24 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 24, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
New York Mets players work out
with Queens kids in a Corona park
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com
@smont76
Over a hundred Queens kids got the
chance to learn about fi tness, strength
and fl exibility from some hometown
heroes on Monday morning.
New York Mets relief pitchers Erik
Goeddel and Chasen Bradford worked
out with kids ranging from four to 13
at the New Balance Fitness Challenge in
Hinton Park on Aug. 21. Co-founded in
2013 by Team New Balance athlete Curtis
Granderson — who was originally scheduled
Former Civic Virtue statue site in Kew Gardens
rededicated as new Queens ‘Women’s Plaza’
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
‘Herstory’ was made in Kew Gardens
on Aug. 22, as the former site of a controversial
statue was offi cially rededicated to
the women of Queens.
On Aug. 22, Borough President
Melinda Katz hosted the ribbon-cutting
for the newly-restored “Women’s Plaza
in Queens,” located on the northeast
corner of Union Turnpike and Queens
Boulevard near Queens Borough Hall in
Kew Gardens.
“Queens has been home to so many
incredible, trail-blazing women across
all industries, from business to politics,
sports to entertainment,” Katz said. “Th e
Women’s Plaza in Queens – located in
our borough’s civic center – is a visible,
meaningful tribute to all the women of
Queens who have made a lasting positive
impact in New York City and around the
globe. Th is newly restored public space at
Queens Borough Hall should be utilized
by many, and will serve as a reminder of
how far we’ve come and how much further
we must go.”
Th e plaza was formerly the site of the
controversial “Triumph of Civic Virtue”
statue. Th e 17-foot marble statue, which
depicted a male nude standing on top of
two female fi gures representing “Vice” and
“Corruption,” was installed at City Hall in
1922. It was relocated by Mayor Fiorello La
Guardia in 1941 to the then-new Queens
Borough Hall. In 2012, amid calls that
Civic Virtue was sexist, the statue was
moved one more time from Kew Gardens
to the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn.
Aft er taking offi ce in January 2014,
Katz endorsed former Borough President
Helen Marshall’s idea to repair and restore
the remaining structure and surrounding
plaza while re-purposing and re-dedicating
the space to women in Queens.
“I congratulate and thank Borough
President Katz for creating a beautiful
space at Borough Hall where people
can relax and women will now be celebrated
rather than denigrated,” said former
Queens Borough President Claire
Shulman, who called for the removal of
the original “Triumph of Civic Virtue”
statue during her tenure as borough president.
She had infamously stated, “A
municipal building is not an appropriate
place for a statue that portrays women as
evil and treacherous.”
Due to years of neglect and exposure
to the elements, the base of the Women’s
Plaza was in bad condition. As a part of a
restoration project funded by by Mayor
Bill de Blasio and Katz, the DDC repaired
the restored the damaged stonework,
improved landscaping, and installed
plantings, new lighting and benches for
public use.
Th e site also includes a new plaque to
Photo via Twitter/@MelindaKatz
recognize the location’s re-dedication to
women.
“Th e recently completed renovations
for the new women’s plaza will enhance
the community while paying tribute to the
women of Queens,” said Congresswoman
Grace Meng.
to appear before his trade to the
Los Angeles Dodgers days prior — the
high-energy event is meant to inspire kids
to go outside and get active.
Children rotated between diff erent
workout stations, including dodgeball,
crab soccer and monkey tag, at the twohour
clinic. Th e two major league pitchers,
along with New Balance trainers,
worked with the young athletes at each
station.
Glendale resident Cheryl Kondel said
her daughter Lila Jean Kondel, 8, is a huge
Mets fan.
“She’s having so much fun, and she’s
not shy,” Kondel said as her daughter
spoke with Goeddel about her latest experience
at Citi Field. “She knows these
guys; she follows them. It makes me so
happy to see that she’s having fun and
talking to them.”
Aft er a round of activities, Goeddel
and Bradford engaged with the group of
youngsters in a Q&A.
When asked who their baseball idols
were growing up, Goeddel cited Ken
Griff ey Jr.
“Th at guy just had so much fun playing
baseball,” he said.
Bradford cited Tony Gwynn as an
inspiration.
“He was one of the best players ever in
the game,” the Las Vegas native said.
Another young athlete asked the relief
pitchers who was the hardest batter
they’ve ever faced. Goeddel said ex-Met
Daniel Murphy, while Bradford cited
Marlins power hitter Giancarlo Stanton.
Following the event, each young participant
received a T-shirt as well as a challenge
journal to encourage them to track
their fi tness activities and personal goals.
To learn more about the New Balance
Fitness Challenge, visit their website,
nbfi tnesschallenge.com.
