Suggestions Update 21Q4
Hello Town Community,
I wanted to take a few minutes to address and give you all an update on the suggestions we’ve received in the last few months. I will start with those that are more serious in nature and work my way towards the jovial.
1.) While the new coaches are great, it is unfortunate not having the original owners more involved in the coaching of classes.
- This suggestion is both flattering and challenging at the same time — flattering in that I/we appreciate that you all miss our daily presence in class, and challenging in that I have been professionally coaching for 11 years now and teaching for nearly 15. I started in this field and continue to engage in it because I am passionate about it. As I am sure you can all appreciate, my life and responsibilities look much different now as I near 40 than they did in my early 20’s. I am always working to juggle my family life, careers and passions.
When we opened Town Athletics, our goal was to give Tacoma a professional version of group fitness. We did this with 3 basic tenets in mind, a friendly gym with thoughtful programming that pushed members to be their best selves in a non-judgmental environment. This has taken every spare minute of our time to build over the last 6 years. What was once only a handful of members in half the physical space has now grown to well north of 100 in nearly twice the space.
In order to continue our push towards offering you the best training experience possible, we started to realize that we simply could not do it all ourselves. While I still enjoy working with athletes, I also feel a great sense of satisfaction fostering and giving younger coaches the opportunity to build a career in this field—an opportunity that, when I was their age, didn’t feel was available to me but something I had to create for myself.
As any entrepreneur can tell you, what you see them doing in public is only the tip of the business ownership ice berg. While you may not see me/us in a forward facing role, please do not think that I am not always working/thinking about how to improve your experience with us.
Town, the members it serves, and the coaches it employs is never more than a few inches from my brain!
2.) More variety in programming.
- I understand our programming might seem as though it is not as varied as some would expect in a CrossFit gym. I can tell you that in the world of Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness it is actually quite varied. Differences in intensity of lifts, volume of lifts, position of lifts, and types of lifts all offer a lot of variety to how your body and CNS respond. The same can be said for subtle changes in WODs and conditioning. What I have also discovered, through my own studies and experience, is that variety for the sake of variety, while appealing at first, will lead to short lived gains, stunted improvement, and injury. Our slogan is “Rooted in Strength” because among other things, I believe building a strong body is what keeps you resilient and opens the doors to more advanced movement and play.
Why are Thursdays only a “skill” training day? Maybe add these movements as accessories after class.
- We utilize Thursdays as a skills day for a few reasons. 1.) To offer a necessary break to those who come Mon-Sat. Even the best athletes in the world tend to take a couple of rest and recovery days within their weekly cycles. 2.) I thoroughly believe that the body and position building we accomplish on Thursdays are invaluable to staying injury free and unlocking the more “exciting” movements of CrossFit. 3.) Ultimately, I write the group program for an avatar. As a shift worker, I completely understand an uneven schedule. However, I need to write for a group class as if all who attend work a standard schedule and will “clock” into the gym each day at the same time. As frustrating as it can be to miss certain days of the week, we also receive many thanks for utilizing such a structure as members know what to expect.
My suggestion is that if you miss a day earlier in the week and would like to make it up, reserve a spot in class on Thursday and communicate with the coach that you plan on doing just that. If you would like something more personalized to fit your needs and schedule, then reach out! We would be happy to sit down with you and discuss how we can best be of assistance.
Barbell Cycling?
- I would point you to the last State of Fitness where I go into detail about this very topic.
Shorter training cycles would allow newer athletes a greater opportunity to train other lifts.
Different/Varied lifts on days of the week.
- I believe this is addressed in my answer to variance above, but I would like to add a couple more points. 1.) In my experience, beginners respond well to repetition. I want you all to master the basics— squatting, pulling, hinging, etc. before adding more complicated movements to the mix. This is for longevity— not only in the gym but in life. Learning any skill is a pyramid, and the base needs to be set before working our way to the top. 2.) As mentioned above, I am writing for an avatar. I can’t just write for beginners no more than I can write solely for advanced athletes. My goal is to find a middle ground where everyone finds success. Some of our cycles are as short as 4 weeks, an example being this cycle’s presses, while some run 16 weeks+, like the handstand work.
If you would like a more personalized approach, again I would encourage you to speak with a coach. We are always willing to discuss how we can make your experience with us the most beneficial it can be.
3.) The Zenplanner member app sucks!
- We know that the ZP member app has its problems. The challenge we run into is that through our research and discussion with other gym owners, there is yet to be a member management program that does everything well.
One thing that we are looking at is Zenplanner’s recent partnership with SugarWod. SugarWod is purpose built for workout tracking and is something we will be tracking into in the future, so stay tuned!
4.) How about a strictly Oly Lifting class twice a week?
- If there is enough interest, this could be something we entertain in the future. We tried it once before but it never quite took off. What I can tell you is that given the amount of lifting we already do in the programming, many members have found success at Olympic meets without doing a dedicated class/program.
5.) Establish an Rx for 55+ members to provide more realistic goals (during Metcons).
- Noted. I will look into this for the first cycle of 2022.
6.) Clock with seconds on the wall near the whiteboard.
- Done and done. There is a new clock sitting in the front seat of my car waiting for me to install it!
7.) TV on the East wall facing the rig so that those lifting at the rig can get a clear view of the workout.
- Also done! I installed a new TV today. Now we are just waiting on the HDMI cable to be delivered so we can to finish the install.
8.) Put a sign above the ropes reading: “Jump Ropes for Indoor Use Only” and replace the frayed ropes.
- I think this can be done! Also we do try to stay on top of the rope maintenance.
9.) Bring back the fruit, please!
- Unfortunately this is one of the things Covid has permanently taken from us. We don’t feel it wise to be in charge of unwrapped food stuffs.
10.) Austin should try wearing more muted colors.
- Never.
11.) More alcohol in the mini fridge.
- This doesn’t quite fit in with the whole health and wellness vibe we are going for.
12.) Apple TV Remote!! My kids need it so I can lift.
- Not only did we get a replacement but I also ordered a remote holder for the kid’s area so that hopefully the remotes don’t go missing again!
13.) Make 6th ave think that this place is for getting low (speakers, music). Sound System! Speakers Overhead. Tunes man.
- Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we have a neighbor that we like who shares our building. Those of you who have been around a while know that we also had a full court case with the neighboring tattoo parlor over noise issues. It is because of these two things that we need to a keep a pretty tight lid on the volume levels of our gym. While we have looked into noise dampening material for the walls, the problem is generally the bass. Bass travels through the foundation and is difficult to reduce.
All of this is a bummer because the Bose tower we have is literally designed to put on concerts with. It can definitely throw down. Maybe one day the entire building will be ours but until then, we want to try to keep our relationship with our co-tenant a good one!
14.) Town Athletics branded Uggs.
- I like where your head is at. I will have Amber look into this during our next apparel order, which if you’re wondering, should be soon…
Thanks for taking the time to read, hopefully this helps shed some more light on the workings of the gym.
Stay Rooted
Coach_ARK