by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Oct 29/97) - Rankin Inlet's first fitness club will soon be open to the public.

Marilyn Mackie, one of the club's organizers, said a dozen people in the community joined together to fundraise for a fitness centre.

"We need something like this in the community...especially for the winter," she said. "People have gathered for aerobics (in the past), but I think everybody does their own thing. This is the first community thing."

Without public funding, the group has been raising money themselves for equipment over the past few months, and continue to look for support in the community to get the project off the ground.

The fitness centre is located at Maani Ulujuk Ilinniarvik high school where there is a classroom turned into a weight training centre that includes a treadmill and a stairclimber.

Students have access to the room during the day and after school, while anyone over the age of 16 can use the facility 7-10 p.m. Monday to Friday. Aerobics will also be offered at the Leo Ussak elementary school gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Mackie, who will be teaching aerobics, said the program will start out on three nights a week, but more classes may be added later in the season. She also invites other people who would like to teach aerobics to join the club. She may be leaving the community in several months and is actively looking for someone else who would like to teach.

And this is the only the start. The group has even bigger plans and hopes to buy new equipment to offer more to the users. For now, they agree, people just need a place to work out.

John Hunter, who's also trying to get a fitness program going, said that the community desperately needs a place to exercise.

"I think the town needs more recreation," he said. "I think the community should put more effort into recreation. Health and fitness is important and no matter where you live you should have access to do what you want."

The group's most recent fundraising effort was at last Saturday's flea market where they held a bake sale, and they also plan to organize a bingo later in the winter.

So far, the group has raised $900, and Mackie looks forward to making further expansions to the centre's equipment. "Maybe after fundraising, we can get a bicycle," she said.

Membership is $60 per year, only a portion of what gym fees would cost elsewhere.

"This works out to be only 16 cents a day," said Mackie.

Aerobics classes were scheduled to start on Monday with the fitness centre open to all members of the public.