Planet Fitness, a chain of fitness centers, is inviting high schoolers ages 14 to 19 to work out for free at any Planet Fitness location, including across Southwest Ohio, from May 15 through August 31, as part of the High School Summer Pass initiative.
High schoolers can visit PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass to pre-register, and get a reminder to formally sign up when the program officially kicked off on Monday, May 15. Teens under 18 must register with a parent or guardian online or in-club.
Summer Pass Details
New to the High School Summer Pass program this year, we will have a leaderboard keeping track of the number of sign ups from each school. At the end of the summer, the top 10 schools (5 from the U.S. and 5 from Canada) on the leaderboard will each receive a $10,000 grant!* Winning schools can use this money for new athletic equipment, field renovations, physical fitness classes, and health and wellness classes. Check out the leaderboard here.
Keeping Teens Active
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open, fewer than than 15 percent of teens met the 60-minute daily physical activity recommendation during the pandemic.
More specifically concerning those in Indiana, 25.4% of teens do not meet the recommended activity guidelines and 15.6% of teens are overweight, which is another reason this initiative is so vital to their wellbeing.
And a national study commissioned by Planet Fitness found that 93 percent of American teens want to stay healthy and active over the summer months, but many lack motivation or access to do so. High School Summer Pass offers a solution for teenagers eager to stay active when school sports programs, gym classes and after school activities wind down.
“We believe we have a responsibility to provide a welcoming, safe, and Judgement Free environment for high school students to improve their physical and mental wellness, particularly given the challenges they have and continue to face in the wake of the pandemic,” says Chris Rondeau, chief executive officer at Planet Fitness. “Our study found that nearly all (92 percent) high school students agreed that when they are regularly physically active, they feel much better mentally. Fitness is about feeling good, too, and our hope is that High School Summer Pass empowers teens to create life-long workout habits to help them succeed in every aspect of their lives.”
To further motivate high schoolers to make fitness a priority, all participants who sign up starting May 16 are automatically entered into The Planet Fitness High School Summer Pass Sweepstakes. Planet Fitness will award one $500 scholarship in each state (and the District of Columbia), and one grand prize $5,000 scholarship at the end of the summer. These scholarships can be used for academic or athletic activities or programs.
More Info
For more information on High School Summer Pass, including how to sign up for the free membership at any Planet Fitness location in Southwest Ohio, visit PlanetFitness.com/SummerPass.