in the beginning of March and the installation of the decking is expected to be completed shortly. Damaged wiring has been replaced and work on the railings is in progress. Repairs are scheduled to be completed by March 31. We are pleased to be able to restore the Pier for the community’s enjoyment.

This Spring, the Octagon Tennis Courts will be undergoing resurfacing to repair and improve the playing surface. The Tennis Courts are currently open for free play and will be closed when construction begins in the first week of April. The closure is anticipated to last for approximately two months. New 2014 permits will be issued once work is completed. We will continue to notify the community of any changes or developments.

Parks & Fields

RIOC’s Grounds, Facilities and Maintenance staff are hard at work preparing the Island for Spring. New clay and grass seed is being applied to the athletic fields to ensure an optimal playing surface when the season starts on April 1. The Octagon Soccer Field will also be re-striped. The parks and fields are undergoing a general cleanup – grassy areas are being reseeded, plant beds will be fertilized, irrigation systems will be tested and inspected, and any debris left over from the Winter will be removed.

Sportspark Classes

During the Winter, many residents kept warm and stayed active with fitness and swimming classes at Sportspark. Yoga, Zumba, and Mommy & Me classes, along with free basketball and ping pong play, are a fun way to keep in shape all year round. Visit our Parks & Recreation website at  rioc.recdesk.com to see a list of available programs and a class calendar. If you would like to see more programming, different classes, or if you have any questions about what is offered at the gym or pool, we welcome your feedback. You may contact us at  eddie.perez@rioc.ny.gov.

In addition to offering instructed classes, the Sportspark Pool is open daily for two Open Swim sessions, one in the morning and one in the evening. You can drop in to any session (resident drop-in rates are $5), and Pool Memberships are available for those who would like to make swimming a part of their weekly routine. Swimming is a great low-impact exercise that improves strength and flexibility while being easy on joints. Both Individual and Family Memberships are available. For more information on rates and the Open Swim schedule, you can visit  rioc.recdesk.com, email  eddie.perez@rioc.ny.gov, or call Sportspark at 212-832-4569.

Yoga For Adults Starting Tonight At the Roosevelt Island Youth Program/Beacon - Free Zumba, Dance, Basketball, Math/English Prep Classes & More Too

From the Roosevelt Island Youth Program:

We are happy to announce the Beacon will be offering the  following:

Yoga  for Adults will start Sept. 26th and will be Thursdays from 7:30-8:30 at PS/IS 217-- Free

Dance/Zumba/Cardio for Adults  will start Sept 30th  and will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30pm-7:30pm at PS/IS 217-- Free

Adult Basketball (Age 18 and up) will start Sept 30th and will be Mondays-Thursdays 8-10pm at PS/IS 217 --  Free

SHSAT Prep ( 8th Graders) -- Starting Sept 23rd  Mon and Wed Math Prep and Tues and Thurs ELA Prep 3pm - 4pm at PS/IS 217 -- Free

After School programming ( Ages 6-13)  is from 2:45pm-6pm at PS/IS 217 -- Free

Mayor Bloomberg Says Take The Stairs For Your Heath - 88 Year Old Roosevelt Island Resident Ethel Romm Agrees, She Climbs 20 Flights Of Stairs Daily

When presented with the choice, do you climb the stairs or take the elevator/escalator?

Image From NY Times

Gothamist reported last Thursday:

Mayor Bloomberg has taken his mission to whip New Yorkers into shape to a new level, literally. At a press conference yesterday, Bloomberg announced his newest anti-obesity effort, which involves a series of initiatives designed to encourage New Yorkers to just take the damn stairs already. The Mayor himself told reporters that he leads by example, explaining, "I have five floors in my house, and I just take the stairs."...

Click here for the entire Gothamist article.



According to this Press Release from Mayor Bloomberg's office:

...“New York City has been a leader when it comes to promoting healthier eating and now we’re leading when it comes to encouraging physical activity as well,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “Physical activity and healthy eating are the two most important factors in reducing obesity and these steps are part of our ongoing commitment to fighting this epidemic.”...

... “We know that regular stair use increases physical activity and active stairways are one of many ways we are creating a healthy environment,” said Deputy Mayor Gibbs. “As a result of these initiatives, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers may now take the stairs, saving the equivalent of 500,000 pounds of weight among adult New Yorkers annually.”...

88 Year Old Roosevelt Island resident Ethel Romm can attest to the benefits of walking the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Ms. Romm explained during the June 26 meeting of the Roosevelt Island Women's Health Organization (RIWHO) that she climbs 20 flights of stairs daily. Ms. Romm told the RIWHO members that after a little while of climbing the stairs of her apartment building:

amazing things start to happen

to her health.

Listen to Ms. Romm:



Perhaps Ms. Romm should be the spokesperson for Mayor Bloomberg's stair walking initiative.

Some folks over at Fox News did not appreciate Mayor Bloomberg's stair walking proposal.



More on stair climbing for exercise from NY Times.

After Ms. Romm's talk about the benefits of stair climbing, the RIWHO members got into the exercise spirit



with some Zumba.

I'm going to rest for a while.

Roosevelt Island Zumbathon For Hurricane Sandy Relief With April Tonight Starting 6:30 PM At PS/IS 217 - Workout For A Good Cause

Image From Roosevelt Island Zumbathon For Hurricane Sandy

Are you in the mood for a Zumbathon workout tonight for a good cause - Hurricane Sandy relief. If so, here's a message I received from Aprilyn Goyzueta:

We are doing a fundraiser this Saturday

PS/MS 217 645 Main Street, New York, NY

This is going to be an amazing Zumbathon(r) at PS/MS 217, 645 Main Street on Roosevelt Island. Suggested donation is $20 at the door and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to help the relief efforts.

FINAL Instructor list: Aprilyn Goyzueta, Cody Mui, JoZee Merkersi, Maggie Marino, Fiona Anguesomo Nzamio, Nando Boogie Zee and Cryss Zumba!! Let's do this BIG!!

Anyone looking to make a donation (businesses looking to raffle off baskets, etc) should contact Aprilyn Goyzueta asap at zumbaaprilyn@gmail.com

The Zumbathon is from 6:30 to 8 PM tonight. More information here.