Here in the DMV (District-Maryland-Virginia for those not in the know) it’s interesting to see the effect of the increasing escalation of the “shelter in place” mandate, in terms of how people seek relief from all that time cooped up. In the last two weeks, even the handful of businesses that could continue operating under some semblance of normalcy have faced the jurisdiction-wide lockdown rules. Since people can’t consume calories at restaurants, they’ve opted instead for burning them (the calories, not the restaurants). It’s a condition I’ve noticed here in this region, and others have reported the same to me from elsewhere in the country: amidst social distancing guidelines, more and more people are taking advantage of public parks, particularly the wide-open or linear ones, largely so they can engage in some physical activity, typically a type that doesn’t end with the syllable “-ball”.
What does this mean from a visual standpoint? Considerably higher numbers of people are out walking, running, or cycling along sidewalks, cycle tracks, bike lanes, or mixed-use paths and greenways, particularly in those neighborhoods and areas with higher concentrations of residences and comparatively fewer employment nodes. In our downtowns, with few exceptions, tumbleweeds bounce along formerly glutted arterials. But the neighborhoods nearby are teeming with people, mostly in groups of four or smaller, sometimes headed to a destination, often sunbathing in the park (we’ve had an unusually high number of fine, cloudless spring days here in metro DC), but just as likely engaged in some form of aerobic fitness.
Given that most competitive sports involve some form of physical proximity, it should come as no surprise that “teamless” activities have become so popular out of necessity. In addition, companies that manufacture home fitness equipment—whether treadmills, free weights, resistance bands, or anything in between—have enjoyed a spike in demand, no doubt prompted through the almost universal closure of gyms and health clubs. Some pundits have pontificated on whether Americans will emerge from this pandemic with vastly superior fitness: thinner, leaner, lower blood pressure, less easily winded. I’m not sanguine. While I’m sure this crisis has impelled a small new contingent to capitalize on long-neglected New Years resolutions, I think in general we’re merely witnessing the diversion of fitness-minded people from old activities deemed unsafe (soccer, basketball, weight training in gyms, aerobics classes) to those deemed appropriately socially distant (running, cycling, yoga, calisthenics).
And necessity proves the mother of invention at no more of an uncanny place than Nationals Park, in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood. In a normal year, at around 6 pm in early April, the stadium would be glutted with grounds preparing for one of the first games at the start of the Major League Baseball season. These days, the ballpark is more or less deserted… …except for the flights of stairs.
The fit constituents are concluding each day, immured through remote work, by supplementing their runs with strength and stability training. Lunges, stretches, burpees, perhaps some resistance bands. And a big, wide staircase gives them a high-intensity setting to diversify the aerobic activity, all while maintaining the appropriate levels of distancing. Or, at least, distancing for the most part.Many of the exercisers train in pairs, so at certain points, this stairwell at Nationals Park gets almost crowded. Fortunately there are plenty of others ringing the stadium’s perimeter, if that becomes a problem.
Given the pandemic conditions, however, this is the most used feature to the entire ballpark. Get to the top of one of these flights of stairs, leading to the entry gate, and this is what one encounters:
The creeping evidence of the lack of groundskeeping. In a normal baseball season, the management would have either taken care of these weeds or the crowds would have trod them out of existence. Not this year. Already significantly postponed, at this point the odds of even holding a real MLB season are about 50/50, which still leaves baseball fans in better spirits than, say, aficionados of college basketball, who had to kiss all of the NCAA tournament (March Madness) goodbye nearly a month ago.
Given the public’s newfound propensity for group chats (via the now ubiquitous Zoom application, among others) and virtual competitions, it’s hard not to wonder if this will spur new life in running-related sports, which were facing a gradual decline after having achieved “peak marathon” earlier in the previous decade, perhaps due in part to an ever-growing array of running related alternatives: ultramarathons, relays, trail runs, and the brand-heavy race-cum-obstacle-course events (Tough Mudder, Spartan Run, Warrior Dash). As is characteristic of many other forms of recreation, fitness trends go through vicissitudes, since people tire quickly of doing the same thing over and over. The comparatively cheap Cross-Fit fad has no doubt receded from its peak popularity in the early 2010s, these days supplanted by the much spendier interval training workshops, most visibly characterized by the ubiquitous (for now) Orange Theory.
But in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, every one of the aforementioned competitions and members-only fitness venues suffer the reputation of crucibles for contamination, so they’ve closed down entirely. This means an entire season without such time-honored traditions as the Boston Marathon, which, elite thought it may be, still involves a far greater number of actual participants than an NCAA tournament. With so many formal events canceled, all that’s left is for us to do is to get creative.In some respects, the horrors taking place at some of our nation’s hospitals should supersede these day-to-day inconveniences. I mean, aren’t we arguing from a point of privilege if our biggest frustration is not having easy opportunities for working out?
In defense, for those of us neither suffering or treating coronavirus, it’s in our best interest to remain active participants in the enfeebled economy—practically a civil duty—either by earning our living or perhaps spending a little bit more money at those businesses most overtly affected by the lockdown. And remaining an active participant in the work force requires at least a pantomime of normalcy. Sure, we might not usually pursue fitness in such a crude, rudimentary fashion as the steps to a normally active baseball stadium like Nationals Park, but at least there’s a nice riverfront view once you get to the top.Would I have noticed this if I had been in line at the ballpark’s entry gate on an early spring evening? Course not. But, much like the inconveniences in Afghanistan, we develop situational awareness when maneuvering through life amidst an aggressive, invading, colonizing force. Which are three perfect adjectives to describe that noxious little protein molecule called COVID-19.
12 thoughts on “Lunges in the time of corona: finding fitness through alternative use of a baseball stadium.”
Enjoyed reading this, Eric! I’ve been waiting for a “love in the time of COVID” or similar allusion!!
Thanks! GREAT to hear from you Betsy!
Yeah jury still out on whether I come out of this 10 pounds more muscular or10 pounds fatter 😉
I have no doubt there’ll be some juicy studies performed after all’s said and done. As well as some new exercise fads that emerge from this.
Crisis = opportunity (in Mandarin Chinese!)
This Nationals stadium makes a fabulous setting for a workout, not least of which is the view at the top.
On a rare drive in my suburban area, I passed a high school football stadium that not only had tons of stairs, but had a track as well. Sadly, the entire stadium had locked gates at every entrance. I thought what a spacious workout location; I also remember in the not-too-distant past, this stadium was open to the public most of the time. The locked gates may be part of the whole “lockdown “ closure. Nevertheless, it seemed an unnecessary closure of a public space that would have been a great spot for lunges. BTW, I love the title of this particular blog entry.
Yeah, the view is pretty great! And if the ballpark would be active, most people wouldn’t notice it because they’d be facing the other direction, waiting to get in. And, by the time they leave (at least during most weekday games) it would be too dark to get that view as they’re walking down the stairs.
As for the stadium you were talking about, I can’t help but wonder if the lockdown is partly due to spatial distancing and partly simply because they can; it’s easy because the whole thing is already fenced in. It probably doesn’t get much use for random workouts during normal situations, but it might get crowded in these weird times when people are desperate, and maybe there’s a liability concern? Just a guess…
Or it’s the bureaucratic tendency of school systems: the governor has closed the schools, so school property is locked up tight. Period. End of story.
Probably is as simple as that. If it’s a relatively contained athletic campus, surrounded by a chain-link fence and 2-3 swinging gates, it’s as simple as slapping on those padlocks.
If it’s somewhat more ope–but still within a tight block that lacks a fully enclosed fence but only has a few clear points of ingress–it may be easier to haul some of those metal barricades that look like old-school bike racks. Not too hard to surmount, but a clear indicator that doing so would constitute trespassing.
If it’s large, completely wide open, and generally accessible to the public, it may be cost prohibitive to schlep out all those barricades (or there simply aren’t enough of them available). An alternative may be what I saw at a large, popular urban park of approximately 8-10 acres in my neighborhood this past weekend: local police and National Guard perched at key corners and midpoints, monitoring and controlling whether people can gain access to the space. I’m not a big fan of this approach: not only does it suggest an inefficient use of law enforcement resources/expenses, but it means less surveillance of underutilized storefronts and homes so that LEOs can instead devote that time and energy to fining prospective sunbathers. Glad to see they have their priorities straight. Makes me wonder how much longer before they block off these stairwells at the Nationals Ballpark.
The grade school a mile up the road from our house has orange plastic “safety fencing” around all the playground equipment.
It was pretty well trampled when I went by this morning. The sheriff apparently isn’t enforcing the “closed playgrounds” order.
^^^
This is a callback to the Chin/Southport Christian/Tapestry post (https://dirtamericana.com/2019/12/southport-christian-shrinks-chin-church/). Same school.
If you’re referring the school adjacent to the Chin Christian Church, I’d presume that is William Henry Burkhart Elementary, which I attended for three years. Small world.
I was referring to the school where Tapestry Church was meeting until the shutdown