Free fitness program at Longway Park

The Eagle Trail, a fitness walk, is a 15- to 30-minute exercise workout at the Robert T. Longway Park on Dexter Street. The circle trail is part of the Longway Potter Park School site. Hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The trail begins with instructions cautioning users to check with a doctor before starting the regime and recommending users pace themselves on the trail.

A set of 10 wooden signs guide participants through a set of exercise routines. They choose their intensity level — infrequent or frequent — that determines the vigor for each exercise routine. Infrequent users walk to the next sign post while frequent users jog.

Starting out with toe touches, participants continue with knee lifts at sign post two, then jumping jacks and hop-kicks. At each subsequent station the exercise routine steps up in intensity.

At station five, exercise equipment is introduced beginning with a set of parallel bars. Sit-ups on wooden frames, pull-up bars, jump beams and push-up bars at the remaining stations are made of sturdy wood and metal. Cool down exercises complete the routine.

The trail was developed in 2007 as an Eagle Scout project by Vernon Coleman, a former student at Potter School.

"I wanted to give back something to the school I attended," Coleman said.

Coleman, now a student at Mott Community College, said the park previously had a fitness trail, but it deteriorated.

"I wanted to develop something that would last," he said.

Coleman said it took two months to construct the site after doing his research.

"I took some examples from the Davison Regional Park District's fitness trail," Coleman said. "My family helped me with the project and I got financial support from local businesses and the Odd Fellows of Davison," he said.

Coleman is still giving back to the community. He is a member of the Odd Fellows of Davison — a worldwide fraternal organization whose mission is to make the world a better place.

The city of Flint, RPF Oil, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Davison, Golfing for Love, Grandma's Recipes, Colberg's Radiator, Vern's Collision and the families of Dave West, Jack Mann and Robin Foreman supported the Eagle Trail.

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