Clubindustry

During the last few months, the Club Industry‘s Fitness Business Pro editorial, sales and online staff members have been diligently updating the Web site. Without doing a complete redesign, we‘ve tweaked the organization of the site quite a bit, streamlining content, in hopes that you, the reader, can more easily navigate our site.

Some of our most notable changes are that we‘ve condensed our current news and hot news, and we‘ve moved our current issue‘s content to the left side. We‘ve also replaced our Resource Box (don‘t worry, it‘s not gone. It‘s just moved to the upper navigation bar) with featured content, bringing you easy access to the hottest features on our site. Please feel free to post your comments below, and let us know what you think of the tweaking!

On a more personal note, thankfully, our freshly tweaked site launched minutes before my computer crashed and presented me with the famous “blue screen of death,” so I was able to see the site in my own workspace for a little bit. Today, Pam is taking a vacation day, so I‘ve been lucky enough to use her computer (and corner office–score!) while she‘s away. Too bad she comes back tomorrow; the view ain‘t bad! –Jennipher

After a fun-filled long weekend in Vegas (for fun, not for work this time), I‘m back in the office and getting a good jump on the August issue. I‘m especially excited about two articles I‘m working on, both of which have an interesting Vegas connection. The first one is about group cycling class trends (my head is still spinning a bit from my trip), and the second is a two-year follow-up piece on clubs affected by Hurricane Katrina (I had “a couple” hurricane drinks). So far, the stories are coming along nicely, and my two-day hangover seems to be lessening in its intensity.

There are a number of fun new trends in cycling. Lately, it seems like almost anything goes, from short classes to longer rides to extreme biking to sing-a-long sessions. If you have something cool going on at your group cycling classes in your facility, feel free to e-mail me at jennipher.shaver@penton.com. I‘d love to hear from you.

Down south, fitness facilities hit by Hurricane Katrina are rebounding, but still adjusting to a different economic market and demographic than before the storm. So far, I‘ve talked with three facilities about their experiences and businesses before and after the storm. Although things are getting better, they all stressed that their lives have deeply changed. Their stories are both inspiring and heroic, as their facilities have served as sometimes the only element of normalcy and even enjoyment in their members‘ lives, even two years after the storm passed. If you‘ve been affected by Katrina or have thoughts you’d like to share about Katrina and clubs affected by the hurricane, feel free to e-mail me at jennipher.shaver@penton.com.

August will make for a good issue about a great industry that continues to improve and make a difference in their communities. I know that after this past weekend, I sure am itching to get back into my normal eating and working out regimen, and that always includes regular visits to the club (health, not dance). –Jennipher

The June issue is in full swing here. I can hear Stuart making phone calls for his article on sports-specific training for adults, and I know Pam is diligently working on the July issue‘s Top 100 list (a lot of work goes into it each year). I have also begun interviewing manufacturers, experts and clubs for my story on user-friendly cardio equipment, but I‘d like to hear more from you. Do you believe that new cardio equipment is getting more intuitive and easier to use? Or are new features making it more intimidating for new users and the deconditioned market to use? Also, what‘s the coolest and most user friendly feature that you‘ve seen on cardio equipment? Is it virtual personal trainers? Ipod connectivity? Fewer buttons to push? Let me know what you think, and what‘s best for your members and club. –Jennipher

Do you have a funny story about your club or member experience? It can be anything from a funny comment you’ve received in your suggestion box to your front desk staff’s most recent lame excuse for coming in late. If so, e-mail Jennipher Shaver at jennipher.shaver@penton.com with your best “One Last Thought” or post them as a comment by clicking on “Comments” below. The Club Industry‘s Fitness Business Pro staff will pick the top five or so stories, feature them online and send Exerflex Flooring T-shirts to the winners. We’ll even pick a couple to publish in the magazine.

Click here to read April’s One Last Thought column for inspiration.