ThePerfect Getaway

Memorial stone for Tommy Johnston Park.

2.

Have you ever felt like exercising or enjoying some fresh air outside on a beautiful day? Exercise is an important part of every college students life. After hours of studying, students need to relieve some stress byexercising daily or even take a break and get some fresh air. TommyJohnston park is the perfect place to do both of these things. Many people do not know about this convenient park located right at the intersection of Wood St. and Chauncey. The following pages will describe the manyactivities that this park offers.activities that this park offers.

View of the park from the Wood St. sidewalk.

3.

The park features a playground specialized for fitness, a basketball court, and a shelter area. This picture demonstrates the view of the whole park from the sidewalk off of Wood St. The park is located in a pleasant area only a few blocks from campus. It is far enough to get away from classes for a while and it is a perfectly walkable distance. During Fall and the arrival of warm weather in Spring, Tommy Johnston Park is full of lively students eager to enjoy the fresh air.

The shelter area at Tommy Johnston Park.

4.

The shelter area is perfect for anyone that wants to sit in the shade and hang out with friends. Picnics and grilling out are popular activities that take place in this area. Several clubs and organizations come here to eat and hold informal meetings to get away from the boring four walls they normally gather in. Even if a student thinks he/she doesn’t have time to get away from studying and enjoy the weather, the shelter area offers a pleasant substitute to a library or desk.

Instructional diagrams hanging on the fence of the park.

5.

For each exercise station on the playground, there is a corresponding instructional diagram hanging on the fence nearby. There are approximate-ly ten different exercise stations. These diagrams educate exercisers on how to properly use each station and tips for the best results. They even have other helpful tips such as how to calculate one’s pulse rate and what the recommended pulse rate is for various ages. The captions feature tips for novices or advanced exercisers. These diagrams are helpful to bothbeginners and regulars.

Lower view of the hand ladders.

6.

As children we called them monkey bars; as adults we call them hand ladders. Some students look at these bars and believe they don’t belong near a college campus. They don’t realize that what once was childhood entertainment can now be used to build arm strength. The diagram that corresponds to the hand ladders describes the proper workout for the station. Whether one wants to relive his/her childhood memories or one station. Whether one wants to relive his/her childhood memories or one wishes to strengthen his/her arms, the hand ladders will serve both purposes.

Tire obstacle and climbing rope at the park.

7.

Everyone has seen a tire obstacle before whether it was in a football movie or in gym class. The task of quickly stepping in and out of each tire is actually more difficult than it looks. The purpose of the tire obstacle is to build coordination and agility. The climbing rope can also be as deceiving as the tires. Pulling one’s body weight with only one’s arms is very difficult. Having two ropes allows exercisers to race each other, thus combining a workout with competition and fun.

View of three chinning bars.

8.

The chinning bars are obviously wonderful for performing chin-ups. Exercisers can refer to the diagram to see the amount of chin-ups they should be shooting for at their experience level. The various heights of the bars doesn’t only serve to accommodate the height of the exerciser. For advanced exercisers, the bars can be used to swing from height to height almost like an advanced hand ladder. Many other exercises such as hanging leg pull-ups and abdominal exercises can also be performed with hanging leg pull-ups and abdominal exercises can also be performed with only these bars.

The new basketball court at the park.

The basketball court is the most recent major renovation to the park. Prior to the summer of 2011, the basketball area was enclosed by a fence and contained two small courts. During that summer, they removed the in-convenient fence and built one large court. The basketball court is by far the main area used at the park. Many students like to take breaks from their studies and shoot some hoops. There’s rarely a time of day that one couldn’t find a game to join.

9.

The basketball goal with playground behind.

10.

Whenever students need to get away from their studies, Tommy Johnston Park is the place to go. Whether one wants to exercise on the playground, play basketball, gather under the shelter, or perform any other outside activity, he/she can find what they need here. Come on out to Tommy Johnston Park today!