Sportspark is hosting a free Veterans Day yoga class on Sunday, November 8, taught by Roosevelt Island resident and United States military veteran Marie-Michelle Strah, and only the first 25 people to register will get a spot.
The 50 minute class runs from 10:15 AM to 11:05 AM. RIOC’s registration form lists the location as the Group Fitness Studio at Sportspark, 250 Main Street.
“This event is a key highlight of Veterans Gratitude Week, an annual fundraiser hosted by the Veterans Yoga Project,” RIOC said in its October 2026 newsletter.
How to sign up for Veterans Day yoga
Space is tight. “Class registration is on a first come, first serve basis and is capped to the first 25 participants,” according to the newsletter.
Residents can sign up through RIOC’s Veterans Day yoga registration form. The form, titled “Veterans Project Yoga Class Registration,” asks for a name, email and phone number, asks whether the participant is 13 years of age or older, and requires accepting a waiver in which participants assume the risks of activities at the Sportspark athletic complex. It also asks how you heard about the event and leaves room for comments or questions. Questions can go to Sportspark at (212) 832-4569 or sportspark@rioc.ny.gov.
The class itself is free. The form notes that “all donations go directly towards the Veterans’ Yoga Project,” and it includes a link for anyone who wants to donate to the Veterans Yoga Project.
About Veterans Gratitude Week
According to the Veterans Yoga Project’s Veterans Gratitude Week page, the event began in 2014, when yoga teachers started offering donation based classes to honor veterans and military families. The group says what started as a grassroots effort grew into a nationwide movement. This year it invites people to take part in one of three ways: host a class and fundraise, pay tribute to a veteran or service member, or take a donation class. Tributes are collected in what the group calls its Veterans Hall of Gratitude. The page says, “With your help, we hope to inspire 500 yoga classes or fundraising events.”
The newsletter did not share more about Strah’s service or teaching background.
A Sportspark class with a local teacher
The class falls a few days ahead of Veterans Day itself, Wednesday, November 11, when Sportspark will be closed, according to the holiday schedule on RIOC’s Sportspark page. The same page says the facility, operated by RIOC just south of Tramway Plaza, opened in 1977 and underwent a complete renovation from 2021 to 2023. The Lighthouse has cited Sportspark as a project whose costs ballooned beyond early projections.
It is a busy start to the month on the Island. The class comes one week after marathon Sunday, when RIOC warned of NYC Marathon travel delays for anyone driving off the Island.
For veterans and anyone who wants to thank them, it is a free 50-minute class on a Sunday morning with a neighbor leading the room. With only 25 spots, early registration is the safest bet.
“Yes. I’m Present.”
It is October 20, 2022, and the Cultural Center Theater at 548 Main Street has again been made to serve as a boardroom, its folding tables carrying the temporary authority of the state. The folding tables are perfect for RIOC. They support anything, question nothing and collapse under pressure. At 5:45 p.m., Chair Designee Alex Valella calls the meeting to order.
