He came for the boxing, she tagged along for the treadmill.
For the brother/sister combo of Bailey and Jordan Hulsey, Copley Boxing & Training Center – the Fox Valley Park District’s newest venue that sports (and supports) the Fox Fitness brand – packed the perfect punch.
Located at 517 N. Union St. in Aurora, Copley recently became home to the FVPD’s fourth Fox Fitness location and – spoiler alert – it won’t be the last.
“It’s inexpensive, convenient and open pretty much all the time,” Bailey Hulsey said of Copley, between rounds in his bout with the speed bag. “As soon as I saw it, I instantly wanted to come here. The facility is beautiful and Aurora’s my kind of city. There’s so much to do around here…it’s perfect.”
But the near east side neighborhood wasn’t always viewed through the same, rosy lens.
Just ask the city’s mayor.
“We all know what Aurora used to be years ago and we all know what this very neighborhood used to be – a high-crime area with our kids not having any direction,” Richard Irvin said at Copley’s recent ribbon-cutting. “With programs and facilities like this, we’re making sure we never go back to what we used to be all those years ago.”
With existing Fox Fitness locations at Vaughan Athletic Center and Prisco and Eola community centers, FVPD officials continue to explore opportunities to reimagine recreation, and one way of doing that is delivering fitness right into the heart of the community.
“The growth of Fox Fitness into neighborhoods where it previously wasn’t, along with being able to offer all the residents of Aurora the opportunity to stay fit, is exciting,” said Brett Meier, general manager of Fox Fitness. “This facility has been known in the area as mostly boxing, but now it can be looked at as boxing, weight training and, overall, a well-rounded fitness experience.”
Fox Fitness membership at Copley costs just $10 a month (12-month contract required) and the gym features state-of-the art equipment, such as Assault® Air Bikes, Concept 2 rowing machines, Olympic bench, deadlifting platform, free weights, decline/incline benches and more.
Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to noon on weekends, Copley’s Fox Fitness officially opened on April 19. In less than a month, around 70 new members have joined, many of whom “walk or ride their bikes to get here,” according to Rafael Martinez, facility manager.
The Hulsey siblings were among the first to join and have been regular attendees since. Between sets during a recent visit, Jordan Hulsey glanced at the basketball court in a park across the street, where a handful of kids were taking advantage of a warm spring day, and captured the essence of this latest FVPD initiative.
“When people have the opportunity to relieve stress, I feel like it would decrease violence in neighborhoods,” she said. “And this is also a great solution for low-income families.”
For more information about Fox Fitness at Copley Boxing & Training Center, or to tour the facility, call 630-898-7500 or stop by 517 N. Union St in Aurora.
