URBANA — The sound of a pickleball hitting against paddles echoed through the gymnasium as players darted across the court. The players laughed and shouted as the ball flew over the net. At the new Health and Wellness Center in Urbana, the sport has drawn in people eager to use the facility’s recreational spaces since it opened to the public earlier this year, on Jan. 6.
The Urbana Park District facility was created to provide a welcoming and motivating environment to engage people in the community during their journey to improve their health and wellness.
“I like that it’s brand new and it’s clean. The people are great,” said Amy Schuele, a resident of St. Joseph who signed up on opening day and frequently visits to play pickleball. “There is lots of pickleball availability. Other places you have to wait a lot.”
Open seven days a week, the center features a variety of amenities, including a gymnasium with a walking track, a cardio and weight room, a group fitness room and a multi-use community room for events and workshops. Fitness classes, such as Zumba, cardio drumming and pilates, are offered daily.
Members are also welcome to attend open gym days to play basketball, pickleball or volleyball.
Schuele said she often encourages people to come and join the center to play pickleball, which she loves and has been playing for years.
“We started playing during the pandemic, and I like that it gets me off the couch, and I like to see all of the people. It is social and active, so it is everything that I need,” she said.
Poshek Fu, a recently retired professor from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, also visits the center often to play pickleball. He said he started coming because he wanted to try something new. Fu said people have been welcoming and helping him practice to improve his skills.
In addition to the gymnasium, Fu said he enjoys the center’s other amenities.
“My favorite thing here before playing is to warm up by walking and then cool down by walking again,” he said. “[The walking track] here is a big plus.”
Jameel Jones, the center’s outreach and wellness manager, said he is glad the facility is making an impact on people of all ages.
“I like to call it more of an intergenerational impact,” Jones said. “So we’re hitting seniors, older adults, kids in the afternoon, families for certain programming. We’re kind of wraparound services for any and everyone that wants to come and be a part of this situation.”
Jones said the classes and equipment offered at the center were determined by public feedback.
“The staff and the leadership team that had been working to get this facility built did a lot of public intake sessions, met with a lot of stakeholders [and] potential donors,” Jones said. “[They] did their due diligence on collecting information, suggestions, thoughts and comments from the community as they were able to design the facility.”
Jones said staff also collected feedback from community members during events hosted by the Urbana Park District. He said interacting with the community in person helped the leadership team educate people on the goals and purpose of the center, too.
To access and use the facility, people need to purchase yearly memberships or daily passes.
But Jones said a $150,000 partnership between the OSF Healthcare Heart of Mary Medical Center and the Urbana Park District helps provide free memberships for people over the next five years.
“At $30,000 per year, we’re able to provide scholarships for individuals who may not be able to afford the membership price or who may have to make some tough decisions on can I afford that or not,” he said. “It’s created a barrier-free access for those who really need and want to attend this facility.”
Since the center opened, it has acquired over 1,000 members and 120 scholarships have been awarded. Jones said people are encouraged to call the center to determine if they are eligible for financial assistance.
The district will keep listening to public feedback to ensure the facility is up to the community’s standard, Jones said.
“The most rewarding thing for me is to see that people — they want to be here. They love coming here. They are very friendly. They converse with the staff,” he said. “They let us know what they’d like to see and we try to make that come to fruition for them.”