Bicentennial Unity Plaza becomes a makeshift gym thanks to November Project

Indianapolis, Indiana – When a well-known fitness movement used Bicentennial Unity Plaza on Thursday, it’s possible that the sound of scissors slicing through a ribbon might be heard throughout the newly opened public area in downtown Indianapolis.

Less than 24 hours after it opened on the north side of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, November Project became one of the first neighborhood organizations to utilize the space.

Day Won Fitness’ proprietor Jason Shaw established the November Project’s Indianapolis chapter in 2014. The program, which is marketed as a free exercise movement with a presence in cities all over the world, was introduced in Boston in 2011.

Gainbridge Fieldhouse gave the go-ahead for Shaw to host about 50 of the group’s members early on Friday. He said that Pacers Sports & Entertainment’s production manager was quite cooperative.

“He even showed up this morning and brought out the basketballs for our people to shoot around,” Shaw said. “When you live in a city, it’s so important to experience it, to learn about it and embrace it, and the best way to do that is by being present in a place … Use the spaces for good, positive events, like an inclusive workout, otherwise these spaces that took so much time and money to build get trashed and used for not-so-positive things.”

Shaw claimed that for his supporters, going to the brand-new Bicentennial Unity Plaza was a “can’t miss event.”

“As people walked in, it was like kids on Christmas! Everybody had their phones out getting video of the space, their walk onto the court, the whole experience,” he said. “People loved it and definitely had a little more pep in their step today.”

Year-round, November Project holds scheduled group workouts twice a week that last about a half hour. Numerous people attend the free event at the Indiana War Memorial every Wednesday. On Fridays, the group leader selects a place that includes additional Indianapolis landmarks and tourist attractions.

One of the group’s co-leaders, Malia McGovern, claimed that the November Project is about more than just providing opportunities for exercise.

“We have a beautiful city, and we want to make our city our gym,” McGovern said. “We are a community that gives back to Indianapolis across our city. We connect with each other outside our weekly workouts to network and grow our ever-evolving community. Indianapolis has so much to offer from north to south to east to west.”

People of all ages and fitness levels are invited to participate in workouts at November Project.