Getting Back to Full Fitness

The outdoor classes run year-round now, with an average class size of 10, and up to 16 on weekends.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for Flagstaff’s gyms, but at least three Flagstaff businesses are very positive about the outlook for the future, forecasting an exciting and re-energized time ahead for the fitness industry.

The combination of closure, then re-opening with restrictions, took a big toll, said Brian Schmitz. A partner in Summit Health and Fitness since 2009, Schmitz took over as manager a year and a half ago. He says the facility was pleased with how it was doing prior to the pandemic. Back then, their biggest challenge was competition for members from larger gym chains arriving in town. Schmitz says that was nothing compared to the COVID challenges.

When all gyms were closed by state mandate for four months, Schmitz says Summit’s membership fell by 35-40%.

As the pandemic impact has calmed, Summit is now back to offering 40 group fitness classes a week and it’s been the older clientele who have been most anxious to return to the gym. The Silver fitness classes in particular are seeing great turnouts, lured by the fun of resuming social interactions when working out, according to Schmitz. And although revenues are still down about 15% compared to pre-pandemic times, Schmitz says Summit is introducing more health-related elements into the facility, including a partnership with Northern Arizona Healthcare to host a quarterly “Talk with a Doc” speaker event.

At Flagstaff Athletic Club (FAC), where membership is month-to-month rather than an annual contract, about half of the clients either canceled their memberships or put them on hold, says general manager Carla Caslin. To try to retain business, FAC set up a remote learning center for kids and once the closure mandate was lifted, allowed parents to bring their kids to the gym to do activities while they worked out. They opened their outdoor pool on the west side six weeks earlier than usual, as well as offered some group fitness classes outdoors. Now, membership is almost back to pre-pandemic levels and Caslin says the percentage of members using their facilities regularly is actually higher than pre-pandemic times, in part because people value gym access more now.

It’s been a very different pandemic trajectory for Cierra Winters and her partner Florian Dotti, owners of The Spin Box. They’d been planning their new indoor cycling studio for two years and were about to sign the contract on studio space when COVID struck. After a few weeks stuck at home, the inventive couple decided to buy a truck, trailer and stationary bikes to conduct classes outside in local parks. Working closely City of Flagstaff Councilmember Adam Shimoni, they were able to obtain a special use permit to get started on Sept. 12, 2020. Winters says the venture was a success and they’ve added more classes and coaches.

The outdoor classes run year-round now, with an average class size of 10, and up to 16 on weekends. In colder months, clients bundle up, some even start the workout in ski pants until they get warmed up. Winters says they’ve had some glorious sunny, 65-degree days with walls of piled up snow around them and everyone in tank tops.

The Spin Box also offers fitness birthday and bachelorette parties, as well as business team building. By the end of the year, Winters says they hope to open an indoor space too, although they’ll definitely be continuing their outdoor classes. FBN

By Diane Hope, FBN

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