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Rock climbing gym will anchor Alex Park development
Rock climbing gym will anchor Alex Park development
Listen to this articleCentral Rock Gym, a rock-climbing fitness company with nine locations in New England and New York, plans to open another gym at Rochester’s Alex Park.
CRG, based in Worcester, Mass., plans to open its 20,000-square-foot gym in the fall and will sell memberships starting this summer.
The gym will feature 45-foot climbing walls for adults, a dedicated climbing area for children, workout machines, weight lifting, fitness classes and yoga.
The gym will be an anchor tenant at Buckingham Properties’ new development on Alexander Street between Park and Monroe avenues.
“Central Rock Gym is going to be a social, physical centerpiece for the community of downtown Rochester,” said Ed Hardy, one of the brothers who founded and co-owns the growing chain of climbing gyms. Other locations, including a new one in Syracuse, have seen groups of young professionals coming on weeknights and families on weekends.
Unlike some other forms of fitness routine, climbing requires a longer time to plan and tackle routes, and some forms require cooperation with other climbers.
“It’s a super-social sport,” Hardy said. “You have to get your body to do something difficult. Climbers share information to help friends get up the wall.”
Hardy said the gym will also host team competitions, looking forward to the 2020 Olympics when rock climbing is included as a competitive sport. “The climbing teams create a way for kids to get really good at the sport,” Hardy said.
The Rochester gym will be part of an expansion of the chain into Upstate New York and Manhattan. By year’s end, Hardy said, CRG plans to have 13 or 14 gyms. For more information about the company, founded in 2008, visit www.centralrockgym.com. Information about the Rochester gym will be added soon, Hardy said.
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