» Canadian Forum
Extreme Reflections Lead to a GoodLife
A former Extreme Fitness manager offers an insider’s perspective on the chain’s recent sale to GoodLife.
BY STEPHANIE JOANNE
my experience with Extreme Fitness. It was the question that Taso Pappas, then regional manager (and most re- cently president) of the Toronto chain of clubs, asked me during an interview in 2006. I’m sure I gave
“W STEPHANIE JOANNE
“As an industry, we need to put our people, our
communities and our members
first. We need to
do this, regardless of whose uniform we are wearing.”
him a standard answer. But the honest answer, as a keen third- year kinesiology student, would have been to ad- mit that I had the ambitious goal of managing my own club. Yes, my ultimate goal was to manage a multi-million-dol- lar fitness facility. Fast forward
past Extreme’s Bally acquisi- tion and sever- al promotions, and by age 22 I was sitting in my own office as an Extreme general
manager. I had arrived. I had my own club. I was on top of the world. Extreme Fitness was the most in-
credible place to be. The Extreme vet- erans who were there with me at the time will agree, I’m sure. As I reflect back now, the reason it
was incredible was obvious and simple – the company cared. It invested in
46 Fitness Business Canada May/June 2013
hat are your ten-year goals?” This question is the first memory I have of
and cared about its people and it cared about me. I knew and felt that the peo- ple working above me and around me wanted to see me succeed. When the company rapidly grew
from four to 13 locations, it was game time. Everyone stepped up – we all had a chance to shine. If you worked hard, were loyal and performed, the oppor- tunities were there. Good people were recognized and rewarded. The learn- ing curve came fast—we were literally thrown into the fire. But soon the whispers started.
Whispers of missing “the old Extreme,” and reflections like “things just aren’t the same.” It simply wasn’t possible for the small and close company to feel exactly the same. Yet we did our best. It was still a great place to be. So what went wrong? Why the sale
to GoodLife? My recent days have been filled
with questions from my peers and complete strangers. Everyone has an opinion about why the sale happened and whether it will be a positive or negative experience. The rumours and stories I have heard are overwhelming, and at times I’ve felt like I’m caught on a roller coaster. It is my instinct to defend Extreme
and to defend the brand. The sale only became real the first
time I used my new red GoodLife key- tag to sign in at the front desk of the Richmond and John facility last week. I put my head down, heard the scanner beep and a welcoming front desk per- son greeted me by my full name. Then it hit me. I held back tears as I walked up the stairs of the club I helped to build, the club I had managed for years and for whom I’d acted as a spokesper- son. This used to be “my” club. Now, suddenly it’s real and it’s over. Extreme is gone, just like that.
But then it hit me. I’m a fitness pro-
fessional, and I entered this industry to help guide people to fitness. Does the name on the front of a facility re- ally matter? I admit that, like others, I’ve been
focused on the politics and questions surrounding this deal. But do the an- swers even matter? I suggest that for most of us they
don’t. As an industry, we need to put our people, our communities and our members first. We need to do this, regardless of whose uniform we are wearing. When the politics gets messy, when
times get difficult or when sales are down, we must always remember to take care of our people. Employee mo- rale is the foundation of everything. What now? As for me, I’m moving
forward with my own ventures. Many of my Extreme co-workers are join- ing the Goodlife family, and others are working with other facilities and brands. We’re all moving forward into our next chapter, and I’m certain we will cross paths again. I am forever grateful to Extreme
Fitness for providing me with the op- portunity to learn and grow as a fit- ness professional. In many ways, I con- sider Extreme to be the company that raised me. After all, it cared enough to ask me about my 10-year goals, and it helped me reach them. In my heart I will always be an
Extreme Fitness girl. But for now, I’m very happy being a GoodLife Fitness member. FBC
Stephanie Joanne is the fitness expert for Citytv’s CityLine and is known for whipping some of Toronto’s biggest names into shape. Stephanie owns a downtown studio and pro- vides online coaching. For more information, visit
www.stephaniejoanne.com
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