olympic legacy
explains: “NGBs can help instructors working in health clubs by welcoming them into the education programmes they already run, or by designing specifi c modules to accommodate their needs.” As well as workouts designed by
sponsored athletes, Everyone Active’s new online service offers activity training plans developed by NGBs and qualifi ed coaches in Olympic disciplines. Triathlon training plans have been designed by a Level 3 British Triathlon federation coach, for example, with Level 2 British Triathlon coaching qualifi cations undertaken by Everyone Active instructors. British Rowing is also contributing to the service, providing videos and activity training plans to enhance the indoor rowing offering, as well as delivering indoor rowing coaching courses to staff. “The Everyone Active Online service
is a very powerful way to deliver certifi ed, authentic sports conditioning to customers,” says Michelle Bletso, group fi tness development manager at Everyone Active. “By working with NGBs, we can ensure quality programming for our customers and unique insights into elite training regimes. There’s also plenty of scope to feed back into centre-based products such as group cycling, running clubs or indoor rowing training.”
GYM-BASED CHALLENGES The Gold Challenge – a charity challenge focused around the Olympics and run in partnership with the British Olympic Association – is a great example of an initiative that can be extended to the gym environment. Designed to get people active around the Games, participants choose from a selection of different challenges, including completing 2012km, 201.2km or 20.12km – either as a team or an individual – in any of a number of activities such as running/ walking, cycling, swimming, horse riding, rowing and windsurfi ng. Many of these activities can be undertaken on the appropriate equipment in the gym. A gym-specifi c challenge is also
available, in which individuals or teams aggregate a distance of 2012km in one or more of the following sports: running, swimming, cycling, walking, rowing. “Rowing is an ideal cross- training activity,” says Simon Dickie, participation manager at British Rowing.
“It can be used to develop strength, endurance and power; Olympic rowers are among the most highly conditioned athletes. The training they do can be adapted for any age group or any ability using the indoor rowing machine.”
56 Inverclyde
Leisure’s Olympic Challenge sets clear activity targets
Allowing
the challenge to be part- completed by participating in activities such as running clubs and indoor cycling classes can also add additional interest for regular gym users, as well as driving customers from other activities taking place within a leisure centre into organised sessions with secondary spend opportunities. For members who don’t usually try group classes, this could be a valuable opportunity to convert them and grow your customer base. Inverclyde Leisure, the Scottish
leisure trust and member of sporta, has linked an Olympic challenge back to its core fi tness offering by allowing classes to count towards participants’ targets. Similar to the Gold Challenge, the IL Olympic Challenge encourages people to complete 201.2 miles in running, walking or cycling, or 20.12 miles swimming, by the time of the offi cial London 2012 Opening Ceremony. By allowing people to complete part or all of their target in its centres’ running clubs or indoor cycling classes, the challenge is directly linked back to what is offered by the centres on a regular basis. “The Olympic Challenge will tap
into the excitement generated by the Olympics, drumming up activity in the gym and participation in classes,” says David McCorkindale, general manager at Inverclyde Leisure. “Running and cycling are two high profi le Olympic sports in which we run conditioning classes week in, week out, so including them in the scheme makes perfect sense. We’re giving people clear opportunities to indulge their sporting aspirations and we hope users will gain a newfound passion for activity for life, not just during the Games but on an ongoing basis.” Another approach to capitalising on
the Olympic buzz via gym challenges is to enhance users’ experience of trying a new sport by training instructors to deliver sports-specifi c coaching. Indoor rowing is a considerable part of many operator initiatives driving
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
members to try new sports featuring prominently in the Gold Challenge. DC Leisure, one of the companies running the Gold Challenge at its clubs, therefore enrolled 150 of its gym instructors on a course delivered by British Rowing to encourage users to take part, learning proper indoor rowing technique and conditioning tips for rowers. With some concerns about the quality
of gym instruction on proper technique and a vision to make indoor rowing more of a sport in its own right, British Rowing offers REPs-accredited courses covering indoor rowing technique and skills to deliver better coaching to participants of all ages.
MORE TO BE DONE There is undoubtedly a weight of expectation on Technogym’s ‘Our Greatest Team’ campaign and the FIA’s digital legacy initiatives to deliver a lasting activity legacy from London 2012. However, there are also schemes in place at centres across the UK linking the Olympic buzz to participation in fi tness – but more needs to be done. “There’s an assumption that there will
be increases in participation following a home Olympics,” concludes Barfi eld.
“However, there is no quality evidence from any previous Games that this is the case, so if we’re to alter that trend, we must do something different and target those who are active, or who aspire to be, but don’t yet have the opportunity presented to them.”
healthclub@leisuremedia.com david thompson
may 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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