An Apology ...We Blew It!

Hi Members,

The 8:30am Strength Training class was not supposed to be cancelled today, on July 30th. I am not sure what happened on our part, but apparently we really blew it. Please accept my apology.

I want to make sure that you know that the Friday group fitness classes are cancelled in August. Attendance tends to be very low in August and our summer class rosters have shown that we are below an average of 6 per class. Other classes cancelled in August include Tuesday yoga at 5:15pm and Thursday Circuit Fit at 5:15pm.

We are analyzing our schedules and getting ready for fall. I have been hearing from many of you and of course will consider your comments in our mix of considerations when planning a new schedule.

A little history about group classes and where we have come from...
When Doug and I bought the Club in May of 2000, we had three aerobics classes per week and our Fitness dues rates were actually higher than they are now. We experimented with adding many more classes and worked our way up to 22 classes per week, without even adjusting dues. What we are finding is that we cannot compete with the big clubs that offer the same thing because...well...we aren't a big club. We cannot stuff 30 people into the group fitness classroom. We do not have thousands of members to subsidize the classes that only a small percentage of our membership take advantage of. We do not have mediocre instructors.

Our classes are small in size, more like group personal training sessions than general fitness classes. Most clubs our size charge $9 - $15 per drop-in class. Under our current dues structure, here you have the option to take as many classes as you want per month and they are included in your dues! If you take 3 classes per week and simply divide it with your dues, that works out to be only $3.75 per class or less. Of course our expenses are much higher than that because your dues pay for much more than just a class.

Our instructors are best of the best. We are proud that our instructors can give personalized instruction in every class. We want to maintain the high level of service that we offer in every class. But, as a small club, we just can't do it all when classes fall below a minimum attendance average of 8 people per class.

We still want to offer a nice selection of classes for Members before work, during the day, and after work to help you with your general fitness needs. You will see that our August schedule is pared down since it is the slowest month of the year. As we move into September, we will offer most classes on a Mon-Thurs basis. This leaves Friday as a do-it yourself opportunity, or maybe a great time to spend with one of our Personal Trainers to really get your fitness moving. You know the saying, "If you keep doing what you are doing, you'll keep getting what you're getting." If you have reached a plateau in your fitness, it might be time to mix it up.

We will be offering more "Training Camp" classes. These programs are offered for an additional fee and worth every penny. These are small group training classes that are dedicated to to help you progress. In fact, every camp will have several personal parameters we will measure at the beginning and end of camp so you can see your progress. We are so sure that you'll benefit from these camps that we offer a 100% money back guarantee!

I know that change can be difficult, but can also be an opportunity to try new things. We are constantly evaluating our programs here and working to bring you the best mix of activities possible. I'd love to just give it all away, but that would definately put us out of business. So, we will strive to bring you the best value for your dollar. I think you would be hard pressed to find a better small group class environment at any Club, anywhere. We are proud of what we offer and strive to continue to bring you the very best.

Sincerely,
Robin Robertson
Owner & Manager

Our NEW BALL MACHINE is here!

You asked, we got it.  Our NEW BALL MACHINE is here! 

We know that some of you were frustrated with the old one whose remote was unreliable and unfixable.  The ball machine itself worked just fine, you just had to adjust it at the machine rather than with a remote.  Being one to "use it up, wear it out, make it do", I was a little hard pressed to replace it when it worked fine.  (In fact, I thought it was better because it forced you to run to the machine to adjust it so you wouldn't lose balls! - more workout!)

But.....with as many requests as we had to fix the remote and knowing that it could not be done, we bit the bullet and brought to you the top of the line Playmate Ball Machine.  I hope you will enjoy many great tennis workouts!

Ball Machine is available only to members at the rental fee of $10 per session or $80 for 6 months rental with the "Ball Machine Club"  Our ball machine is available on court one and usually needs an advance reservation.  Try it out!

~Robin