Looking for the fun of play and the health benefits of exercise? Jefferson City offers several ways to get hearts pumping and smiles spreading, whether it be mountain biking or horseshoe pitching. These are just some of the activities available to the public in the Capital City for free or a small fee. Just show up and get moving.
There are physical, mental and social benefits to group-oriented activities you don't find using treadmills or weight machines. The entertaining and competitive factors of games and other activities keep people motivated to stay active and physically improve for more reasons than a trimmer tummy. Minds are challenged by working with team members or strategizing against opponents, learning dances or navigating bike paths, and the friendships built help participants look forward to each workout.
Ultimate Frisbee
Jefferson City Ultimate, a group founded by high school friends, invites people of all ages and skill levels to a weekly Ultimate Frisbee game at the North Jefferson City Recreation Area to have fun, exercise and meet new people.
Members have reported losing weight without stressing over it because they are more concerned with becoming better players and competing with friends.
"I hate the gym," group organizer Justin Krantz said. "I'd much rather (play Ultimate Frisbee) every day than touch the gym for an hour."
Krantz said he has lost 80 pounds since he started playing three years ago. Adam Wilbers has lost even more.
"It's friendly competition," Wilbers said. "You end up wanting to try to just be better at the game."
The sport is a sort of mix of football and soccer, substituting a disc for a ball. Like soccer, play is continuous, so there is lots of running. Like football, points are earned by reaching an end zone, but the disc can only advance up the field through passes. A player holding the disc must remain stationary, so teamwork is a must.
Logan Nuernberger founded the group with his Jefferson City High School friends in 2006. He has since traveled to play Ultimate Frisbee in several other countries and said the game is growing internationally.
Krantz said most of the players are in their 20s, but anyone is welcome to come play. He hopes more women will want to join because often there are only a few playing.
Some members of the group also participate in pick-up football games.
For more information, visit the Jefferson City Ultimate Facebook page.
Zumba
The Zumba motto is "ditch the workout, join the party," and Capital Ritz participants said instructor Jennifer Su is great at getting a celebration started. The obstetrics/gynecology doctor takes health seriously, almost as much as having a good time.
"Dance is way more fun that any other kind of fitness. I've lost 20-30 pounds just doing Zumba," five-year Zumba participant Stefanie Payne said. "It motivates me way more than going to a gym. Jennifer is really motivating, and I made a lot of friends. You walk in and leave all your troubles and worries at the door."
Zumba is an exercise routine built upon international dances meant to resemble a DJ party. Participants move to different musical genres throughout the class. In just one set, Su's more than 25 students danced to Latin, hip-hop and country music as she led them from the front while exclaiming spirited encouragements.
"It's really for everybody to be able to move," Su said. "Not many of us dance, and a lot of us sit all day. Our job as instructors is to get people to move so they sweat a ton. We burn about 437 calories an hour."
Payne said since starting Zumba, she can walk farther, tolerate hotter weather, breathe better and her diabetes has improved, which was a major health concern. "(If it wasn't for Zumba) I'd be over 300 pounds and a total slob on the couch," she said.
The class is for everyone, regardless of age or gender. Even Su's 74-year-old aunt danced with her walker for support. Su hopes more men will take the class, because they usually don't have many.
Zumba participants pay a small fee before class. Capital Ritz also offers ballet, ballroom, Latin, swing, belly and line dancing classes, along with tai chi and other exercises.
Horseshoe pitching
There are skilled pitchers young and old in the Capital City Horseshoe Club who can offer friendly competition to experienced players and help beginners learn the ropes.
One of them is Steve Johnson, 2015 Men's Champion of the Missouri State Horseshoe Pitching Association. Club organizer Mel Bruemmer said Johnson is among the best in the world. He and other members help the next generation get there, too. Twelve-year-old Leon Wolken, of Osage Bend, has only played for about a year but has already won the state's cadet competition and hopes to follow Johnson as men's state champion.
"I'm pretty good, I guess," Wolken said. "My grandpa played horseshoes, and I started pitching with him." The young man had a mischievous smile when he said he could beat his dad. "I enjoy getting better and accomplishing," he said.
Horseshoes doesn't involve running, but it requires strength and concentration. Players pitch metal horshoes underhanded at a stake stuck in the ground from a distance of 40 feet. Children, women, seniors and players with disabilities can pitch from shorter distances. Points are given to the player who pitches a shoe closest to the stake. If a pitched shoe touches the stake, it known as a "ringer," which scores highest.
"Ringers are not easy to throw, but when you watch (Johnson) play, you think it's pretty simple," Bruemmer said.
The Jefferson City group offers Wolken plenty of advice while he practices with family and friends. The club welcomes everyone and offers loaner horseshoes to those in need. "It's good fellowship and good exercise," the Rev. James Wheeler said.
Bruemmer said the sport is great for anyone who wants to keep their bodies in motion and minds sharp. It is known as a lifetime sport, because kids and senior citizens can equally enjoy it.
"It's a nice sport," club member Michelle Johnson said. "It's a competitive mind game that makes you concentrate, and I really like that."
She said many people are surprised she plays because she is a young, black woman, but she hopes to attract more women. "The people out here are great, so come out here and play," she said. "There are three females (in the club), and hopefully I'll get some more down here. I've never seen any other black women pitch."
Mountain biking
If you're looking for a little dirt and excitement with your outdoor exercise, mountain biking may be for you. A group formed around Nick Smith's Red Wheel Bike Shop invites experts and beginners to take a weekly 8-mile trail ride Tuesdays at Binder Lake.
"We've got a core group that have been biking for years," Red Wheel Bike Shop employee Carl Maloney said. "Anybody who wants to can show up and ride."
The group meets near the campground at 6:15 p.m. and usually rides the blue and green routes. Some riders race ahead, while others take it more casually. A few of the experienced bikers commit to helping beginners on the trail.
Maloney said the trails can be challenging for beginners, but the social aspect of the group hopefully makes things seem easier. "When we get back, we usually have a few beers and talk about the ride," Maloney said. "Lately, people have been bringing a small grill."
Maloney said mountain biking is freeing, because riders aren't bound to roads, but any form of cycling is worthwhile. "Around the state there are a lot of great single-track trails," he said. "It kind of reminds me of when I was a kid. Every time I jump on a bike and take off down the road or trail, I get that joy I had when I was riding as a kid. It still translates when you're an adult and jump on a bike. It's just fun to ride."