news and jobs updated daily on
www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk edited by tom walker. email:
tomwalker@leisuremedia.com
FREEDOM TO MOVE.
PEOPLE PROFILE Chris Spencer
A former England rower and law graduate, Spencer began working in leisure in 1988 as a ‘fi ll-in’ job – but never left. Diagnosed with cancer in 1997, he credits his strength of mind with having beaten the illness
How many years have you worked in the health and fi tness industry? I started work straight from studying at university in America. I planned to stay for a few months just to earn a bit of cash, but I’m still here 23 years later. I was initially employed by the London Borough of Havering and they were good to me, allowing me my freedom to train and pursue my sporting career, which is why I stayed.
How did your career progress? My initial role was as a lifeguard for two months, then supervisor. I was then elevated to duty manager and, in very quick succession, to club manager. I studied some more and gained business, rather than leisure-specifi c, qualifi cations – I believe these are more marketable and transferable. I was eventually made business development manager for Havering Leisure. I joined SLM (Everyone Active) in 2006 and continue to work in the Havering contract.
You were diagnosed with cancer – how did that change your life? At fi rst it was a complete shock – after dedicating my life to fi tness and healthy living, to be told that my chances of getting through it were slim. After a few years of experimental treatments I fi nally underwent both a bone marrow and a stem cell transplant in 1999. It changed my outlook on life completely – it makes one live for today. I work hard and play hard as you never know what’s around the corner. Prior to my illness, I would plan my life, my career, invest and save for the future. Nowadays I live life to the full. Professionally, I don’t understand those people who call in sick for minor ailments. The team I work with don’t do this, and we try to instill the same ethos in everyone.
What is your typical day-to-day? I’m a morning person, waking each day at 5am, and I’m in the gym most days
november/december 2011 © cybertrek 2011
© 2011 Star Trac. All rights reserved. Star Trac and the Star Trac logo are registered trademarks of Core Industries. HumanSport is a trademark of Core Industries.
at about 6am and at my desk before 7am, showered, dressed and ready to go. Everyone Active is SLM’s consumer- facing brand and we are encouraged to be seen to lead by example, so a group of us swim a few mornings each week – sometimes up to 10 of us. Everyone Active is a paperless
organisation, so much of the day is spent analysing reports, income and sales on the computer. We also tend to travel a bit to other Everyone Active contracts to network and share best practice, which is great.
C M Y CM
How can the fi tness sector play a role in preventative healthcare? Everyone Active has really embraced this philosophy and it’s at the heart of what we do – encouraging and educating people to exercise rather than sitting in doctors’ waiting rooms. I do hope that the local authorities can persuade more and more GPs of the value of exercise, whether it be in one of our clubs or another provider’s. However, I think cost can be a barrier to
MY CY CMY K
fi tness – particularly in some of the areas of higher deprivation – and we need to address as an industry.
What is the number one weakness in the fi tness industry? There are still many potential clients out there whose perception of a gym is the stereotypical body building type, and the industry needs to address this. We really need to educate and make these people aware of what we actually do as an industry.
What drives you? I have never woken up and thought to myself ‘oh my god, I have work today’. I enjoy coming to work, networking with both clients and colleagues. As a team, we tend to create the happy, enjoyable environment which we call work.
What is your favourite life motto? To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail!
6 machines. 12 intuitive stations. 250 square feet. Limitless opportunities. Designed to reflect human body mechanics, HumanSport™ is so simple, so intuitive and so natural, it feels as if it were custom built for each and every user. 6 dual-function, cable-based machines act as 12 workout stations by utilising dual weight stacks to provide a wide range of total body training options. Combined with our staff education and marketing support programs, no other functional training system provides your business with more opportunities to drive member programs. And it does it all with twice the function, in half the space and at a fraction of the price of the competition.
For more information,
contact Star Trac at 01494 688260 or visit
www.startrac.com/strength.
19
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84