‘Boeing on the Move’ is back, with more opportunities for employees to be active By Alex Wilson and photos by Alan Chalfin As goalie for an ice hockey team in Ridley Township, Pa., Bill Ripley feels he’s in the best position in the rink. “I’m the safest guy on the ice,” said Ripley, chief engineer, Joint Multi-role Technology Demonstrator Program, and a Boeing on the Move team captain. “I’ve got all the pads.” Since a group at the site began playing hockey together two years ago, Ripley is one of the team’s success stories. With the Boeing fitness center in Ridley Township and hockey, he has lost nearly 70 pounds (31 kilograms) and consistently is the team’s Boeing on the Move high stepper, averaging more than 20,000 steps a day. “It’s about finding the thing that isn’t work,” Ripley said of what motivates him to exercise. “Boeing on the Move was some-thing we could do as a team. And everything is easier when you’re doing it with a team.” This year, the team will have a chance to compete again in Boeing on the Move. Reg-istration is open from May 13 to May 31, and the eight-week challenge runs from June 10 to Aug. 4 for active employees worldwide. As an incentive to keep moving, Boeing on-site fitness centers will be free to new and current employee members in June and July. Employees in the United States without access to an on-site center can look to the Boeing Discount Program for discounts on community fitness center memberships and exercise equipment. Now in its fourth year, Boeing on the Move has been very successful, said Tony Parasida, senior vice president of Human Resources and Administration. “Participation has been growing and it’s paying off—putting us on the road to better health,” he said. Last year, Parasida noted, more than 79,000 employees participated, a 34 per-cent increase from the year before. This year, the challenge will be two weeks longer and employees can enter activity online through the new ShapeUp website, which offers an enhanced tracking tool. The Ridley Township hockey team of engineers and mechanics from the site is looking forward to this year’s challenge, according to Frank Travaglini, chief engineer for the Chinook UK Mk6 program. “We have young guys, entry level, senior managers, and we all feel like equals,” he said. “We’re all ages, from 23 to 53.” Travaglini said the Sunday night hockey games force him to keep his conditioning up. “It also allows the site to bond,” said Mike Marano, the team’s winger and manager of system safety for Chinook programs. In fact, after a championship season this past winter, an image of the teammates with their trophy rotated on the site’s monitors. More than camaraderie on the ice, team-mates help one another stay motivated in their workouts and during the Boeing on the Move physical activity challenge. They work out together at the Boeing fitness center, have created their own Boeing on the Move team (called “Wildebeests on the Move” after their hockey team, the Wildebeests), and push one another to stay fit for that week’s game. “Hockey gives me a goal,” Marano said. “I know I need to run that extra five minutes. And every week, I can see my results.” Participants who are based in the United States will be able to text their activity for automatic uploading to the ShapeUp web-site, and worldwide participants can link fitness devices and mobile apps, such as Fitbit, RunKeeper and BodyMedia, to the ShapeUp website for automated tracking. Teams are limited to 20 people this year to encourage more interaction and account-ability. The ShapeUp website also promotes social networking opportunities, such as the ability to invite others to be “supporters” and engage colleagues in challenges. Next month, Ridley Township’s hockey players will be encouraging one another to exercise just that little bit more during Boeing on the Move, Ripley said, adding he feels better after losing weight. His advice for employees who are inter-ested in transforming themselves the way he did: “We all have families, friends and fixed schedules. You just need to make time.” n alexander.m.wilson@boeing.com PHOTOS: (From far left) Dave Kohl, fore-ground, skates to the puck; No. 26 Kevin Fegely, from left, Bill Ripley III, Bill Ripley Jr. and Tom Cavanaugh; Bill Ripley III pushes the puck up the ice; Nate Deforest, foreground, and Frank Travaglini watch from the bench. EXTRA MOTIVATION Employees can earn up to $100 in gift cards, or the equivalent in local currencies for international locally hired employees. To earn $50, employees need to track activity at least one day for each week and average 6,000 steps or 15 exercise minutes per day. To earn $100, employees need to track activity at least one day for each week and average a total of 12,000 steps or 30 exercise minutes per day. For more information, visit Boeing TotalAccess and click My Well Being. BOEING FRONTIERS / MAY 2013 19
Frontiers May 2013 Issue
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